A Study on Strengthening the Operational Efficiency of Dairy Supply Chain in Tamilnadu, India

AbstractThe main objective of this paper is to study the issues in improving the operational efficiency of the dairy supply chain in Tamil Nadu, India. Dairy Farming is a major occupation of the people of Tamil Nadu, India and it contributes a significant amount to the growth of our country. In this paper, Tamil Nadu dairy development department's objectives and its three-tier structure were studied. Through SWOT analysis its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats were analyzed. In our study Tamil Nadu Cooperative Milk Producers Federation is compared with Gujarat Cooperative Milk Producers Federation (AMUL). The major issues influencing the dairy farming are studied through literature survey, field study and researchers experience. They are presented in this paper. There were three major important field studies conducted at various time periods. The data has been collected through a questionnaire method and these interactions were recorded by a video camera. Based on the research work carried out on dairy supply chain in Tamil Nadu, India, some key recommendations are made for the attention of policy makers to strengthen the operational efficiency. There are five areas of focus. They are, creation of special dairy zone, implementing dynamic milk procurement method, strengthening cooperative societies, creation of feed bank and increasing fodder productivity, integrated animal health plan and information technology

Membrane disintegration caused by the steroid saponin digitonin is related to the presence of cholesterol

In the present investigation we studied the molecular mechanisms of the monodesmosidic saponin digitonin on natural and artificial membranes. We measured the hemolytic activity of digitonin on red blood cells (RBCs). Also different lipid membrane models (large unilamellar vesicles, LUVs, and giant unilamellar vesicles, GUVs) in the presence and absence of cholesterol were employed. The stability and permeability of the different vesicle systems were studied by using calcein release assay, GUVs membrane permeability assay using confocal microscopy (CM) and fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) and vesicle size measurement by dynamic light scattering (DLS). The results support the essential role of cholesterol in explaining how digitonin can disintegrate biological and artificial membranes. Digitonin induces membrane permeability or causes membrane rupturing only in the presence of cholesterol in an all-or-none mechanism. This effect depends on the concentrations of both digitonin and cholesterol. At low concentrations, digitonin induces membrane permeability while keeping the membrane intact. When digitonin is combined with other drugs, a synergistic potentiation can be observed because it facilitates their uptake

First Report on Infection of Argulus quadristriatus (Arthropoda: Crustacea: Branchiura) on Marine Fish Cobia in Brood Stock Pond Culture [2019]

A total of 30 specimens of fish cobia Rachycentron canadum (Total Length = 45–120 cm, Weight = 3.0–25 kg) were stocked at the density of 1 kg/m³ in the polythene lined earthen pond. After 3 months of stocking, fish cobia was found with infection of ectoparasites. Then fishes were sampled at fortnight interval to find the percentage distribution of ectoparasites in different parts of the body for a year and also any pathological symptoms. Identification of the parasite was made through light and electron microscopies. The parasite was identified as Argulus quadristriatus Devaraj and Ameer Hamsa, 1977 (Crustacea: Branchiura: Argulidae) commonly called as fish lice. The maximum distribution of pathogenic argulid was observed on the head and operculum of cobia and was found high in summer months from April to June. Pathological symptoms were observed on cobia as erratic swimming, rubbing against substrate in the pond and lesions of epithelial tissues on the infected regions. It must be due to continuous rupturing and feeding of argulids on the skin of cobia using its powerful antennae. Scanning electron micrographs revealed some important morphological features of A. quadristriatus. This is a first report of A. quadristriatus infection on cobia reared in a land-based pond ecosystem

Analysis of Cyber Security In E-Governance Utilizing Blockchain Performance

E-Government refers to the administration of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) to the procedures and functions of the government with the objective of enhancing the transparency, efficiency and participation of the citizens. E-Government is tough systems that require distribution, protection of privacy and security and collapse of these could result in social and economic costs on a large scale. Many of the available e-government systems like electronic identity system of management (eIDs), websites are established at duplicated databases and servers. An established validation and management system could face a single failure point and the system is prone to Distributed Denial of Service Attacks (DDoS), denial of service attacks (DoS), malware and other cyber attacks. The execution of a privacy preserving and a secure decentralized system is enabled by the block chain technology. Here any third-party organizations do not have any control over the transactions of the Government. With the help of block chain technology, new and existing data are encapsulated within ledger or blocks, which are evenly distributed through the network in an enduring and sustainable way. The privacy and security of information are improved with the help of block chain technology, where distribution and encryption of data are performed through the total network. This analytical paper maps out the analysis of the security in the e-government system, utilizing the block chain technology that provides privacy and security of information and thereby enhancing the trust among the public sector. Qualitative and theoretical analysis is made for the proposed topic and implications of privacy and security of the proposed system is made

