Indian Sign Language Recognition through Hybrid ConvNet-LSTM Networks

Dynamic hand gesture recognition is a challenging task of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and Computer Vision. The potential application areas of gesture recognition include sign language translation, video gaming, video surveillance, robotics, and gesture-controlled home appliances. In the proposed research, gesture recognition is applied to recognize sign language words from real-time videos. Classifying the actions from video sequences requires both spatial and temporal features. The proposed system handles the former by the Convolutional Neural Network (CNN), which is the core of several computer vision solutions and the latter by the Recurrent Neural Network (RNN), which is more efficient in handling the sequences of movements. Thus, the real-time Indian sign language (ISL) recognition system is developed using the hybrid CNN-RNN architecture. The system is trained with the proposed CasTalk-ISL dataset. The ultimate purpose of the presented research is to deploy a real-time sign language translator to break the hurdles present in the communication between hearing-impaired people and normal people. The developed system achieves 95.99% top-1 accuracy and 99.46% top-3 accuracy on the test dataset. The obtained results outperform the existing approaches using various deep models on different datasets

RECAPITALIZATION AND ITS IMPACT ON BANK’S STABILITY, COMPETITIVENESS AND PROFITABILITY: EVIDENCE FROM INDIAN PSBs

There is a current argument relating to the capital infusion to the banks for strengthening capital on one side, without taking prudential measures to reduce the strains already present in the credit quality of banks on the other. The regulators thought that recapitalization of banks will be used to effectively reduce the cost of funds in the regular business provided when there is a higher lending demand. The capital infusion may turn out ineffective if there is less loan demand. On this background, this paper examines the effect of recapitalization of Indian public sector banks, and its impact on banks stability, competitiveness and profitability. Out of 21 banks, 18 banks reacted positively in case of one indicator, but failed in regard to overall indicators. Finally, the study reveals an interesting outcome that, there is no relationship between the size of the infusion and the performance of the bank. Hence, the study concludes that the capital infusion will help the banks significantly to improve the stability, competitiveness and profitability only when the banks’ fundamentals are strong, combined with the deployment of fresh funds and their managerial capability

Analysis in Carcinoma Stomach Her-2/neu Positivity by Immuno-histochemistry

INTRODUCTION: Carcinoma stomach remains the leading cause of death in both developed and developing countries with mortality ranks second in the world. Early stages of tumour are amenable to surgical correction, but usually the patients presents in advanced stage with signs of inoperability. Inspite of newer modalities of therapies available for treatment, survival rate is poor in advanced stage. The genesis of molecular biology led to the development of newly designed therapeutic molecules, which interferes with the pathogenesis of cancer cells. The Human epidermal growth receptor 2 gene (Her-2, otherwise called as ERBB 2 and Her-2 nu) is now considered as the cornerstone in solid human cancers, especially gastric cancer. There is now a strong correlation that exists between Her-2 overexpression and poor outcome in gastric cancer patients, which has been evidenced by many international studies. Most of the studies regarding Her-2 is from the foreign literature. This study is an attempt to analyse Her-2 positivity in gastric carcinoma patients at Madurai Government Rajaji Hospital which primarily caters the rural population in and around Madurai. AIMS & OBJECTIVES: 1. To assess Her-2/neu content in our gastric cancer patients. 2. To assess the correlation between this receptor tumour content and clinicopathologic characteristics. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Thirty gastric adenocarcinoma patients paraffin block was obtained from Department of Pathology, Madurai Medical College. It consists of both surgical and biopsy block. All patients had undergone supra and infra diaphragmatic imaging studies with chest X-ray, Ultrasound abdomen, CT abdomen and chest. TNM staging had been performed on all patients according to American Joint Committee on Cancer. Ten patients undergone surgery followed by chemotherapy and remaining twenty patients were receiving palliative chemotherapy. Representative blocks were chosen for immunostaining. IHC was performed with Hercep test kit. Tumour with more than ten percent of cancer cells showing membranous staining for Her-2 were classified as positive. RESULTS: Out of 30 patients, Her 2 positivity reported was 7. Among seven patients, maximum positivity was seen in age group between 41 to 60, this is because maximum number of cases were reported in these age groups. The P value was 0.695 which was not statistically significant on comparing with other age groups. Of the 30 patients, male to female ratio was 2.75.this is because cancer stomach is more common in males on compared to females Among 22 males, 5 showed positivity and among 8 females, 2 showed positivity, the ratio was 2.5. The P value was 1.000 which was not statistically significant. Also on comparing males and females individually with positive and negative results to their total, P value obtained was 0.063 (males) and 0.464 (females) which was not significant. Out of 30 patients, all three types of grade were almost equally present. Among 7 positive patients, maximum cases belong to moderate differentiation, on comparing with other two, the P value was 0.494 which was not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: Gastric cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer mortality in INDIA. This is due to the fact that most of the patients were diagnosed at end stage where only palliation is possible. In patients where surgical resection is not possible, systemic chemotherapy is the main treatment option. Although many chemotherapeutic regimes have been extensively studied both as monotherapy and combination therapy active in metastatic diseases, there is no internationally accepted standard of care and survival remains poor. In order to increase the life span newer therapeutic strategies are needed. There is increasing evidence that HER2 overexpression in patients with gastric cancer is correlated with poor outcomes and more aggressive disease. Various trials showed TRASTUZUMAB inhibits the growth of human gastric cancer in patients with HER2 overexpression both in vitro and vivo. These clinical trials paved way for starting ToGA trial which was studied in gastric cancer patients conducted in various countries all over the world. The results of these studies will contribute to a better knowledge of the efficacy and treatment of TRASTUZUMB- based therapy in HER2 POSITIVE gastric cancer in the future

