A time efficient and accurate retrieval of range aggregate queries using fuzzy clustering means (FCM) approach

Massive growth in the big data makes difficult to analyse and retrieve the useful information from the set of available data’s. Statistical analysis: Existing approaches cannot guarantee an efficient retrieval of data from the database. In the existing work stratified sampling is used to partition the tables in terms of static variables. However k means clustering algorithm cannot guarantees an efficient retrieval where the choosing centroid in the large volume of data would be difficult. And less knowledge about the static variable might leads to the less efficient partitioning of tables. Findings: This problem is overcome in the proposed methodology by introducing the FCM clustering instead of k means clustering which can cluster the large volume of data which are similar in nature. Stratification problem is overcome by introducing the post stratification approach which will leads to efficient selection of static variable. Improvements: This methodology leads to an efficient retrieval process in terms of user query within less time and more accuracy

Fabrication of precast concrete slab panels incorporating foundry sand and blast furnace slag as a potential wall insulator

Increasing construction cost and environmental sustainability are persistent issues of concern in the built environment. Consequently, new generation materials are required for practical applications in order to considerably tackle the challenges. This work focused on the fabrication and testing of precast concrete slab panels produced using industrial by-products - foundry sand, as a partial replacement of fine aggregate, and ground granulated blast furnace slag as cement admixture. Foundry sand was substituted for manufactured sand in levels 0%, 10%, 20%, 30%, 40% and 50%, while granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS) was constantly added to cement at 30%, in a standard designed M40 concrete grade. The result showed that 40% of foundry sand was adequate for appreciable strength development in the modified mix. The same mixture was also found to have better insulation characteristics than the conventional mix. The wall panels tested in this study are quite economical when compared to competing building technologies

Variability and character association in paprika and paprika alike chillies

An experiment was conducted to estimate variability and character association in a set of 25 indigenous (paprika alike chillies) and 18 exotic (paprika) germplasm of paprika. Wide range of variation was observed for all the characters except for capsaicin content, weight of seeds, fruit girth and length. The maximum range of variation was recorded for yield plant-1 followed by color value, plant height and number of seeds fruit-1. Among the various traits, maximum coefficient of variation was observed for capsaicin content, followed by weight of pericarp fruit-1, yield plant-1 and weight of seeds fruit-1 in the indigenous lines of paprika. Similarly, in the exotic and combined germplasm of paprika and paprika alike chillies, maximum range of variation was registered with yield plant-1, followed by color value, number of seeds fruit-1 and plant height and narrow range of variation was observed with capsaicin content. In the combined germplasm, maximum coefficient of variation was recorded with capsaicin content, followed by weight of pericarp fruit-1, yield plant-1 and color value. Weight of pericarp, number and weight of seeds fruit-1 were identified as important yield components and selection should be focused on these traits for improvement of paprika and paprika alike chillies. &nbsp

Banana Fibre-Reinforcement of a Soil Stabilized with Sodium Silicate

Many unsuitable soils for construction purposes can be made suitable by using unconventional soil stabilizers. This study investigates the effects of banana fibre-reinforcement of a soil stabilized with sodium silicate on the geotechnical properties of the composite. It involved the application of 1% sodium silicate with varying proportion (0.1, 0.2,0.3, 0.4 and 0.5%) of banana fibre to a gravelly sand. Index properties, unconfined compression, direct shear, splittensile and California bearing ratio (CBR) tests were determined for the stabilized soil and the reinforced soil samples. The results show that the plasticity index, unconfined compressive strength (UCS), shear strength, splittensile strength and CBR of the specimens stabilized with sodium silicate increased with increasing percentage of banana fibre content. The application of 0.5% banana fibre strengthened the soil - the UCS increased by 445%, shear strength by 80%, split tensile strength by 194% and the soaked CBR increased by 1083%. The banana fibrere inforcement of the sodium silicate stabilized sandy soils made the stabilized soil become suitable for road pavement application as sub-base material

A novel conductive sensor-based test method to measure longitudinal wicking of fabrics

