Full Body Interaction beyond Fun: Engaging Museum Visitors in Human-Data Interaction

Engaging museum visitors in data exploration using full-body interaction is still a challenge. In this paper, we explore four strategies for providing entry-points to the interaction: instrumenting the floor; forcing collaboration; implementing multiple body movements to control the same effect; and, visualizing the visitors' silhouette beside the data visualization. We discuss preliminary results of an in-situ study with 56 museum visitors at Discovery Place, and provide design recommendations for crafting engaging Human-Data Interaction experiences

Mechanisms of resistance against insecticidal dsRNA in Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Colorado potato beetle)

In the last decade, silencing of vital genes by RNA interference (RNAi) through dsRNA ingestion has been identified as a revolutionary bioinsecticide technology. As commercialization of insecticidal dsRNA technology approaches, it becomes crucial to develop resistance management tools for the sustainability of this technology. Using chronic exposure through larval development, we developed a population (CEAS) of Colorado potato beetle (CPB) that is \u3e5,000-fold resistant to insecticidal dsRNA. In this work we share findings from research focused on the identification of candidate resistance mechanisms and cross-resistance to Cry3Aa, the most active insecticidal protein from Bacillus thuringiensis against CPB. Bioassays and comparison of dsRNA stability in digestive fluids from susceptible and resistant CPB support cross-resistance to alternative dsRNA targets and that degradation of dsRNA by nucleases is not involved in resistance. Monitoring uptake of fluorescently-labeled dsRNA by midgut cells using confocal microscopy supports reduced uptake of dsRNA in midgut cells of CEAS compared to susceptible larvae. Results from this project will guide development of Insect Resistance Management (IRM) strategies for insecticidal RNAi and its combined used with insecticidal proteins from B. thuringiensis against CPB and will allow the optimization of insecticidal RNAi technology

Comprehensive Water Quality Indexing Using Functional Data and Principal Component Analysis for River Narmada

The degrading water quality status of River Narmada can be deciphered by a tool called Water Quality Indexing.From the entire river basin seven important sites are chosen.Water Quality pertaining to twenty-five parameters are analyzed from 1991-2013.The final results are averaged to get the indices for a typical year.The current study commences with some preliminary methods.A significance test is conducted to determine three relevant parameters from each site. Based on these relevant parameters,Water Quality Indexing is done using Functional Data Analysis and Principal Component Analysis and finally error analysis of the methods is done.The preliminary analysis show that Biochemical Oxygen Demand,Dissolved Oxygen,Chemical Oxygen Demand and Total and Faecal Coliform are the most crucial water quality variables along the mainstream of Narmada River Basin.Both Principal Component Analysis and Factor Analysis yield seven components from which it is concluded that agricultural runoff and industrial wastes account for an increase in alkalinity in the river water.It is also concluded that the deterioration in Dissolved Oxygen is being rejuvenated by variables causing alkalinity in water. Conventional Water Quality Indexing done along the seven sites shows that for Station 1,2,5,6 and 7,water quality remains excellent almost throughout the year except for Stations 2 and 4.Functional Data Analysis and Principal Component Analysis also shows similar results.From the error analysis Functional Data Analysis using Entropy Weights is found to have least error.Thus for a typical year the minimum indices implying the worst water quality are shown in a map which can help in deciphering the water quality status of the river well

A Survey Paper on Palm Prints Based Biometric Authentication System

In this paper we are providing an approach for authentication using palm prints. Reliability in computer aided personal authentication is becoming increasingly important in the information-based world, for effective security system. Biometrics is physiological characteristics of human beings, unique for every individual that are usually time invariant and easy to acquire. Palm print is one of the relatively new physiological biometrics due to its stable and unique characteristics. The rich information of palm print offers one of the powerful means in personal recognition