NMR GHZ

We describe the creation of a Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger (GHZ) state of the form |000>+|111> (three maximally entangled quantum bits) using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR). We have successfully carried out the experiment using the proton and carbon spins of trichloroethylene, and confirmed the result using state tomography. We have thus extended the space of entangled quantum states explored systematically to three quantum bits, an essential step for quantum computation.Comment: 4 pages in RevTex, 3 figures, the paper is also avalaible at http://qso.lanl.gov/qc

A PILOT STUDY ON THE EFFICACY OF SIDDHA MEDICINE SEENTHIL SARKARAI IN THE MANAGEMENT OF MOOTHIRAKIRICHARAM (URINARY TRACT INFECTION)

Objective: The present pilot study was designed to evaluate the efficacy of Seenthil sarkarai, a Classical Siddha medicine in Moothirakiricharam (Urinary Tract Infection) patients.Method: This study was approved by IEC and registered in Clinical Trial Registry of India and was conducted at the National Institute of Siddha, Tambaram, Chennai, India. The investigator recruited 20 patients of both male and female with an inclusion and exclusion criteria. All the patients were treated with Seenthil Sarkarai at the dose level of 2 grams two times a day with warm water for 21 days. Dietary regimen was advised for the patients. Study outcome was studied with negative Urine culture and also based on the improvement in the reduction of Burning micturition, Frequency of micturition, Dysuria with fever, Foul smelling urine.Results: The symptoms such as burning micturition, persistent urge to urinate, foul smelling urine, and presence of bacteriuria reduced markedly within 21 days of duration. Out of 20 patients, 12 patients were completely relieved from the compliance of UTI with negative Urine culture. The symptoms of UTI were markedly reduced in remaining 8 patients. There were no adverse effect reported during the study and no recurrence of UTI was noticed in 12 patients who were completely cured.Conclusion: Results suggest that the trial drug Seenthil Sarkarai is effective and safe for the management of Moothirakiricharam (UTI) and in alleviating recurrences

Energy-aware 3D micro-machined inductive suspensions with polymer magnetic composite core

This paper addresses the issue of Joule heating in micromachined inductive suspensions (MIS) and reports a significant decrease of the operating temperature by using a polymer magnetic composite (PMC) core. The PMC material has a high resistivity, thus inhibiting the formation of eddy currents, and a high permeability, thus guiding the magnetic field more efficiently within the MIS structure. We experimentally study the distribution of the PMC material inside the MIS structure and evaluate the effect of the core from the dependence of the levitation height on the excitation current. The experiments carried on in ambient room temperature demonstrate that the temperature inside the micromachined inductive suspension is reduced to 58°C, which is a record-low temperature compared to other MIS structures reported before

Comparative catching efficiency of traditional prawn fishing gears in Pulicat lake of Tamil Nadu, India

303-310Prawn fishery in Pulicat Lake has a significant role in livelihood of the fishers, which is being harvested through different fishing gears. Here, we investigated the prawn-fishing gear and their catch composition. The information on various aspect about the gears was collected from the 48 respondents each month through pre-designed interview schedule by adopting random sampling. Results revealed that the quantity of prawn were higher in stake net (209.83 kg), followed by barriers (118.58 kg), drive-in-net (55.58 kg) tangle net (18.25 kg) and was statically significant at 5 %. It was estimated that more than half (52.16 %) of the total prawn catch in Pulicat Lake was obtained through stake net than the barriers (29.48 %), drive-in-net (13.82 %) and tangle net (4.54 %). The maximum quantity of prawn was obtained during the November and December in all the prawn-fishing gear (p < 0.05). This study concludes that non-selective fishing gears resulted in the abundant catch of juvenile fishes and crabs, need to be regulated mesh size, to support the conservation and sustainable harvest of the fishery resources in Pulicat Lake

