Attendance Monitoring System of Students Based on Biometric and GPS Tracking System

This paper is a study of a fingerprint recognition system based on minutiae based fingerprint algorithms used in various techniques. This line of track mainly involves extraction of minutiae points from the model fingerprint images and fingerprint matching based on the number of minutiae pairings among to fingerprints. This paper also provides the design method of fingerprint based student attendance with help of GSM. This system ignores the requirement for stationary materials and personnel for keeping of records. The main objective of this project is to develop an embedded system, which is used for security applications. The biometrics technology is rapidly progressing and offers attractive opportunities. In recent years, biometric authentication has grown in popularity as a means of personal identification in college administration systems. The prominent biometric methods that may be used for authentication include fingerprint, palmprint, and handprint, face recognition, speech recognition, dental and eye biometrics. In this paper, a microcontroller based prototype of attendance system using fingerprint sensor and face recognition module is implemented. The tracking module is used here to identify the location of the missing person

Performance tests on Screw Feeder Conveyor for Nodule Transfer Deep Sea Applications

A screw conveyor is a versatile conveyor used in many process plants for the transfer of bulk solids and powders. The following article has written to understand screw conveyor design and selection of the right screw conveyor for underwater applications to convey crushed manganese nodules to the pump system for nodule transfer. The nodules from the sea bed will be collected by a pickup device and crushed into less than 30mm pieces by using a crusher and pumped by a positive displacement pump to the mother vessel. Screw feeder is used to transfer curshed Polymetallic Nodules from hopper to pump system with controlled feed rate. A land based screw feeder is modified to suit the under water applications. Studies on screw conveyors were conducted to examine performance in land as well as underwater. Most of these studies were experimental in nature. This paper presents a critical review on the design and validation of a screw conveyor

Clinicopathological spectrum of glomerular diseases in elderly.

INTRODUCTION : Advances in modern health care have led to increase in geriatric population. The annual growth rate of people more than 60 years is faster than any other age group. Aging is associated with renal structural changes and functional decline. As life expectancy increases, the prevalence of elderly patients living with renal diseases is more. The biology of aging with associated co morbid illness like diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease often modify the clinical presentations, pathological findings and natural history of renal disease in the elderly. The incidence of glomerular disease in elderly is varies in different population from 5 to 20% and it is ever increasing. Due to aging, co morbid illnesses and blunted immune response, clinical presentations are often atypical. Renal biopsy is the gold standard for diagnosing glomerular diseases, yet less than 15% renal biopsies were from age more than 60 years. This leads to under diagnosis and delay in treatment. The studies on geriatric nephrology in India are limited, that too in glomerular diseases were scarce. We intend to study the spectrum of glomerular diseases in the elderly and its clinico pathological correlation. AIMS : To study the clinico pathological spectrum of glomerular diseases in elderly patients and their outcomes. MATERIALS AND METHODS : Ours is a cross sectional descriptive study, done on elderly patients of age 60 or more years with clinical diagnosis of glomerular diseases and underwent renal biopsy in the department of Nephrology, Madras Medical College, Chennai, from August 2010 through December 2012. CONCLUSION : 1. 64% of glomerular diseases were due to secondary causes, primary renal disease contributes to about 36% 2. The most common cause of glomerulonephritis in our setup is post infectious glomerulonephritis, which contributes to 23% cases. 3. Vasculitis is the second most common cause glomerulonephritis in our elderly population, comprising 17% patients. 4. Membranous nephropathy is the most common cause of nephrotic syndrome in our study accounting for 16% total cases and 46% of patients with nephrotic syndrome. 5. One fourth of membranous nephropathy is due to secondary cause. Hence it is important to screen for chronic infections, malignancy and systemic illness in a newly detected patient with membranous nephropathy. 6. In contrast to other studies, minimal change disease is less common in elderly population in our study; On the contrary there is high prevalence of FSGS. 7. Patients with PIGN had better renal outcomes in our series when compared to other studies. 65% had complete recovery, 25% had persistent renal dysfunction and 10% developed ESRD. On univariate analysis, peak creatinine of more than 4mg at presentation, need for dialytic support and the presence of crescents in biopsy were found to have statistically significance. In multivariate analysis, only peak creatinine at presentation had statistical significance. 8. In patients with Vasculitis, the outcome was poor.15% died on initial admission, 30% became dialysis dependent, 30% had persistent renal dysfunction and only 5% made complete recovery. 9. Outcomes of nephrotic syndrome is not easy to assess in our population, since 40% were not started on immunosupression due to co morbid illness and about 25% were not on regular follow up

