Anthropological Perspectives on the Life of the Five Land forms People

The life style of the ancient Tamils is well known by the five types of landforms (Kurinji, Mullai, Marutham, Neithal, Pallai). Numerous cultural elements are connoted with the five types of landforms. Though the world is widely spread it is divided into five types of landforms. These five types of landforms were found out during Sangam period of Tamilnadu. The life style and the mode of all the five landforms are completely different. In literary tradition, Kurinji is a land filled with mountains and hilly regions. In Tamilnadu human life life has been seen since the Stone Age and they record the lifestyle of the Great Age

Drought stress responses in tolerant and sensitive varieties of black pepper (Piper nigrum Linn.)

Stress responses towards drought was studied in drought tolerant (Panniyur 5) and sensitive (Panniyur 1) varieties of black pepper. On exposure to 15 days (incipient wilting) of drought, Panniyur 1 (P1) showed low RWC of leaves, highly reduced ψs and decrease in the capacity to synthesize sugars and proline as compared to Panniyur 5 (P5). These features indicate the reduced potential of P1 to tolerate long periods of drought as compared to P5. The malondialdehyde content was found to be significantly higher in P1 when compared to P5 during drought. The activity of antioxidant enzymes (guaiacol peroxidase and superoxide dismutase) were found to be low in P1 as compared to P5 at different stages of drought stress, indicating that P1 is comparatively less shielded than P5 from the deleterious effects of reactive oxygen species generated as a result of drought exposure. The photosystems and mitochondria of P1 were more sensitive to drought as compared to that of P5. The effective control of lipid peroxidation and better osmotic adjustments in cells of tolerant variety (P5) may be the prime factors for the increased tolerance of photosystem and mitochondrial systems towards drought stress

Study on Physico- Chemical Parameters and Structural Characterization of Soils in Pudukkottai District of Tamilnadu, India

The soil is the most important constituent to fulfilment of all the basic needs of human beings and also is an important component of our farming. The study was conducted with the main objective to investigate the soil samples of Pudukkottai district of Tamil Nadu for its physico-chemical analysis and structural characterization. The collected soil samples were analyzed for its pH, EC, Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium, Zinc and Iron. Besides, the sample was characterized by FTIR studies for structural conformation. From the study the results revealed that the collected soil was red soil and its texture was sandy clay loam. The soil pH was 9.29 which was alkaline and the EC was 0.02 dSm-1. The available macro-nutrients as nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium for paddy field soil samples had 118, 11 and 160 kg/ha respectively. Micronutrients Nutrients also analyzed. FT-IR spectrum of soil was recorded spectrum of soil was shown the C-H deformation vibrations occur at 1402. The C=C Stretching vibrations occur at 1644 and the N-H Stretching vibrations occur at 2344. Management options to improve the soil fertility were discussed

Tractography dissection variability: What happens when 42 groups dissect 14 white matter bundles on the same dataset?

White matter bundle segmentation using diffusion MRI fiber tractography has become the method of choice to identify white matter fiber pathways in vivo in human brains. However, like other analyses of complex data, there is considerable variability in segmentation protocols and techniques. This can result in different reconstructions of the same intended white matter pathways, which directly affects tractography results, quantification, and interpretation. In this study, we aim to evaluate and quantify the variability that arises from different protocols for bundle segmentation. Through an open call to users of fiber tractography, including anatomists, clinicians, and algorithm developers, 42 independent teams were given processed sets of human whole-brain streamlines and asked to segment 14 white matter fascicles on six subjects. In total, we received 57 different bundle segmentation protocols, which enabled detailed volume-based and streamline-based analyses of agreement and disagreement among protocols for each fiber pathway. Results show that even when given the exact same sets of underlying streamlines, the variability across protocols for bundle segmentation is greater than all other sources of variability in the virtual dissection process, including variability within protocols and variability across subjects. In order to foster the use of tractography bundle dissection in routine clinical settings, and as a fundamental analytical tool, future endeavors must aim to resolve and reduce this heterogeneity. Although external validation is needed to verify the anatomical accuracy of bundle dissections, reducing heterogeneity is a step towards reproducible research and may be achieved through the use of standard nomenclature and definitions of white matter bundles and well-chosen constraints and decisions in the dissection process

Diverse definitions of the early course of schizophrenia - a targeted literature review

Schizophrenia is a debilitating psychiatric disorder and patients experience significant comorbidity, especially cognitive and psychosocial deficits, already at the onset of disease. Previous research suggests that treatment during the earlier stages of disease reduces disease burden, and that a longer time of untreated psychosis has a negative impact on treatment outcomes. A targeted literature review was conducted to gain insight into the definitions currently used to describe patients with a recent diagnosis of schizophrenia in the early course of disease ('early' schizophrenia). A total of 483 relevant English-language publications of clinical guidelines and studies were identified for inclusion after searches of MEDLINE, MEDLINE In-Process, relevant clinical trial databases and Google for records published between January 2005 and October 2015. The extracted data revealed a wide variety of terminology and definitions used to describe patients with 'early' or 'recent-onset' schizophrenia, with no apparent consensus. The most commonly used criteria to define patients with early schizophrenia included experience of their first episode of schizophrenia or disease duration of less than 1, 2 or 5 years. These varied definitions likely result in substantial disparities of patient populations between studies and variable population heterogeneity. Better agreement on the definition of early schizophrenia could aid interpretation and comparison of studies in this patient population and consensus on definitions should allow for better identification and management of schizophrenia patients in the early course of their disease

A Faster 2D Technique for the design of Combinational Digital Circuits Using Genetic Algorithm

Combinational digital circuits can be evolved automatically using Genetic Algorithms (GA). Until recently this technique used linear chromosomes and and one dimensional crossover and mutation operators. In this paper, a new method for representing combinational digital circuits as 2 Dimensional (2D) chromosomes and suitable 2D crossover and mutation techniques has been proposed. By using this method, the convergence speed of GA can be increased significantly compared to the conventional methods. Moreover, the 2D representation and crossover operation provides the designer with better visualization of the evolved circuits. In addition to this, a technique to display automatically the evolved circuits has been developed with the help of MATLABCochin University of Science and TechnologyPower, Signals, Controls and Computation (EPSCICON), 2012 International Conference o

Investigation on the Electrical Properties of Polymer metal Nanocomposites for Physiological Sensing Applications

AbstractCopper nanoparticles were prepared by Polyol Method and the prepared metal nanoparticles were characterized by various techniques like AFM, SEM, FTIR Spectrum and XRD. The prepared metal nanoparticles are used to improve the electrical conductivity of dielectric polymers like PMMA. Polymer Metal Nanocomposite was prepared by in-situ oxidative polymerization of Methylmethacrylate monomer in the presence of different concentration of prepared metal nanoparticles. The formation of the polymer metal nanocomposites was characterized by UV-Vis Spectroscopy, SEM and AFM. The electrical conductivity was investigated using Four-Point Probe Techniques and the conductivity value of the PMMA/Cu nanocomposite was in the range of mS/cm. The conductivity of the dielectric polymer was found to be increased with the increasing metal concentration. The prepared nanocomposite can be used to convert the insulating foam into conductive one which can be used to fabricate wearable sensors for physiological (Breath Rate, Limb Movement, etc.,) monitoring