Adjuvant Intravesical Chemohyperthermia Versus Passive Chemotherapy in Patients with Intermediate-risk Non–muscle-invasive Bladder Cancer (HIVEC-II): A Phase 2, Open-label, Randomised Controlled Trial

Background: Adjuvant intravesical chemotherapy following tumour resection is recommended for intermediate-risk non–muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC). Objective: To assess the efficacy and safety of adjuvant intravesical chemohyperthermia (CHT) for intermediate-risk NMIBC. Design, setting, and participants: HIVEC-II is an open-label, phase 2 randomised controlled trial of CHT versus chemotherapy alone in patients with intermediate-risk NMIBC recruited at 15 centres between May 2014 and December 2017 (ISRCTN 23639415). Randomisation was stratified by treating hospital. Interventions: Patients were randomly assigned (1:1) to adjuvant CHT with mitomycin C at 43°C or to room-temperature mitomycin C (control). Both treatment arms received six weekly instillations of 40 mg of mitomycin C lasting for 60 min. Outcome measurements and statistical analysis: The primary endpoint was 24-mo disease-free survival as determined via cystoscopy and urinary cytology. Analysis was by intention to treat. Results: A total of 259 patients (131 CHT vs 128 control) were randomised. At 24 mo, 42 patients (32%) in the CHT group and 49 (38%) in the control group had experienced recurrence. Disease-free survival at 24 mo was 61% (95% confidence interval [CI] 51–69%) in the CHT arm and 60% (95% CI 50–68%) in the control arm (hazard ratio [HR] 0.92, 95% CI 0.62–1.37; log-rank p = 0.8). Progression-free survival was higher in the control arm (HR 3.44, 95% CI 1.09–10.82; log-rank p = 0.02) on intention-to-treat analysis but was not significantly higher on per-protocol analysis (HR 2.87, 95% CI 0.83–9.98; log-rank p = 0.06). Overall survival was similar (HR 2.55, 95% CI 0.77–8.40; log-rank p = 0.09). Patients undergoing CHT were less likely to complete their treatment (n =75, 59% vs n = 111, 89%). Adverse events were reported by 164 patients (87 CHT vs 77 control). Major (grade III) adverse events were rare (13 CHT vs 7 control). Conclusions: CHT cannot be recommended over chemotherapy alone for intermediate-risk NMIBC. Adverse events following CHT were of low grade and short-lived, although patients were less likely to complete their treatment. Patient summary: The HIVEC-II trial investigated the role of heated chemotherapy instillations in the bladder for treatment of intermediate-risk non–muscle-invasive bladder cancer. We found no cancer control benefit from heated chemotherapy instillations over room-temperature chemotherapy. Adverse events following heated chemotherapy were low grade and short-lived, although these patients were less likely to complete their treatment

Not Available

Not AvailableArunachal Pradesh, the largest mountainous state of India, is situated in the northeastern part of the Himalayan region and characterized by high annual rainfall, forest vegetation and diversity in soils. Information on the soils of the state is essential for scientific land use planning and sustainable production. A soil resource inventory and subsequent database creation for thematic mapping using a Geographical Information System (GIS) is presented in this paper. Physiographically, Arunachal Pradesh can be divided into four distinct zones: snow-capped mountains (5500 m amsl); lower Himalayan ranges (3500 m amsl); the sub-Himalayan Siwalik hills (700 m amsl); and the eastern Assam plains. Soils occurring in these physiographic zones are lnceptisols (37 percent), Entisols (35 per- cent), Ultisols (14 percent) and Alfisols (0.5 percent). The remaining soils can be classed as miscellaneous. Soil resource inventory studies show that the soils of the warm perhumid eastern Himalayan ecosystem, with a ‘thermic’ temperature regime, are lnceptisols and Entisols; and that they are highly acidic in nature. Soils of the warm perhumid Siwalik hill ecosystem, with a ‘hyperthermic’ temperature regime, are also Entisols and lnceptisols with a high to moderate acidic condition. The dominant soils of the northeastern Purvachal hill ecosystem, with ‘hyperthermic’ and ‘thermic’ temperature regimes, are Ultisols and Inceptisols. lnceptisols and Entisols are the dominant soils in the hot and humid plain ecosystem. Steeply sloping landform and high rainfall are mainly responsible for a high erosion hazard in the state. The soil erosion map indicates that very severe (20 percent of TGA) to severe (25 percent of TGA) soil erosion takes place in the warm per-humid zone, whereas, moderate erosion takes place in the Siwalik hills and hot, humid plain areas. This is evident from the soil depth class distribution of Arunachal Pradesh, which shows that shallow soils cover 20 percent of the TGA of the state. Most of the the state is covered by hills and agri- cultural practices are limited to valley regions, However, the soils of other physiographic zones (lower altitudinal, moderately hilly terrain) provide scope for plantations, such as orange, banana and tea plantations.Not Availabl