Luminance-Chrominance-Gradient Based Technique for High Dynamic Range Image Fusion

604-607The High Dynamic Range (HDR) technique involves capturing the same scene multiple times with different exposure values and produces an output image with more dynamic range. Instead of doing all processing in RGB color space, we proposed to do it in Luminance Chrominance Gradient colour space, which results the output images to be more natural and pleasant to perceive with less noise. This experiment was evaluated and analysed with BAR and AEE1 methods and the results are compared. We showed that, our LCGHDR method is computationally efficient and able to remove any colour distortions originated from the RGB color channel

A Study on Menstrual Hygiene Practices among Girls Attending High Schools in Nellore City

In India, menstruation and menstrual practices are clouded by taboos and socio-cultural restrictions for women as well as among adolescent girls. There is a substantial lacuna in the knowledge about menstruation among adolescent girls. Most of the adolescent girls have incomplete and inaccurate information about the menstrual physiology and hygiene. Good hygienic practices such as the use of sanitary pads and adequate washing of the genital area are essential during menstruation. Anecdotal evidence suggest that lack of access to menstrual hygiene (which includes sanitary napkins, toilets in schools, availability of water, privacy and safe disposal) could constrain school attendance and possibly contribute to local infections during this period. With this background, an attempt is made to study menstrual hygiene practices among high school girls

DETERMINATION OF FAILURE STRENGTH OF FLAT PLATE WELD JOINT USING FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS

The problem experienced by the manufacturer is to control the input parameters of the process to obtain a good welding connection with the required welding quality. Traditionally, it was necessary to study the welding insert parameters of the welding product to obtain a welded link of the required quality. To do this requires a time-consuming experience and development errors. The welding joints are then checked to see if the requirements are met or not. Ultimately, the welding parameters can be selected to produce a weld line that now meets general characteristics. Whatever is not achieved or often considered is the combination of improved welding parameters, because weld welding can often be formed with many different parameters. In other words, there is often a perfect combination of welding insertion coefficients that can be used. Welding is the process of permanent adherence to two metals (usually metals) through local fusion due to a suitable combination of temperature, pressure and metal conditions. Depending on the temperature and pressure of high temperature, without high pressure at low temperature, a wide variety of welding processes have been developed. FEA has become a practical method to predict voltage and deviation from charged structures. FEA determines the load path, which can be difficult with conventional analysis with complex structures. Welding is the process of joining two pieces of metal by forming a strong metal bond between them by heating or pressing or both. Welding allows direct transfer of tension between members, removal of metal plates and joints needed for the installed structures. Two types of fillet welding are possible. Single wide fillet weld and double fillet weld. The strength of one transient cutting solder is enhanced by applying the limiting force

Phytochemical Screening and Antimicrobial Activity of the Leaf Extract of Mirabilis jalapa Against Pathogenic Microorganisms

Investigation of the phytochemical constituents and antimicrobial activity of the leaf extracts of Mirabilis jalapa were carried out using acetone, chloroform, ethanol and methanol. These extracts were subjected to screening of preliminary phytochemical tests. Phytochemical analysis showed the presence of alkaloids, flavanoids, phenols, glycosides, tannins, saponins and lignins. The methanol extract exhibited the largest zone of inhibition (21mm in dia with 500μg/disc extract) against Staphylococcus aureus and the highest inhibition of fungal radial mycelial growth (97.5% with 500μg/ml medium) against Aspergillus flavus. The methanol extract exhibited the lowest MIC against Staphylococcus aureus (39 μg/ml) and Aspergillus flavus (45μg/ml). It appeared that M. jalapa could be a potential natural source of new antimicrobial agent.Keywords: Mirabilis jalapa, leaf extract, phytochemicals, antimicrobial activity

Association studies of grain iron and zinc concentrations with yield and other agronomic traits using F2 populations of two crosses in sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench)