Chitosan complements entrapment of silicon inside nitrogen doped carbon to improve and stabilize the capacity of Li-ion batteries

Abstract A facile strategy to entrap milled silicon (m-Si) particles using nitrogen-doped-carbon (N-C@m-Si) to overcome the dramatic volume changes in Si during intercalation of lithium ions and to improve its electronic conductivity is reported here. The only natural nitrogen containing biomaterial alkaline polysaccharide, i.e., chitosan, is used as the carbon source. Simple hydrothermal technique followed by a subsequent carbonization process is used to synthesize N-C and N-C@m-Si particles. N-C@m-Si exhibited significantly improved electrochemical performance as compared to bare m-Si, which is confirmed by the obtained discharge capacity of 942.4 mAh g−1 and columbic efficiency of 97% after 50 cycles at 0.1C rate. With regard to the N-C electrodes, the obtained discharge capacity of 485.34 mAh g−1 and columbic efficiency of 99.78%, after 50 cycles at 0.1C rate is superior to the commercial graphite electrodes. The solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) layer that formed over m-Si and N-C@m-Si electrodes is characterized using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Compared to the SEI layer that formed over m-Si electrode after 10 charge-discharge cycles, the N-C@m-Si electrode had a stable lithium fluoride and carbonate species. Brief reaction mechanisms, representing the formation of different species in the SEI layer, is derived to explain its behavior during the electrochemical processes

Postmenopausal Chinese-Singaporean Women Have a Higher Ratio of Visceral to Subcutaneous Adipose Tissue Volume than Caucasian Women of the Same Age and BMI.

Central fat accumulation is a significant determinant of cardio-metabolic health risk, known to differ between ethnically distinct human populations. Despite evidence for preferential central adiposity in Asian populations, the proportional distribution between the subcutaneous and visceral compartments in Chinese postmenopausal women has not been thoroughly investigated. For this analysis, volumetrically quantified subcutaneous and visceral adipose tissue (SAT, VAT) in the pelvic and abdominal regions of postmenopausal Asian (Chinese-Singaporean) and Caucasian (German) women matched for age and Body Mass Index (BMI) was undertaken, to examine such differences between the two groups. Volumes were calculated from segmentations of magnetic resonance imaging datasets of the abdomen and pelvis. Despite SAT, VAT, and the corresponding total adipose tissue (TAT) being similar between the groups, VAT/SAT and VAT/TAT were higher in the Asian group (by 24.5% and 18.2%, respectively, each p = 0.02). Further, VAT/SAT and VAT/TAT were positively correlated with BMI in the Caucasian group only (p = 0.02 and p = 0.01, respectively). We concluded that VAT is proportionally higher in the non-obese Asian women, compared to the Caucasian women of matched age and BMI. This conclusion is in agreement with existing literature showing higher abdominal adiposity in Asian populations. Additionally, in the Asian group, BMI did not correlate with visceral adiposity on a significant level. Further analysis is required to examine the extent to which this increased VAT may impact cardio-metabolic health. There is, however, a need to emphasize healthy lifestyle behaviors in non-obese post-menopausal women of Chinese ancestry

Cough and its importance in COPD

Patients with COPD most frequently complain of breathlessness and cough and these are both increased during exacerbations. Studies have generally focused on quality of life during end-stage disease, where breathlessness becomes dominant and cough less important. There are very little data on the frequency and severity of cough in COPD or its impact on quality of life at different stages of disease. Little is known about the factors that influence objective cough counts in COPD. Cough may be a marker for progressive disease in milder COPD patients who continue to smoke, and it may be useful in case-finding for milder disease in the community. The cough reflex sensitivity is heightened in COPD compared with healthy volunteers and similar to that in subjects with asthma. The degree of airflow obstruction does not predict cough reflex sensitivity or objective cough counts, implying an independent process. Effective treatments for cough in COPD have not yet been identified. Improved outcome measures of cough, a better understanding of cough in the natural history of COPD, and its importance to patients are needed