Wireless Sensor Enabled Public Transportation System

Automatic Vehicle Identification (AVI) in real time is becoming an urgent necessity due to rapid increase in the number of vehicles on roads. The Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Technology can be used for vehicle identification to gather information in real-time from roads by getting the vehicles location from RFID readers placed in the vehicle. This paper focuses on designing the Public Vehicle Location System (PVLS). The proposed structure consists of passive RFID tags placed at various locations on the chosen route, RFID reader on the Bus, wireless communication with a PC and commanding software (RFID reader and database structure), also PVLS applications and website. The designed system controls, manages and monitors the performance of RFID readers. It also filters and stores the information in an appropriate format so that it could be used without difficulty in the application system and website. The system implemented by using RFID is placed in the Bus which is programmed by Visual C# 2008 with Compact .Net Framework

Identifying Appliances using NIALM with Minimum Features

Government of India has decided to install smart meters in fourteen states. Smart meters are required to identify home appliances to fulfill various tasks in the smart grid environment. Both intrusive and non-intrusive methods have been suggested for identification. However, intrusive method is not suitable for cost and privacy reasons. On the other hand, techniques using non-intrusive appliance load monitoring (NIALM) are yet to result in meaningful practical implementation. Two major challenges in NIALM research are the choice of features (load signatures of appliances), and the appropriate algorithm. Both have a direct impact on the cost of the smart meter. In this paper, we address the two issues and propose a procedure with only four features and a simple algorithm to identify appliances. Our experimental setup, on the recommended specifications of the internal electrical wiring in Indian residences, used common household appliances’ load signatures of active and reactive powers, harmonic components and their magnitudes. We show that these four features are essential and sufficient for implementation of NIALM with a simple algorithm. We have introduced a new approach of ‘multi point sensing’ and ‘group control’ rather than the ‘single point sensing’ and ‘individual control’, used so far in NIALM techniques.DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.11591/ijece.v4i6.671

ON KENMOTSU MANIFOLDS WITH SEMI-SYMMETRIC METRIC CONNECTION

The aim of the present paper is to study the properties of locally and globally $\phi$-concircularly symmetric Kenmotsu manifolds endowed with a semi-symmetric metric connection. First, we will prove that the locally $\phi$-symmetric and the globally $\phi$-concircularly symmetric Kenmotsu manifolds are equivalent. Next, we will study three dimensional locally $\phi$-symmetric, locally $\phi$-concircularly symmetric and locally $\phi$-concircularly recurrent Kenmotsu manifolds with respect to such connection and will obtain some geometrical results. In the end, we will construct a non-trivial example of Kenmotsu manifold admitting a semi-symmetric metric connection and validate our results. 

Partial Crystallinity in Alkyl Side Chain Polymers Dictates Surface Freezing

We have studied the structure of a novel crystalline surface monolayer on top of a disordered melt of the same material [poly(n-alkyl acrylate)s] using grazing incidence x-ray diffraction. The grazing incidence x-ray diffraction, surface tension, and bulk latent heat results show that side chains crystallize except the nine methylene units of the alkyl side chains closest to the polymer backbone. The partial crystallinity along with a thicker surface layer, due to the additional length of the linker group, explains why the difference between the surface order-to-disorder transition temperature and bulk melting temperature increases with a decrease in the length of the alkyl side chain

Reproductive Ecology of Male and Female Strobili and Mating System in Two Different Populations of Pinus roxburghii

We studied several flowering traits, namely, male-female cone phenology, male-female cone production per tree, mating system, sex ratio, air-borne pollen grains and pollen migration, over four successive years in two different natural populations of P. roxburghii from Garhwal Himalaya, India. Assessment of each trait mentioned except pollen dispersion was done by selecting five representative trees randomly in each population. The pollen migration was studied on naturally isolated source trees. The pollen trapping was done in all directions up to 2.5 km. The average reproductive period in P. roxburghii was 36 days with 3–5 days protandry. There were significant year and population effects for male and female cone output and pollen grains production per tree. In mass production year (1999), an average production of pollen cone per tree was estimated as 42.44 ± 8.32 × 103 at lower altitude and 28.1 ± 0.89 × 103 at higher altitude. The controlled pollination results in high level of outcrossing with 90% seed setting. We conclude that the high male-female ratio and tremendous pollen production capacity in P. roxburghii indicate high male competition among trees within populations. The isolation strip of 600 m is considered minimal for the management of seed orchard

A case of strongyloidiasis in pregnancy

Helminthic infections such as Strongyloides stercoralis occurs commonly in immunocompromised states. However, they can rarely occur in normal individuals also. A 23 year old multigravida presented at 39 weeks gestation with watery diarrhoea. She was evaluated and diagnosed of strongyloidiasis. Medical management was given and pregnancy outcome was successful. This case is reported because strongyloidiasis is a rare and underreported occurrence in pregnancy, which can occasionally be fatal

Drug utilization pattern in an intensive care unit setting in Eastern India

Background: The intensive care unit (ICU) is a setting where a large number of drugs are administered to patients, most of them critically ill and suffering from multiple complications, making the costs of hospitalization and drug treatment high. There is a dearth of information on drug utilization in ICUs in Eastern India. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the drug utilization pattern in an ICU setting in Eastern India. The objective was to monitor, evaluate, and suggest modifications in the prescribing pattern of ICU drugs.Methods: A retrospective analysis of the case records of patients admitted to the ICU of a multispecialty hospital in Eastern India during the time period from January 2015 to June 2015 was carried out. The demographic profile of the patients, drug utilization pattern and defined daily dose (DDD)/100 bed-days of the commonly used drugs in the ICU were studied.Results: A total of 275 patients were evaluated consisting 61% male patients. Most common causes for admission to the ICU were a cerebrovascular accident, chronic kidney disease, and road traffic accident. An average number of drugs per patient was 10.5. Commonly prescribed drug classes were the antimicrobial agents (AMAs) in 96% patients followed by gastrointestinal drugs. Ceftriaxone was the most commonly used AMA (41.5% patients), having a drug consumption of 35.1 DDD/100 bed-days during the study period.Conclusions: An antibiotic use policy should be framed and followed to curb the excessive use of AMAs. Formation of a multidisciplinary team to oversee drug use will be helpful to make the drug utilization in the ICU rational

Symmetrical Peripheral Gangrene Post Snake-Bite: An Unusual Presentation

Snake bite in India is a common yet neglected public health issue, with an estimated death rate of 50,000 per year. Symmetrical peripheral gangrene (SPG) has varied aetiology, but it is an unusual complication after snake bites. SPG is important as it causes significant morbidity and mortality, and early intervention may improve the outcome. Hereby, we report a case of SPG in young female with history of snake bite. The patient developed gangrene of bilateral foot and distal part of legs with necrotising fasciitis of right leg. In the literature, there are only few reported cases of SPG as a complication of snake bite