Micronutrient malnutrition affects more than one-half of the world’s population, especially women and pre-school children (Nestel et al., 2006). World Health Organization (WHO) of the United Nations estimated that mal nutrition is an underlying cause of 53% of all deaths in children under five years of age and recognized that the two micronutrients iron and zinc and pro-vitamin A (â-carotene) are limiting (Ma et al., 2008). Sorghum [Sorghum bicolour (L.) Moench], being the staple food and fodder crop in parts of semi-arid region of the world and the second cheapest source of energy (63.4 - 72.5 % starch) and micronutrients such as iron (Fe) and zinc (Zn) after pearl millet, if enriched with iron and zinc concentrations, can address the micronutrient requirements of the undernourished populations. Moreover, the poor and vulnerable groups in the society, particularly in India depend upon sorghum for their calorie and micronutrient requirement in the absence of access and affordability to nutrient-rich foods like vegetables, fruits and animal products. A study on association of grain iron and zinc concentrations with agronomic traits is needed to help the breeder in devising a suitable breeding strategy for the enhancement of micronutrient density in sorghum. Hence, this study was undertaken at ICRISAT, Patancheru with an aim to analyze the relationships of grain iron and zinc concentrations with grain yield and other agronomic traits in sorghum

Perception and attitude of nursing students toward e-learning

Background: Information technology (IT) has undeniably eased out online teaching in days of social isolation. The sudden closure of institutions during the COVID-19 pandemic brought a halt in academics; later resumed through the inception of e-learning. Pandemics can neither be forecast nor overruled. Striding through this trying trend, it was thought prudent to determine nursing students’ attitude toward acceptance and practice of e-learning. Aims and Objectives: Striding through this trying trend, it was thought prudent to determine nursing students’ attitude toward acceptance and practice of e-learning. Materials and Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 144 randomly selected nursing students of a Nursing College in Kolkata during August–October 2022. A self-administered structured questionnaire with demographic details incorporating a standard scale admeasuring attitude of students was used. Data were analyzed and validated statistically. Results: The majority used mobile set and cellular data as data-source (95 and 99%, respectively). Advantages of e-learning were screenshot of slides (96%), home-stay (94%), and reduced cost of hostel/transport (84%). Disadvantages included internet problems (83%) and inadequate bedside training (74%). Domain means for perceived usefulness, e-learning versus conventional learning, intention to adapt, ease of learning, and learning stresses were more than scale means reverberating higher acceptability. About 62.5% exhibited a favorable attitude toward e-learning. Family income, age, origin, and past experience were significantly associated with domains of e-learning; of which “Intent to get accustomed” was relevant. All domains related to e-learning found having significant positive correlation with each other indicating the strong value of e-learning among participants. Conclusion: As an alternative during the pandemic, 62.5% of prospective nurses showed a positive attitude toward e-learning. It is recommended that e-learning be made student-friendly through IT training making it a vital option for teaching-learning during catastrophic challenge

Separation of <i>cis/trans</i> fatty acid isomers on gas chromatography compared to the Ag-TLC method

The present study investigates the separation of the <i>cis/trans</i> isomers of fatty acids on the 75 m SP2560 column under different gas chromatographic (GC) conditions including an isothermal program and a time-temperature program. The time-temperature program showed improved separation of <i>cis/trans</i> isomers of C_14:1, C_16:1, C_18:1, C_18:2 and C_18:3 fatty acids along with short chain fatty acids compared to the isothermal program. The separation of <i>trans/trans</i> isomers of C_18:1 fatty acids including elaidic acid (C_18:1 ∆9t) and vaccenic acid (C_18:1 ∆11t) was difficult with the time-temperature program. The thin layer chromatography impregnated with silver nitrate (Ag- TLC) method was performed to separate <i>cis/trans</i> fractions and GC analysis was carried out with the <i>trans</i> fraction. But GC analysis showed a co-elution of trans isomers of C_18:1 fatty acid. Thus the study shows that a time-temperature programmed GC method with the highly polar cyanopropyl column is sufficient to resolve trans fatty acids along with short chain fatty acids when a large number of samples has to be analyzed.<br><br>El presente estudio investiga la separación de isómeros <i>cis/trans</i> de ácidos grasos mediante cromatografía de gases (GC) utilizando una columna de SP2560 de 75 m y diferentes condiciones que incluyen un programa isotérmico y una programación temperatura-tiempo. La programación temperatura- tiempo mostró una mejor separación de isómeros cis / trans de los ácidos grasos C_14:1, C_16:1, C_18:1, C_18:2 y C_18:3 con los ácidos grasos de cadena corta en comparación con el programa isotermo. La separación de los isómeros trans/trans de los ácidos grasos C_18:1 incluyendo ácido elaídico (C_18:1 Δ9t) y ácido vaccénico (C_18:1Δ11t) fué difícil mediante programación temperatura-tiempo. La cromatografía en capa fina impregnada con nitrato de plata (Ag-TLC) se realizó para separar fracciones cis/trans y el análisis de la fracciones se llevó a cabo mediante GC. El análisis GC mostró co-elución de los isómeros <i>trans</i> del ácido graso C_18:1. Así, el estudio muestra que una programación temperatura-tiempo en GC con columna de cianopropilo altamente polar es suficiente para resolver los ácidos grasos trans, junto con los ácidos grasos de cadena corta cuando un gran número de muestras tiene que ser analizado

