156 research outputs found
Curcumin based optical sensing of fluoride in organo-aqueous media using irradiation technique
സമ്മിശ്ര മത്സ്യകൃഷി (Mixed farming or Polyculture)
The rate of fish consumption is likely to go up due to increased
awareness about fish as a source of cheap and highly nutritious
but harmless food item. Hence there is every need to augment
fish production not only to meet our food requirements but also
to increase foreign exchange earnings. The current level of
fish production is inadequate to fulfil all these needs. An
analysis of the trend of fish production during the past few
years indicates that there may not be any significant
improvement in it in the coming years. In this context,
measures to increase fish production are to be thought of
Aquaculture is the only way to achieve this. In Kerala at
present aquaculture is restricted to backwaters and inland
waterbodies. In order to enhance fish production, farming of
fish and other species of aquatic organisms is to be extended
to inshore coastal waters for which suitable farming methods
are to be adopted
Malignant astrocytoma following radiotherapy for craniopharyngioma.
Radiation induced gliomas are uncommon. Occurrence of glioma following radiotherapy for craniopharyngiomas is extremely uncommon and only eight case reports have been so far published. We present our experience with one similar case of temporal gliomas occurring twelve years following radiotherapy for a sub totally excised craniopharyngioma. Although the exact mechanism of gliomas formation is unclear, their occurrence following conventional radiotherapy is a distinct possibility and signifies a poor prognosis
Bi-Level Optimal Control Algorithm for Climate Optimized Cruise Trajector: With En-route Step Climb and Descent Flight Modes
In the year 2050, global anthropogenic radiative forcing from aircraft emissions are projected to increase significantly. Recent studies have considered climate optimized flight trajectories to be a promising measure to mitigate non-CO2 emissions’ environmental impact, which is highly sensitive to locus and time of emissions. Estimating the maximum mitigation potential from these trajectories requires accounting of air traffic regulations. As designing regulated climate optimal trajectories necessitates solving a hybrid optimal control system with unknown mode sequence and associated switching times, there is a need to build an efficient and systematic control technique. In this thesis, a bi-level optimal control algorithm is proposed for designing climate optimal cruise trajectories, the lower level calculates the optimal switching times and controlinputs of a fixed mode sequence and, the upper level updates the mode sequence with mode insertion which lower the cost locally. The problem for trajectory optimization is formulated here as a hybrid optimal control problem with a switched system and with a variable mode sequence, where step-climb and descent modes are included in the mode sequence. Optimal Control problems for minimizing operating cost and climate cost with fictitious climate cost functions (CCF), varying with altitude, are solved to study the performance of the algorithm. The algorithm is implemented within the Trajectory Optimization Module (TOM) by building a bi-level framework. The framework was validated by solving the operating cost optimal control problem. The maximum error between the cost reduction estimated by the algorithm and the actual cost reduction was found to be less than 15%. With high probability it can be stated that the bi-level framework is able to calculate an optimal mode sequence as the framework allow for zero entry modes in the mode sequence i.e. modes of zero duration. Although, careful consideration is required while selecting a mode for insertion as the framework is highly dependent on the sequence of the set of modes.Despite a satisfactory performance of the bi-level optimal control technique there are few challenges which limits the scope of this technique. The maximum error was found to increase for optimal control problems with AirClim CCFs. The dependence of the AirClim CCFs on position of the aircraft influences the locus of the trajectory at each flight level. Because of this the the trajectories calculated in each iteration of the framework are found to be inconsistent. A flight trajectory guided by waypoints is proposed as a solution for future studies to handle the inconsistency between trajectories. As future studies are expected to focus on finding optimal mode definitions for designing climate optimal trajectories, the bi-level optimal control algorithm can act as an intermediary tool with which the researchers can systematically investigate cost benefits along the trajectories.Aerospace Engineerin
Marine fisheries along the southwest coast of India
Marine fisheries production in India has increased from 0.5 million t in 1950 to 2.47 million t in 1997. The gross value of fisheries landings in India was US$2.37 billion in 1997. The contribution of fisheries to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has risen from 0.7% in 1980 - 81 to 1.2% in 1994 - 95. The contribution to agricultural GDP has risen from 1.9% to 4%. Fisheries production also plays a critical role in food security and livelihood in rural areas. The southwest (SW) coast, while only 16% of the Indian coastline, is an important area for marine fisheries production, contributing 31.7% (0.74 million t) in 1993 - 98. This production is dominated by pelagic (59% of landings) and demersal species (23%). However, the open access system has resulted in rapid increases in fishing effort, particularly in the coastal areas. The density of fishers inshore has increased from 3.6 to 8.5 fishers per km2 in the past four decades. This excess effort has resulted in overfishing of the stocks and lower economic rent from the fishery. The overall objective of coastal fisheries management along the southwest coast of India is sustainable coastal fisheries development. This requires key ecological, social, economic and administrative issues to be addressed. Ecological sustainability