Arduino Based Automatic Irrigation System

In the present days, the farmers are suffering from severe drought like condition throughout the year. The main objective of this paper is to provide a system leads to automatic irrigation thereby saving time, money & power of the farmers, gardeners in greenhouses etc. Manual intervention is common in traditional farm-land irrigation techniques. This paper presents a technique for Arduino based Automatic Irrigation System. With this automated technology of irrigation, human intervention can be minimized. The moisture sensors will be bedded in on the field. Whenever there is a change in water concentration, these sensors will sense the change and gives an interrupt signal to the microcontroller. Soil is one of the most fragile resources whose soil pH property used to describe the degree of the acidity or basicity, which affects nutrient availability and ultimately plant growth. Thus, the system will provide automation, remote controlling and increased efficiency. The humidity sensor is connected to internal ports of microcontroller via comparator; whenever there is a fluctuation in temperature and humidity of the environment, these sensors sense the change in temperature and humidity and give an interrupt signal to the micro-controller and thus the motor is activated. A buzzer is used to indicate that the pump is on

Unexpected population distribution in a microbial mat community: Sulfate-reducing bacteria localized to the highly oxic chemocline in contrast to a eukaryotic preference for anoxia

The distribution and abundance of sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) and eukaryotes within the upper 4 mm of a hypersaline cyanobacterial mat community were characterized at high resolution with group-specific hybridization probes to quantify 16S rRNA extracted from 100-mu m depth intervals. This revealed a preferential localization of SRB within the region defined by the oxygen chemocline. Among the different groups of SRB quantified, including members of the provisional families "Desulfovibrionaceae" and "Desulfobacteriaceae," Desulfonema-like populations dominated and accounted for up to 30% of total rRNA extracted from certain depth intervals of the chemocline. These data suggest that recognized genera of SRB are not necessarily restricted by high levels of oxygen in this mat community and the possibility of significant sulfur cycling within the chemocline. In marked contrast, eukaryotic populations in this community demonstrated a preference for regions of anoxia

Use of the cortical epinephrine pressor response in rabbits as a diagnostic test for schizophrenia

1. A careful replication of the Minz and Walaszek test failed to demonstrate its reliability as a clinical tool for diagnosing schizophrenia.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/46389/1/213_2004_Article_BF00405247.pd

The development of plant-parasitic nematode infestations on micro-propagated banana plants following field control measures in Côte d'Ivoire

Des essais au champ ont été menés en Côte d'Ivoire pour évaluer les possibilités d'utilisation de plants de bananiers micropropagés indemnes de nématodes après utilisation de méthodes de lutte chimique et culturales pour le contrôle des nématodes. Les objectifs de cette étude ont été : la comparaison des populations de nématodes sur adventices sous bananiers ou en jachère, l'observation des variations de populations de nématodes sous bananiers après jachère d'adventices, inondation et traitement chimique, et d'évaluer comment les avantages des plantations de vitroplants micropropagés indemnes de nématodes dépendent du degré de désinfection du so

Anatomical deviations in the position of vermiform appendix: the cadaveric study

Vermiform appendix is the only organ in the body that has no constant anatomical position. It is so named because of its worm like appearance. Most common surgical cause of abdominal pain is appendicitis; its diagnosis is affected by anatomical variations of the vermiform appendix, because this is the most variable abdominal organ in terms of position and organ relations. Aim of the study was to examine anatomical features and different positions of the vermiform appendix in human cadavers. Material and methods. This study was carried on 45 human cadavers irrespective of sex and age from the Department of Anatomy at Andhra Pradesh over a period of 12 months. Results. Mean length of appendix was found to be 3.98 ± 1.27 cm. Mean outer girth was 2.17 ± 0.26 cm. Mean distance of vermiform appendix from ileocaecal junction was found to be 2.11 ± 0.43 cm. Commonest position was retrocaecal (44 %), followed by pelvic (21 %), postileal (9 %), subcaecal (13 %) and midinguinal (10 %). Conclusions. Variations in position of vermiform appendix will help the surgeons to make a diagnosis of appendicitis and aware about appendiceal rupture

The burden of COVID-19 infection in a rural Tamil Nadu community

Background: There have been over 30 million cases of COVID-19 in India and over 430,000 deaths. Transmission rates vary from region to region, and are influenced by many factors including population susceptibility, travel and uptake of preventive measures. To date there have been relatively few studies examining the impact of the pandemic in lower income, rural regions of India. We report on a study examining COVID-19 burden in a rural community in Tamil Nadu. Methods: The study was undertaken in a population of approximately 130000 people, served by the Rural Unit of Health and Social Affairs (RUHSA), a community health center of CMC, Vellore. We established and evaluated a COVID-19 PCR-testing programme for symptomatic patients – testing was offered to 350 individuals, and household members of test-positive cases were offered antibody testing. We also undertook two COVID-19 seroprevalence surveys in the same community, amongst 701 randomly-selected individuals.Results: There were 182 positive tests in the symptomatic population (52.0%). Factors associated with test-positivity were older age, male gender, higher socioeconomic status (SES, as determined by occupation, education and housing), a history of diabetes, contact with a confirmed/suspected case and attending a gathering (such as a religious ceremony, festival or extended family gathering). Amongst test-positive cases, 3 (1.6%) died and 16 (8.8%) suffered a severe illness. Amongst 129 household contacts 40 (31.0 %) tested positive. The two seroprevalence surveys showed positivity rates of 2.2% (July/Aug 2020) and 22.0% (Nov 2020). 40 tested positive (31.0%, 95% CI: 23.02 -38.98). Our estimated infection-to-case ratio was 31.7.Conclusions: A simple approach using community health workers and a community-based testing clinic can readily identify significant numbers of COVID-19 infections in Indian rural population. There appear, however, to be low rates of death and severe illness, although vulnerable groups may be under-represented in our sample. It’s vital these lower income, rural populations aren’t overlooked in ongoing pandemic monitoring and vaccine roll-out in India