Evaluation of black carbon emission inventories using a Lagrangian dispersion model - a case study over southern India

We evaluated three emission inventories of black carbon (BC) using Lagrangian particle dispersion model simulations and BC observations from a rural site in southern India (Gadanki; 13.48 degrees N, 79.18 degrees E) from 2008 to 2012. We found that 93 to 95% of the BC load at the observation site originated from emissions in India and the rest from the neighbouring countries and shipping. A substantial fraction (33 to 43%) of the BC was transported from northern India. Wet deposition is found to play a minor role in reducing BC mass at the site because of its proximity to BC sources during rainy season and relatively short rainy season over western and northern parts of India. Seasonally, the highest BC concentration (approx. 3.3 ug m^-3) is observed during winter, followed by spring (approx. 2.8 ug m^-3). While the model reproduced well the seasonal cycle, the modelled BC concentrations are significantly lower than observed values, especially in spring. The model bias is correlated to fire radiative power - a proxy of open biomass burning activity. Using potential emission sensitivity maps derived using the model, we suggest that underestimation of BC mass in the model during spring is due to the underestimation of BC fluxes over southern India (possibly from open-biomass-burning/forest-fires). The overall performance of the model simulations using three different emission inventories (SAFAR-India, ECLIPSE and RETRO) is similar, with ECLIPSE and SAFAR-India performing marginally better as both have about 30% higher emissions for India than RETRO. The ratio of observed to modelled annual mean BC conentration was estimated as 1.5 for SAFAR, 1.7 for ECLIPSE and 2.4 for RETRO

An Effective Strategy for the Synthesis of Biocompatible Gold Nanoparticles Using Cinnamon Phytochemicals for Phantom CT Imaging and Photoacoustic Detection of Cancerous Cells

This is a post-print version of the Pharmaceutical Research Article. The original publication is available at www.springerlink.com. DOI 10.1007/s11095-010-0276-6Purpose: The purpose of the present study was to explore the utilization of cinnamon coated gold nanoparticles (Cin-AuNPs) as CT/optical contrast enhancement agent for detection of cancer cells. Methods: Cin-AuNPs were synthesized by a “Green” procedure and the detailed characterization has been performed by physic-chemical analysis. Cytotoxicity and cellualar uptake studies were carried out in normal human fibroblast and cancerous (PC-3 and MCF-7) cells respectively. The efficacy of detecting cancerous cells was monitored using photoacoustic technique. In vivo biodistribution was studied after IV injection of Cin-AuNPs in mice and a CT phantom model was generated. Results: Biocompatible Cin-AuNPs were synthesized with high purity. Significant uptake of these gold nanoparticles was observed in PC-3 and MCF-7 cells. Cin-AuNPs internalized in cancerous cells facilitate detectable photoacoustic signals. In vivo biodistribution in normal mouse shows steady accumulation of gold nanoparticles in lungs and rapid clearance from blood. Quantitative analysis of CT values in phantom model reveals that the cinnamon phytochemicals coated AuNPs has reasonable attenuation efficiency. Conclusions: The results indicate that these non-toxic Cin-AuNPs can serve as excellent CT/ photoacoustic contrast enhancement agents and may provide a novel approach toward the tumor detection through nanopharmaceuticals.This work has been supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health/National Cancer Institute under the Cancer Nanotechnology Platform program (grant number: 5R01CA119412-01), NIH - 1R21CA128460-01; NIH-SBIR-Contract no. 241, and University of Missouri-Research Board - Program C8761 RB 06-030