Study of water usage in rural areas

Study of water usage in rural area

Supressão de plantas daninhas por leguminosas anuais em sistema agroecológico na Pré-Amazônia.

Este trabalho teve por objetivos identificar e avaliar a agressividade potencial das plantas daninhas em um agrossistema com leguminosas herbáceas anuais como cobertura de solo. Foram plantadas, nas ruas de um sistema de aléias de sombreiro ( Clitoria fairchildiana) e no final do período agrícola, as leguminosas mucuna-preta, feijão-guandu, feijão-de-porco e calopogônio, em sistema de blocos ao acaso com cinco repetições. Para estudo da dinâmica da composição florística, avaliaram-se a freqüência, densidade, dominância, similaridade, diversidade de espécies e biomassa das plantas daninhas. Foram identificadas 42 espécies de plantas espontâneas, das quais as mais freqüentes e de maior densidade e dominância foram Leptochoa virgata, Panicumlaxum e Sidasp. Não foram detectadas diferenças significativas para densidade, número de espécies, diversidade e biomassa entre as plantas daninhas emergidas nos quatro tratamentos com leguminosas; nem destas em relação ao controle

Impact of antenna correlation on the performance of partial relay selection

Antenna correlation is generally viewed as an obstacle to realize the desired performance of a wireless system. In this article, we investigate the performance of partial relay selection in the presence of antenna correlation. We consider both channel state information (csi)-assisted and fixed gain amplify-and-forward (AF) relay schemes. The source and the destination are equipped with multiple antennas communicating via the best first hop signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) relay. We derived the closed form expression for outage probability, average symbol error rate (SER) for both schemes. Further, an exact expression is derived for the ergodic capacity in the csi-assisted relay case and an approximated expression is considered for the fixed gain case. Moreover, we provide simple asymptotic results and show that the diversity order of the system remains unchanged with the effect of antenna correlation for both types of relay schemes

Medical Guide System

Currently, getting access to emergency services and consumer health services requires calling a knowledgeable person on the regular phone or using different self-care techniques for illnesses without consulting a doctor. We are improving and expanding new channels of personal communication to facilitate interaction between emergency users and the emergency service system. Given the widespread use of smart devices in our society, we are developing a web application called "Quick Health" for emergency management, with the main feature of answering a question asked by another party or evaluating a given answer, as well as posting a problem and exchanging ideas with others. Our goal is to define a platform that is totally usable by everyone, regardless of their technological or linguistic proficiency. This paper's main goal is to clarify how to adapt traditional applications to modern web applications by taking into account not only web technologies but also social networking behavior. Keywords - Healthcare Emergency System: Medical Guidance; User Interaction; Web Applications &nbsp

EFFECT OF GRAZING ON SOME PHYSIOLOGICAL PROPERTIES IN INTEGRATED FARMING SOILS.

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of grazing on somesoil properties; bulk density (BD), true density, porosity, moisture content(Me) and pH. The effect of long term grazing (>20 yrs) was examined in acoconut - pasture - cattle integrated farming system in Kamburupitiya area.Short term grazing effect was compared with an adjoining coconut plantationpermitting 18 buffaloes to graze for 6 months. Another adjoining ungrazedcoconut farm soil was considered as control. Soil samples were taken fromthe topsoil using a core sampler (v = 98.21 em"). Four replicate samples weretaken three times with 30 days interval and analyzed in triplicates. Data werestatistically analyzed using SAS.Soils collected from the long term integrated farming site had a significantlyhigher (p < 0.05) average pH (5.58) than that of non-integrated sites (4.65).Reduction of acidity may be due to the improvement of soil nutrients viadung, urine and accumulation of litter. It was observed that the soil inintegrated sites were comparatively dark in color. BD of integrated soil(1.15g/cm3) was significantly lower than that of non-integeated soil (21.26%)due to the better ground cover by dominant prostate type herbages comparedto ungrazed soils where erect type herbages were prominent. Soil porosityalso improved due to integration (47.76%) with that of non-integrated soil(43.76%). There was no significant difference observed under the effect ofshort term grazing. A considerable time period may be required to change toimproved soil properties.It is concluded that long term crop-livestock integration could improve thesoil physiochemical properties

Media properties of different vermicompost and coir dust mixtures

In recent years, the demand for coir dust has increased as it is widely used as a growth medium in soilless culture. Since it is low in nutrients, when mixed with vermicompost, will provide a better growthmedium for plant establishment. Therefore, this study was carried out to evaluate the properties ofdifferent verrnicornpost and coir dust mixtures. Tomato was used as the test plant and four differentmedia compositions were tested with and without nutrient supplement. Media properties includingchemical (N, P, K, Ca, and Mg levels, pH and Electrical conductivity [ECl) and physical properties(Bulk density, Field capacity and drying pattern) were measured in the time period.Nutrient levels, pH, EC, bulk density, and drying rates were found to be decreased and only fieldcapacity increased with increasing the proportion of coir dust. According to the result obtained,vermicompost alone can be used as a plant growth medium. But poor porosity and aeration ofvermicompost limit the root growth and lowered the water holding capacity. Therefore, medium with75% verrnicompost and 25% coil' dust is more suitable than vennicompost alone. Medium with 50%verrnicornpost and 50% coir dust has better physical properties, but nutrient level is not sufficient tosupport plant growth. Therefore nutrient supplement is needed to use it as growing medium.