Effectiveness of participatory women’s groups scaled up by the public health system to improve birth outcomes in Jharkhand, eastern India: a pragmatic cluster non-randomised controlled trial

INTRODUCTION: The WHO recommends community mobilisation with women’s groups practising participatory learning and action (PLA) to improve neonatal survival in high-mortality settings. This intervention has not been evaluated at scale with government frontline workers. METHODS: We did a pragmatic cluster non-randomised controlled trial of women’s groups practising PLA scaled up by government front-line workers in Jharkhand, eastern India. Groups prioritised maternal and newborn health problems, identified strategies to address them, implemented the strategies and evaluated progress. Intervention coverage and quality were tracked state-wide. Births and deaths to women of reproductive age were monitored in six of Jharkhand’s 24 districts: three purposively allocated to an early intervention start (2017) and three to a delayed start (2019). We monitored vital events prospectively in 100 purposively selected units of 10 000 population each, during baseline (1 March 2017–31 August 2017) and evaluation periods (1 September 2017–31 August 2019). The primary outcome was neonatal mortality. RESULTS: We identified 51 949 deliveries and conducted interviews for 48 589 (93.5%). At baseline, neonatal mortality rates (NMR) were 36.9 per 1000 livebirths in the early arm and 39.2 in the delayed arm. Over 24 months of intervention, the NMR was 29.1 in the early arm and 39.2 in the delayed arm, corresponding to a 24% reduction in neonatal mortality (adjusted OR (AOR) 0.76, 95% CI 0.59 to 0.98), including 26% among the most deprived (AOR 0.74, 95% CI 0.57 to 0.95). Twenty of Jharkhand’s 24 districts achieved adequate meeting coverage and quality. In these 20 districts, the intervention saved an estimated 11 803 newborn lives (min: 1026–max: 20 527) over 42 months, and cost 41 international dollars per life year saved. CONCLUSION: Participatory women’s groups scaled up by the Indian public health system reduced neonatal mortality equitably in a largely rural state and were highly cost-effective, warranting scale-up in other high-mortality rural settings. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ISRCTN99422435

Maternal and fetal factors associated with stillbirth in singleton pregnancies in 13 hospitals across six states in India: a prospective cohort study

Methods: We conducted a secondary data analysis of a hospital-based cohort from the Maternal and Perinatal Health Research collaboration, India (MaatHRI), including pregnant women who gave birth between October 2018–September 2023. Data from 9823 singleton pregnancies recruited from 13 hospitals across six Indian states were included. Univariable and multivariable Poisson regression analysis were performed to examine the relationship between stillbirth and potential risk factors. Model prediction was assessed using the area under the receiver-operating characteristic (AUROC) curve. Results: There were 216 stillbirths (48 antepartum and 168 intrapartum) in the study population, representing an overall stillbirth rate of 22.0 per 1000 total births (95% confidence interval [CI]: 19.2–25.1). Modifiable risk factors for stillbirth were: receiving less than four antenatal check-ups (adjusted relative risk [aRR]: 1.75, 95% CI: 1.25–2.47), not taking any iron and folic acid supplementation during pregnancy (aRR: 7.23, 95% CI: 2.12–45.33) and having severe anemia in the third trimester (aRR: 3.37, 95% CI: 1.97–6.11). Having pregnancy/fetal complications such as hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (aRR: 1.59, 95% CI: 1.03–2.36), preterm birth (aRR: 4.41, 95% CI: 3.21–6.08) and birth weight below the 10th percentile for gestational age (aRR: 1.35, 95% CI: 1.02–1.79) were also associated with an increased risk of stillbirth. Identified risk factors explained 78.2% (95% CI: 75.0%–81.4%) of the risk of stillbirth in the population. Conclusion: Addressing potentially modifiable antenatal factors could reduce the risk of stillbirths in India

The complex relationship between iron status and anemia in pregnant and postpartum women in India: analysis of two Indian study cohorts of uncomplicated pregnancies

Low hemoglobin is widely used as an indicator of iron deficiency anemia in India and other low-and-middle income counties, but anemia need not accurately reflect iron deficiency. We examined the relationship between hemoglobin and biomarkers of iron status in antenatal and postnatal period. Secondary analysis of uncomplicated singleton pregnancies in two Indian study cohorts: 1132 antenatal women in third trimester and 837 postnatal women 12–72 h after childbirth. Associations of hemoglobin with ferritin in both data sets, and with sTfR, TSAT, and hepcidin in the postnatal cohort were examined using multivariable linear regression. Multinomial logistic regression was used to examine the association between severity of anemia and iron status. Regression models were adjusted for potential confounders. Over 55% of the women were anemic; 34% of antenatal and 40% of postnatal women had low ferritin, but 4% antenatal and 6% postnatal women had high ferritin. No evidence of association between hemoglobin and ferritin was observed (antenatal: adjusted coefficient [aCoef] −0.0004, 95% confidence interval [CI] −0.001, 0.001; postnatal: aCoef −0.0001, 95% CI −0.001, 0.001). We found a significant linear association of hemoglobin with sTfR (aCoef −0.04, 95% CI −0.07, −0.01), TSAT (aCoef −0.005, 95% CI −0.008, −0.002), and hepcidin (aCoef 0.02, 95% CI 0.02, 0.03) in postnatal women. Likelihood of low ferritin was more common in anemic than non-anemic women, but high ferritin was also more common in women with severe anemia in both cohorts. Causes of anemia in pregnant and postpartum women in India are multifactorial; low hemoglobin alone is not be a useful marker of iron deficiency