Design of an optimum MPPT controller for solar energy system

Solar energy is compared to be the best potential source of renewable energy in Pacific region. For this reason a photovoltaic cell is needed to harvest this kind of energy, gathering the most of it and the PV having a good efficiency. The maximum efficiency is achieved when the PV works at its Maximum Power Point which entirely depends on the irradiation and temperature. This paper proposes a new design of hybrid Maximum Power Point Tracking and a comparative study is made with various existing MPPT techniques which include Perturb and Observe method, Incremental Conductance and Fuzzy Logic. From the comprehensive comparison study between existing MPPT technique and the proposed MPPT technique/theory, a hardware setup was demonstrated to verify the proposed design by charge controller in photovoltaic systems to which maximize the output power under various lighting conditions. The design is based on the computed results using the buck-boost DC-DC conveter. From the simulation, the proposed method tends to show better performance with almost no oscillations around the MPP

Studies on bud dormancy of woody species

The role of endogenous inhibitors and growth substances in the regulation of bud dormancy of wood plants was investigated using mature trees, seedlings, isolated shoots, and aseptically cultured buds and shoots. The photoperiodic induction of dormancy was not mediated through changes in inhibitor β activity, or ABA levels of buds and leaves of Alnus viridis seedlings. Changes in the activity of the inhibitor β fraction of buds and leaves of field grown Alnus glutinosa occurred during autumn but were not correlated with the onset of dormancy. Exogenous applications of 10-4M ABA, 10-3M CCC, ABA + CCC, 10-3M C5, 10-3M C9 and 10-3M C10 to actively growing Alnus viridis seedlings did not result in the formation of dormant buds. Dormancy was not induced by pruning the root system of actively growing alder seedlings or by the treatment of isolated growing shoots with 10-4M ABA. ABA prolonged the dormancy of apparently dormant buds after their transfer to an environment favouring growth, but this effect was modified by species, time of year, presence and absence of leaves, and position of the bud on the stem. C8 and C9 prolonged the dormancy of Populus nigra Italica while C10 promoted bud burst in Salix alba/babylonica. CCC was ineffective in most species tested (Alnus, Populus and Salix) except when in combination with ABA. The use of aseptic shoots of Populus yunnanensis cultured in vitro as a bioassay for dormancy-inducing substances was found to be limited by the variable growth responses elicited. No dormancy-inducing substances were detected in extracts, including the inhibitor β fraction, of dormant buds or leaves or shoots. The presence of various concentrations of ABA, C5, C10, AMO 1618 and ABA + AMO 1618 in the medium did not cause the formation of dormant shoot morphology, although growth was inhibited by certain treatments. Results are discussed in relation to the inhibitor hypothesis of dormancy regulation

Beyond Medicine: Transforming Healthcare for a Sustainable Future

Aim:To assess the integration of sustainability principles in the Indian health care sector, by gauging the impact of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) factors across the healthcare value chain, and to navigate their way towards a sustainable health care system. Subjects and Methods:A detailed literature review was done first, and different stakeholders were carried out in order to identify key sustainability issues. Data collection focused on ESG elements within hospitals. The study collected data from a range of healthcare professional by taking into consideration hospital size, complexity and organizational strategies. Results: The assessment pointed out the healthcare establishments’ attitude towards sustainability, especially in the Economy & Governance, Environmental and Social domains. The hospitals had advantages, including but not limited to, information security, sustainable procurement strategies, as well as increasing women in managerial positions. At the same time, certain environmental challenges showed efficient waste disposal, possible improvement of carbon footprint management, particularly monitoring of GHG emissions. Social dimension, the hospitals focused on providing safe services to patients and training their personnel adequately, did not engage in child labor, and complied with minimum wage regulations in the country.Conclusion:The research underscores the importance of hospitals going beyond simple institutional commitments to sustainability and adapting practices to manage climate change risks and other environmental issues. The findings are intended to help policymakers adopt a more integrated perspective by promoting the adoption of sustainability in the Indian health system in terms of economic, environmental, and social dimensions

Assessment of drug utilization pattern and impact of infographics in patients with chronic liver disease

Background: The current study was conducted to ensure that the drugs were effectively utilised and also to create awareness and knowledge by providing counselling with the help of infographics among study population.Methods: A prospective interventional study was conducted in the gastroenterology department of a tertiary care hospital in Kerala. A total of 100 patients diagnosed with chronic liver disease (CLD) were enrolled for the study and data were recorded in a predesigned pro forma. Statistical analysis (paired t test) was performed to assess whether the drug has been effectively utilized in patients. The study population was counselled with the help of infographics and its impact was assessed from the questionnaire, which was set based on 5- point Likert’s scale.Results: Among 100 patients, males are more prevalent between the age groups 60-70. Diabetes mellitus (DM) (66%) and alcohol (37%) are the most common risk factors. Most of the study subjects belong to Child A (50%) category and model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) score of 51% of the patients were ≤9 with estimated 3-month mortality rate of 1.9%. Liver function tests (LFT) had shown that there was a significant difference between prior to and after treatment with the level of significance p<0.05, indicating that the drugs had been properly utilized in patients and found to be effective. The distributed infographics had a great impact among the study population.Conclusions: The study concluded that the drugs had been properly utilized and found to be effective in patients. The Infographics showed a positive impact among the study population

A retrospective analysis of antibiogram on urinary isolates in a tertiary care hospital, Trivandrum, India