This paper reports the development of novel vertical wicking instrument which is specially designed to measure the wicking behavior of textile fabrics precisely. The instrument is designed using T-shaped test frame fabricated with tribo-electric fibre glass and electrical conductivity sensors. The developed electrical conductive sensors are capable to measure the time taken for the vertical wicking of water through inter-fibre capillaries with respect to height. The wet fabric allows the electrical current flow between two conductive points of sensor and enables the IoT controller circuit to monitor the time taken for wicking. To improve the accuracy of measuring the wicking behavior, tribo-electric fibre glass is used. The tribo electric fibre glass has electrostatic charges on its surface and induces static cling effect. Static cling is the tendency of light objects such as fabrics to stick (cling) to other objects owing to static electricity. The static cling effect attracts the fabric test sample to make it in contact with conductivity sensor array. The wicking process is carried out without causing obstruction to the movement of water through inter-fibre capillaries. The accuracy of the measured data obtained from the novel instrument is compared with the data of manual standard test procedure (R2> 0.97). The comparison shows that the developed instrument produces more reliable results

Rice biofortification: breeding and genomic approaches for genetic enhancement of grain zinc and iron contents

Rice is a highly consumed staple cereal cultivated predominantly in Asian countries, which share 90% of global rice production. Rice is a primary calorie provider for more than 3.5 billion people across the world. Preference and consumption of polished rice have increased manifold, which resulted in the loss of inherent nutrition. The prevalence of micronutrient deficiencies (Zn and Fe) are major human health challenges in the 21st century. Biofortification of staples is a sustainable approach to alleviating malnutrition. Globally, significant progress has been made in rice for enhancing grain Zn, Fe, and protein. To date, 37 biofortified Fe, Zn, Protein and Provitamin A rich rice varieties are available for commercial cultivation (16 from India and 21 from the rest of the world; Fe > 10 mg/kg, Zn > 24 mg/kg, protein > 10% in polished rice as India target while Zn > 28 mg/kg in polished rice as international target). However, understanding the micronutrient genetics, mechanisms of uptake, translocation, and bioavailability are the prime areas that need to be strengthened. The successful development of these lines through integrated-genomic technologies can accelerate deployment and scaling in future breeding programs to address the key challenges of malnutrition and hidden hunger

Disturbances in Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis and Immunological Activity Differentiating between Unipolar and Bipolar Depressive Episodes

Differentiating bipolar depression (BD) from unipolar depression (UD) is difficult in clinical practice and, consequently, accurate recognition of BD can take as long as nine years. Research has therefore focused on the discriminatory capacities of biomarkers, such as markers of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis or immunological activity. However, no previous study included assessments of both systems, which is problematic as they may influence each other. Therefore, this study aimed to explore whether cortisol indicators and inflammatory markers were a) independently associated with and/or b) showed effect modification in relation to a lifetime (hypo)manic episode in a large sample of depressed patients.Data were derived from the Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety and comprised 764 patients with a DSM-IV depressive disorder at baseline, of which 124 (16.2%) had a lifetime (hypo)manic episode at the 2-year assessment, or a more recent episode at the 4-year or 6-year assessment. Baseline cortisol awakening response, evening cortisol and diurnal cortisol slope were considered as cortisol indicators, while baseline C-reactive Protein (CRP), Interleukin-6 (IL-6), and Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha (TNF-α) were included as inflammatory markers.In depressed men and women, none of the cortisol indicators and inflammatory markers were (independently) associated with a (hypo)manic episode. However, effect modification was found of diurnal cortisol slope and CRP in relation to a (hypo)manic episode. Further analyses showed that depressed men with high levels of diurnal cortisol slope and CRP had an increased odds (OR=10.99, p=.001) of having a (hypo)manic episode. No significant differences were found in women.Our findings suggest that the combination of high diurnal cortisol slope and high CRP may differentiate between UD and BD. This stresses the importance of considering HPA-axis and immunological activity simultaneously, but more research is needed to unravel their interrelatedness