Enhancing Banana (Musa sp.) productivity through micronutrient application and technological interventions

Banana (Musa sp.) is one of the most important fruit crops globally. However, its productivity is decreasing year by year. Therefore, there is an urgent need to enhance productivity to meet domestic demand, commercial markets and export requirements. Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), Vamban, Pudukkottai, conducted Front Line Demonstrations (FLDs) on the micronutrient mixture IIHR (Indian Institute of Horticultural Research) Banana Special during 2016-17 and 2017-18 to increase the marketable bunches of bananas. Technological interventions such as pairing and pralinage, desuckering, propping, denaveling, foliar application of micronutrients, bunch covering, soil application of biocontrol agents, crop rotation, mulching and plant protection measures led to an increase in bunch weight and yield by 20 % with a benefit-cost (B:C) ratio of 3.7 in demonstrated plots, compared to 3.4 in control plots. Promoting eco-friendly production technologies and integrating indigenous technical knowledge with modern cultivation techniques is critical. Moreover, supporting farmers with subsidies or loans for small-scale processing units is recommended

Agriculture 4.0 and beyond: Evaluating cyber threat intelligence sources and techniques in smart farming ecosystems

The digitisation of agriculture, integral to Agriculture 4.0, has brought significant benefits while simultaneously escalating cybersecurity risks. With the rapid adoption of smart farming technologies and infrastructure, the agricultural sector has become an attractive target for cyberattacks. This paper presents a systematic literature review that assesses the applicability of existing cyber threat intelligence (CTI) techniques within smart farming infrastructures (SFIs). We develop a comprehensive taxonomy of CTI techniques and sources, specifically tailored to the SFI context, addressing the unique cyber threat challenges in this domain. A crucial finding of our review is the identified need for a virtual Chief Information Security Officer (vCISO) in smart agriculture. While the concept of a vCISO is not yet established in the agricultural sector, our study highlights its potential significance. The implementation of a vCISO could play a pivotal role in enhancing cybersecurity measures by offering strategic guidance, developing robust security protocols, and facilitating real-time threat analysis and response strategies. This approach is critical for safeguarding the food supply chain against the evolving landscape of cyber threats. Our research underscores the importance of integrating a vCISO framework into smart farming practices as a vital step towards strengthening cybersecurity. This is essential for protecting the agriculture sector in the era of digital transformation, ensuring the resilience and sustainability of the food supply chain against emerging cyber risks

Volatile Organic Compounds Emitted by Fungal Associates of Conifer Bark Beetles and their Potential in Bark Beetle Control

Conifer bark beetles attack and kill mature spruce and pine trees, especially during hot and dry conditions. These beetles are closely associated with ophiostomatoid fungi of the Ascomycetes, including the genera Ophiostoma, Grosmannia, and Endoconidiophora, which enhance beetle success by improving nutrition and modifying their substrate, but also have negative impacts on beetles by attracting predators and parasites. A survey of the literature and our own data revealed that ophiostomatoid fungi emit a variety of volatile organic compounds under laboratory conditions including fusel alcohols, terpenoids, aromatic compounds, and aliphatic alcohols. Many of these compounds already have been shown to elicit behavioral responses from bark beetles, functioning as attractants or repellents, often as synergists to compounds currently used in bark beetle control. Thus, these compounds could serve as valuable new agents for bark beetle management. However, bark beetle associations with fungi are very complex. Beetle behavior varies with the species of fungus, the stage of the beetle life cycle, the host tree quality, and probably with changes in the emission rate of fungal volatiles. Additional research on bark beetles and their symbiotic associates is necessary before the basic significance of ophiostomatoid fungal volatiles can be understood and their applied potential realized

The Mere Lack of rT Modification in Initiator tRNA Does Not Facilitate Formylation-Independent Initiation in Escherichia coli

Formylation of initiator methionyl-tRNA is essential for normal growth of eubacteria. However, under special conditions, it has been possible to initiate protein synthesis with unformylated initiator tRNA even in eubacteria. Earlier studies suggested that the lack of ribothymidine (rT) modification in initiator tRNA may facilitate initiation in the absence of formylation. In this report we show, by using trmA strains of Escherichia coli (defective for rT modification) and a sensitive in vivo initiation assay system, that the lack of rT modification in the initiators is not sufficient to effect formylation-independent initiation of protein synthesis. In stark contrast to its unformylated counterparts in archaea and eukarya, initiation of protein synthesis in eubacteria, mitochondria, and chloroplasts occurs with formylmethionyl (fMet)-tRNA (10). Therefore, this distinct mechanism of initiation with fMet-tRNA in eubacteria has been of interest fo