Background: Antimicrobial resistance among bacterial strains is an emerging problem. Urinary tract infections are one of the most common bacterial infections in humans both in the hospital and the community settings. Gram-negative bacilli are the common pathogens isolated in urine. These uropathogens have developed resistance to commonly prescribed antimicrobial agents. This severely limits the effective empirical treatment options. Objective of this study was to determine the prevalence and antibiotic susceptibility patterns of bacterial uropathogens isolated from patients attending a tertiary care hospital Trivandrum.Methods: Urine samples received for culture in the laboratory between 6 month periods was cultured in MacConkey agar and blood agar plates. The growth from urine cultures was processed for identification and antibiotic susceptibility as per standard methods. The details of urinary pathogens grown from urine samples and their Antibiogram profile were collected from the records.Results: Out of 924 specimens investigated for significant bacteriuria, 226 shows  positive cultures.  E.coli and Klebsiella were the predominant pathogens isolated. Antibiotics like 3rd generation cephalosporins, fluoroquinolones, and cotrimoxazole are the usual empirical treatment options, these organisms have developed resistance towards the latter which might make the empirical therapy less effective.Conclusions: Gram-negative bacilli were the predominant pathogens isolated and many were resistant to the commonly prescribed antibiotics. Routine surveillance and monitoring studies need to be constantly conducted to update clinicians on the prevalent pathogens for the rational and empirical treatment of bacteriuria. Beta-lactam beta-lactamase inhibitors, aminoglycosides, carbapenem, and nitrofurantoin showed low resistance so they should be considered as empirical treatment options

Reactive Nitrogen in Coastal and Marine Waters of India and Its Relationship With Marine Aquaculture

India is bordered in the soutii, south-west, and south-east with Indian Ocean, Arabian Sea (AS), and the Bay of Bengal (BOB), respectively. Indian coast is 7517 km long comprising 5423 km in the peninsular India and 2094 km in Andaman and Nicobar, and Lakshadweep Islands. The Indian exclusive economic zone (EEZ) is spread in 2.02 million sq km (0.86 million sq km in west coast, 0.56 m illion sq km in east coast and 0.6 million sq km in Andaman and Nicobar Islands). The Indian marine environmentconsisting of adjoining coastal areas and EEZ directly sustains useful habitats and suppons the livelihood of 3.9 million fishers. Nearly 25% of the country’s population resides in these areas and about 340 communities are primarily occupied in marine and coastal fisheries (MoEF, 2009; SACEP, 2014). Nitrogen (N) exists in various chemical forms, produced by marine biota through several chemical transformations during their growth and metabolism in the marine environment. Nitrogen as N2 is generally unavailable in marine conditions and thereby, the equilibrium of the processes of N2 fixation (conversion of atmospheric N2 to organic nitrogen) and denitrification (conversion of nitrate to N2) decides the bioavailable nitrogen supply and productivity (Gruber, 2008)

Knowledge, attitude and practice of foot care in diabetes patients with foot at risk attending diabetology department of a tertiary care hospital

Background: The current study was undertaken to assess the knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) of foot care among diabetes patients with foot at risk, to evaluate the impact of counselling in terms of KAP score, VPT (vibration perception threshold) value, foot examination status and other clinical parameter, to assess the severity of peripheral neuropathy in diabetes patients based on VPT value and to assess the prevalence of peripheral neuropathy among men and women.Methods: A prospective cross-sectional and interventional study was conducted in the diabetology department of a tertiary care hospital in South India. A total of 100 diabetes patients with foot at risk were selected for the study. A questionnaire was used to assess the knowledge, attitude and practice of foot care among diabetes patients with foot at risk. The questionnaire consists of total 24 questions. Their knowledge, attitude and practice were classified as good, satisfactory and poor depending upon the score. For the KAP, if score is ≥70% it was regarded as good, 50-69% as satisfactory and <50% as poor.Results: The study assessed that among 100 patients, 6% of the participants had good knowledge before counselling and after counselling, 46% had satisfactory level of knowledge and 43% had good knowledge. Most of the patients had a good attitude towards foot care before and after counselling. Only 1% of patients were in good practice before counselling and after counselling 62% of the patients had satisfactory practice and 25% had good practice. The study revealed that about 53% had a VPT value of 26-50 V before providing counselling and after counselling about 43% of the participants VPT became 26-50 V. The study also showed that the prevalence of peripheral neuropathy according to VPT value is more in males than females.Conclusions: Poor knowledge and poor practice were observed among the diabetes patients with foot at risk who had attended the diabetology department. Poor knowledge and practice are the major reason for the amputation of limb as the people are unaware of their foot care. Thus, by providing proper education regarding foot care, the foot complications can be improved and there by the amputation rate can be reduced to an extent

Perceptions and impacts : an observational pilot study of the effects of Argentine ants on honey bees in New Zealand

The Argentine ant (Linepithema humile) is an invasive species first identified in New Zealand in 1990. It is an aggressive tramp species that can form very large ‘super colonies’ extending over vast areas and has been reported to rob honey and predate honey bees in hives. This pilot study sought to establish, from a circulated survey of beekeepers, which ant species were present in their hives and what awareness the beekeepers had of the potential impact of Argentine ants. In addition, a simple method of quantifying the effects of the Argentine ant on brood abundance was trialled in the field. Results indicate that several species of ant are commonly found in hives and that surveyed beekeepers generally regard ants as passive occupiers. A percentage cover estimate of brood cover in frames may be a simple way of measuring ant impact when comparing hives uninfected by ants. Photographic evidence is presented as further indication that L. humile foraged within the hive and actively fed on both honey and emerging brood