Breaking glass-ceiling for women using vertical ties

Large manufacturing factories rely heavily on referral for promoting workers to managerial roles. Since these roles require skills which are not directly observable to the management, supervisors invest costly (production time) resources to observe and make referrals. This practice creates barriers for historically disadvantaged groups as they are less likely to be observed for these qualities and hence are less likely to be referred. However, our theoretical model shows that ‘suitable’ workers from this disadvantaged group can engage in costly signalling and gain referrals. We test these predictions by incorporating elements from experimental methods to overcome data limitations in the context of Indian garment manufacturing factories. We find that women are less likely to be referred for high-valued managerial roles, however, equally likely for less-valuable promotions. Further, women with larger vertical networks are more likely to be referred. Our results are driven by the fact that signaling is costly for women (i.e., forging heterophilous informal vertical ties due to strict cross gender interaction norms) and only suitable women incur this cost. Our results are robust to consideration of other factors such as aspiration levels, other types of ties, out-of-factory networks, and supervisor’s characteristics. We conclude that women can break the ‘glass ceiling’ by having larger informal vertical networks. Further, management can provide protected formal avenues for cross-gender interactions as a step forward in addressing gender gaps at managerial levels in the short run

Chronic pain, its management and psychological issues: A review

Chronic pain is one of the most prevalent, disabling conditions both in clinical and psychological aspects and yet often remains inadequately treateddue to cost reasons. Moreover, chronic pain commonly occurs in conjunction with depression, anxiety and somatoform disorders. Chronic andrecurrent pain not associated with a disease is very common in childhood and adolescence, but there are very less studies and analysis has been doneon chronic pain epidemiology and management. As pain is the important factor influencing quality of life and also the reason for which a person seekthe advice of physician even require hospitalization that is why this systematic review highlights the different types of chronic pain, epidemiology,pathophysiology, and management of chronic pain along with psychological issues associated with it.Keywords: Pain, Psychological aspects, Epidemiology, Somatoform disor

Nanotechnology- future prospect in recent medicine: a review

Any damage at molecular or cellular level is the major culprit for disease & ill health. Nanotechnology, “the manufacturing technology of the 21st century," helps us economically build a broad range of complex molecular machines by manipulating matter on an atomic and molecular scale. Nanotech may be able to create many new materials and devices with at least one dimension sized from 1 to 100 nanometres with a vast range of applications, such as in medicine, electronics, biomaterials and energy production. Lots of new possibilities come into account in relation to use of nanotechnology in medicines. Nanotechnology in medicine involves applications of nanoparticles, also involves nano-robots to make repairs at the cellular levels. On the other hand, nanotechnology raises many of the same issues as any new technology, including concerns about the toxicity and environmental impact of nanomaterials

Behavioural Fault tolerant control of an Omni directional Mobile Robot with Four mecanum Wheels

This paper analyses the four-mecanum wheeled drive mobile robot wheels configurations that will give near desired performance with one fault and two faults for both set-point control and trajectory-tracking (circular profile) using kinematic motion control scheme within the tolerance limit. For one fault the system remains in its full actuation capabilities and gives the desired performance with the same control scheme. In case of two-fault wheels all combinations of faulty wheels have been considered using the same control scheme. Some configurations give desired performance within the tolerance limit defined while some does not even use pseudo inverse since using the system becomes under-actuated and their wheel alignment and configurations greatly influenced the performance

Study of Transport of Nanoparticles with Power Law fluid Model for Blood Rheology in Capillaries

The present paper deals with a mathematical model for blood flow through an axially symmetric blood capillary with peripheral layer and slip at the wall. The longitudinal transport of nanoparticles in blood vessels has been analyzed with blood as a power law fluid in a central core region of suspension of all the erythrocytes and a Newtonian fluid in a peripheral layer of plasma. In present analysis, the capillary walls are impermeable and not absorbent for the nanoparticles. The expressions for velocity profile, flow rate, mean velocity and concentration of the solute have been obtained and results have been discussed through graphs