requires the reduction of the excess effort through limited entry and effort reduction schemes, appropriate exploitation patterns through improved gear selectivity and restoration of the degraded coastal environment through integrated coastal zone management initiatives. Key social interventions include: creation of alternative employment to reduce fisher numbers, prevention/management of increasing intra- and inter-sectoral conflicts and empowerment of artisanal fishers through co-management schemes, social legislation and improved support/welfare schemes. The key economic issues include declining earnings, particularly of artisanal fishers, which requires; optimizing fleet composition for economic returns, improvement of the marketing system and cold storage chains, improvement of post-harvest processes to increase product value. The key administrative needs are a strong fisheries policy that balances welfare concerns with sustainability, effective implementation of regulations, and increased government resources for fisheries management. Project briefs covering the key interventions are provided, however these require further review and improvement in collaboration with concerned stakeholders.Fishery resources, Catch/effort, Population characteristics, Coastal fisheries, Marine fisheries, Ecosystems, Economic benefits, Fishery industry, Capture fishery economics, Fish consumption, Fishery policy, Legislation, Fishery management, Flood plains, Demersal fisheries, Pelagic fisheries, Socioeconomic aspects, Surveys, Marketing, Fish storage, Fishing gear, ISW, India,
Measurement of the top quark mass in the t(t)over-bar -> dilepton channel from root s=8TeVATLAS data
The top quark mass is measured in the t (t) over bar -> dilepton channel (lepton= e, mu) using ATLAS data recorded in the year 2012 at the LHC. The data were taken at a proton-proton centre-of-mass energy of root s = 8 TeV and correspond to an integrated luminosity of about 20.2 fb(-1). Exploiting the template method, and using the distribution of invariant masses of lepton-b-jetpairs, the top quark mass is measured to be m(top) = 172.99 +/- 0.41(stat)+/- 0.74(syst) GeV, with a total uncertainty of 0.84 GeV. Finally, acombination with previous ATLAS m(top) measurements from root s = 7 TeV data in the t (t) over bar -> dilepton and t (t) over bar -> lepton + jets channels results in m(top) = 172.84 +/- 0.34(stat)+/- 0.61(syst) GeV, with a total uncertainty of 0.70 GeV. (C) 2016 The Author. Published by Elsevier B.V
Genome-wide meta-analysis identifies 11 new loci for anthropometric traits and provides insights into genetic architecture
Approaches exploiting trait distribution extremes may be used to identify loci associated with common traits, but it is unknown whether these loci are generalizable to the broader population. In a genome-wide search for loci associated with the upper versus the lower 5th percentiles of body mass index, height and waist-to-hip ratio, as well as clinical classes of obesity, including up to 263,407 individuals of European ancestry, we identified 4 new loci (IGFBP4, H6PD, RSRC1 and PPP2R2A) influencing height detected in the distribution tails and 7 new loci (HNF4G, RPTOR, GNAT2, MRPS33P4, ADCY9, HS6ST3 and ZZZ3) for clinical classes of obesity. Further, we find a large overlap in genetic structure and the distribution of variants between traits based on extremes and the general population and little etiological heterogeneity between obesity subgroups
Stock assessment of mackerel in the Indian seas
Along both the coasts they start appearing in the catches when they are about two
months old. But, along the west coast they are fiilly recruited to the fishery at an age
of 6 months and along the east coast this happens at an age of 9 months. Bulk of the
catches from west coast is by large seines of small meshes where young ones are
liable to be caught and peak catches are from the size group of 140-149 mm. The
major gear along the east coast is gill net with larger mesh and peak catches are from
size group 190-199 mm. Along the west coast the estimated annual total mortality is
3.6. With an estimated M of 2.64 the fishing mortality F is 0.96 at an exploitation
rate of 0.27 and E _^ estimated is 0.70
Belonging and not belonging : understanding India in novels by Paul Scott, Ruth Prawer Jhabvala and V.S. Naipaul.
PhDThis thesis is essentially about the "how" and "why" of the Indian
experience as documented in novels by Paul Scott, Ruth Prawer Jhabvala
and V S Naipaul. The study points to the difficulty of arriving at any
conclusive definition of the country and its people. I show that
differences in attitudes, responses or behaviour are both overt and
subtle, and depend upon whether the writer or the character identifies
with the situation or community with which he or she interacts. It is
the individual's sense of belonging or not belonging to his or her own
group - be this along racial, cultural or gender lines - that accounts
for the differing perspectives evident in these novels. The points-of-
view of the outsider and the insider can therefore be seen as
mutual comments upon the other.
Since the struggle between belonging and not belonging becomes acute
when the old meets the new, focus is centred on communities
experiencing change. These include the British in India, West-Indian
Indians and westernised Indians. Despite their differences, all three
communities share similar reasons for either an acceptance or
rejection of the 'Other'. The thesis argues that the need for
emotional stability compels allegiance to the traditional group, while
the desire for individuality encourages surrender to the new. The
former nurtures a sense of belonging while, it is argued, that the
latter is perceived as the hallmark of those who do not belong.
Tensions arise when both these needs demand to be met. What I show to
be ironic in this struggle between belonging and not belonging is that
those things which individuals overtly reject are often unexpressed
parts of their personal pysche. The barrier between "them" and "us" is
therefore very fragile
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