IL-32-producing CD8+ memory T cells define immunoregulatory niches in human cutaneous leishmaniasis

Human cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is characterized by chronic skin pathology. Experimental and clinical data suggest that immune checkpoints (ICs) play a crucial role in disease outcome, but the cellular and molecular niches that facilitate IC molecule expression during leishmaniasis are ill defined. In Sri Lankan patients with CL, indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1 (IDO1) and programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) were enriched in skin lesions, and reduced PD-L1 expression early after treatment initiation was predictive of a cure rate following antimonial therapy. Here, we used spatial cell interaction mapping to identify IL-32-expressing CD8+ memory T cells and Tregs as key components of the IDO1/PD-L1 niche in Sri Lankan patients with CL and in patients with distinct forms of dermal leishmaniasis in Brazil and India. Furthermore, the abundance of IL-32+ cells and IL-32+CD8+ T cells at treatment initiation was negatively correlated with the rate of cure in Sri Lankan patients. This study provides insights into the spatial mechanisms underpinning IC expression during CL and offers a strategy for identifying additional biomarkers of treatment response

Genetic Insights and Diagnostic Challenges in Highly Attenuated Lysosomal Storage Disorders

\ua9 2025 by the authors.Background: Lysosomal storage diseases (LSDs) are a genetically and clinically heterogeneous group of inborn errors of metabolism caused by variants in genes encoding lysosomal hydrolases, membrane proteins, activator proteins, or transporters. These disease-causing variants lead to enzymatic deficiencies and the progressive accumulation of undegraded substrates within lysosomes, disrupting cellular function across multiple organ systems. While classical phenotypes typically manifest in infancy or early childhood with severe multisystem involvement, a combination of advances in molecular diagnostics [particularly next-generation sequencing (NGS)] and improved understanding of disease heterogeneity have enabled the identification of attenuated forms characterised by residual enzyme activity and later-onset presentations. These milder phenotypes often evade early recognition due to nonspecific or isolated symptoms, resulting in significant diagnostic delays and missed therapeutic opportunities. Objectives/Methods: This study characterises the clinical, biochemical, and molecular profiles of 10 adult patients diagnosed with LSDs, all representing attenuated forms, and discusses them alongside a narrative review. Results: Enzyme activity, molecular data, and phenotypic assessments are described to explore genotype–phenotype correlations and identify diagnostic challenges. Conclusions: These findings highlight the variable expressivity and organ involvement of attenuated LSDs and reinforce the importance of maintaining clinical suspicion in adults presenting with unexplained cardiovascular, neurological, ophthalmological, or musculoskeletal findings. Enhanced recognition of atypical presentations is critical to facilitate earlier diagnosis, guide management, and enable cascade testing for at-risk family members

Effect of Selected Leguminous Cover Crop Species on the Productivity of Coconut Cultivated in Reddish Brown Latosolic Soils in Sri Lanka

This study was conducted for six years to assess the effects of two widely grown cover crops Gliricidia sepium (T1) and Puereria phasioloides (T2) on coconut yields and soil characteristics. Experiments were carried out on coconuts planted in Reddish Brown Latosolic soils located in the low country intermediate zone-IL1 of Sri Lanka. Results showed that treatments 1 and 2 were significantly (p≤0.05) effective over the control treatment (no cover crop) in suppressing weed biomass. Soil samples were collected and analyzed for physical, chemical and biological properties. Results showed that soils where G. sepium and P. phasioloides were grown were superior in most of the properties compared to the control. Soils under P. phasioloides showed significantly higher moisture contents compared to G. sepium and control treatments. Significant increases on soil properties were likewise observed in G. sepium and P. phasioloides plots: nitrogen (by 77% and 76 %), organic carbon content (by 86% and 148%), soil microbial activity (by 52% and 73%), respectively. On the other hand, soil bulk densities were reduced significantly by 20% and 27% under G. sepium and P. phasioloides, respectively. There was no significant increase observed on available P but P content improved with the establishment of cover crops. Significant increases in mean annual nut yields were observed during the 4th, 5th, and 6th years after cover crops establishment. Nut yields were found to increase with G. sepium and P. phasioloides by 46% and 58%, respectively when compared to that of control treatment plots.</jats:p