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The paper presents a quantitative and qualitative dimensions of congenital heart defect (CHD) research output in India, based on publications data (1335) indexed in Scopus database during 2000-19. CHD research registered 10.0% growth, averaged 7.07 citations per paper, contributed 3.04% share to the global output and constitute 13.48% share of India's research as international collaborative. CHD research is skewed as top 10 countries account for 83.23% of global output. India ranks as the 10th most productive country in the world. The distribution of CHD research by type of research reveal that Tetralogy of Fallout accounted for the highest share (34.31% share), followed by Aortic Stenosis (30.41%), Atrial Septal Defects (28.16%), Ventricular Septal Defects (26.22%), etc. AIIMS - New Delhi, Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, Coimbatore and PGIMER - Chandigarh lead the country as the most productive organizations (with 222, 73 and 64 papers). Besides, Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, Coimbatore (33.88 and 4.79), SCTIMST - Trivandrum (30.73 and 4.35) and Institute of Medical Sciences, BHU, Varanasi (17.20 and 2.43) lead the country as the most impactful organizations in terms of citation per paper and relative citation index. B. Airan, A. Saxena and S. Talwar have been the most productive authors (with 63, 63 and 59 papers) and P. Khairy (16.31 and 2.31), B. Vaidyanathan (14.3 and 2.03) and R.K. Kumar (10.53 and 1.49) have been the most impactful authors. Indian Heart Journal, Annals of Pediatric Cardiology (84 papers) and Annals of Cardiac Anaesian (53 papers) topped the list of most productive journals (with 110, 84 and 53 papers). International Journal of Cardiology (18.62), Catheterization and Cardiovascular Interventions (16.64) and Journal of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Anesthesia (11.65) leads in ranking in terms of citation per paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Second International Conference on Advances in Plasma Science and Technology (ICAPST-21) was held during May 27–29, in 2021, at the Sri Shakthi Institute of Engineering and Technology, Coimbatore, India. As Dr. K. Navaneetha Pandiyaraj, the Organizing Chair of the Conference, states in the Preface of the conference’s Book of Abstracts: [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The International Conference on Advances in Plasma Science and Technology (ICAPST-20) was held for the first time on February 12–14, 2020. The host institution was the Sri Shakthi Institute of Engineering and Technology, Coimbatore, India. As Dr. K. Navaneetha Pandiyaraj, the Organizing Chair of the Conference, states in the Preface of the conference’s Book of Abstracts: [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scientometrics analysis the quantitative as well as the qualitative aspects of scientific parameters for better understanding of the mechanism of research activities. The paper attempts to present a quantitative and qualitative analysis of the publication output of Kumaraguru College of Technology, Coimbatore. Data have been collected from the Scopus database for the period 1997 to 2020. Among the 2110 papers published in the span of 24 years, the highest numbers of 404 papers were published in 2018 and 2019. 1792 papers (85.3%) were published during the last ten years from 2011 to 2020. Journal is the most preferred channel of publication with 1665 papers. This study reveals that Kumaraguru College of Technology has largely contributed to research in Science, Engineering and Technology and the publication output of faculty has increased considerably during the recent years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Good scientific writing must be characterized by clear expression, conciseness, accuracy, and perhaps most importantly, honesty. Unfortunately, modern scientific research often takes place within all sorts of constraints and competing pressures. As a result, a portion of the scientific literature, whether generated by students of science or by seasoned professionals, is likely to be deficient in one or more of the above components. The present study attempted to present the positive and negative attitudes towards Plagiarism and examine the Subjective norms on plagiarism activities. Attitudes toward Plagiarism questionnaire was developed, with good psychometric characteristics. TPB is a relevant predictive model of academic dishonesty that explains behavior as a final act anticipated by logical thinking. Simple random sampling adopted for the study to collect data from the students, research scholars and faculty members of Arts and Science colleges in Coimbatore. The present study results show positive, negative and subjectivity norms attitudes of PG students. Research Scholars and faculty members towards plagiarism. Faculty members were relatively better informed and against plagiarism compared to post graduates. There by highlighting the need to address the issue of plagiarism among students. If the carry out of plagiarism is not in use care of, scientific research turns into a mere repetition of previous papers and lacks uniqueness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The primary objectives were to determine the proportion of modern menstrual method (MMM) users among college going women in Coimbatore district, Tamil Nadu; and to estimate the unmet needs associated with use of MMMs in comparison with other menstrual hygiene methods (MHMs). We also assessed the factors that determine MMM use among college going women. Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted among college going women in Coimbatore district, Tamil Nadu, India between October 2022 and January 2023 using a purpose predesigned, pretested, semi-structured proforma that included validated Menstrual Practice Needs Scale (MPNS-36). Results: Only 1.4% of the study participants used MMMs – menstrual cups (1.3%) and tampons (0.1%). Sanitary pads were the most common MHM of choice (96.3%); of which majority (98.6%) used disposable pads and more than half (50.4%) used non-biodegradable pads. Importantly, one in six (16.5%) were not aware of nature of sanitary pads (biodegradable or nonbiodegradable) used. The unmet needs associated with MMMs (menstrual cups and tampons) were significantly lower than that for other MHMs (including sanitary pads), in particular, the unmet material and home environment needs, unmet material reliability concerns, unmet reuse needs and unmet reuse insecurity. However, we found no significant difference between MMMs, sanitary pads and other MHMs in terms of unmet transport, college environment, change and disposal insecurity needs. The significant predictors of use of MMMs were age (more than 21 years of age), residence (urban), type of stay (off campus including home), socioeconomic status (upper), fathers' and mothers' education (high school and above), and presence of personal income. Discussions with friends (or peers) both before and after menarche regarding menstruation resulted in higher adoption of modern menstrual methods. Conclusion: MMMs provided comparative advantage with lesser unmet needs for material reliability and reuse insecurity concerns, particularly in home environment. However, none of the MHMs fulfilled the user expectations for transport and disposal insecurity concerns, particularly outdoors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In India, the most imperative issue ascends in conventional technique is the unevenness in the configuration of climatic conditions (occasional precipitation, soil disintegration and so on) because of which the efficiency is diminished to a noteworthy degree. Another real disservice is these gadgets are yet to reach in the Indian market. The mindfulness is inadequate in the Indian farmers. To decide the dirt ripeness and profiling he needs to movement to adjacent agriculture based on turmeric cultivation focuses, which might possibly be available. The data in regards to the dirt conditions are not adequately utilized by the Indian farmers. The main objective of the study is to analyse the level of awareness among farmers about IoT in marketing process. For this purpose a sample of 75 was collected from the farmers of Coimbatore region based on random sampling method were percentage analysis, one way Anova, multiple regression and Kruskal Wallis test were used as samples to analyse the data. The conclusion is that the respondents don't have awareness towards access to web for IoT in marketing, display of notices/circulars through news papers by the government, checking availability of Books/lend out and the respondents (farmers) also have a negative opinion towards the process of IoT in marketing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Insecticide applications are typically being carried out with traditional manual spraying equipment in redgram, which leads to inadequate control of insects due to higher crop height. The modern deployment of tractor-drawn spray machines causes serious damage to the crop. In this connection, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) spray technology has great potential for precise insecticide application in redgram crops. One of the important machine parameters influencing droplet deposition and drift characteristics in UAV sprayers is downwash airflow generated by a multi-rotor propeller. A field experiment was carried out at the redgram research field (N11.01, E76.92), Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, during 2021–2022 to study the spray drift and deposition characteristics of an autonomous UAV sprayer. The Imidacloprid (a.i. 17.8SL) insecticide mixed with water in a ratio of 1 mL per liter was sprayed with a UAV sprayer. Water-sensitive paper samples were kept at upper, middle, and bottom positions on the leaves, and data were analyzed for the spray droplet size, deposition rate, droplet density, and area coverage both in target and non-target areas using Spray Deposit Scanner software. UAV spray droplet deposition rate (2.93 ± 0.17, 2.01 ± 0.08, and 2.21 ± 0.162.38 μL cm−2), droplet density (47 ± 4.04, 53 ± 3.61, and 52 ± 8.74 droplets cm−2), and area coverage (15.72 ± 0.39, 16.60 ± 0.71, and 14.99 ± 0.39%) were highest in the upper layer as compared to the middle layer (droplet deposition rate: 1.21 ± 0.08, 1.07 ± 0.03, and 0.77 ± 0.02 μL cm−2; droplet density: 42 ± 2.52, 43 ± 8.50, and 38 ± 2.52 droplets cm−2; area coverage: 10.95 ± 0.81, 11.22 ± 0.56, and 8.57 ± 0.44%) and bottom layer (droplet deposition rate: 0.41 ± 0.06, 0.35 ± 0.03, and 0.33 ± 0.03 μL cm−2; droplet density: 22 ± 4.36, 17 ± 3.51, and 19 ± 4.51 droplets cm−2; area coverage: 2.78 ± 0.29, 2.95 ± 0.45, and 2.46 ± 0.20%, respectively). In the spray drift test, there was a higher droplet deposition rate (1.63 ± 0.09, 1.93 ± 0.05, and 1.82 ± 0.06 μL cm−2), area coverage (14.40 ± 0.07, 17.54 ± 0.36, and 16.42 ± 0.30%), and droplet density (46 ± 3.61, 54 ± 2.08, and 45 ± 3.21 No's cm−2) in the target area as compared to the non-target area (droplet deposition rate: 0.88 ± 0.02, 0.46 ± 0.03, 0.22 ± 0.05, and 0.00 μL cm−2; droplet density: 23 ± 1.53, 11 ± 2.08, 6 ± 1.53, and 0.00 droplets cm−2; area coverage: 7.58 ± 0.34, 4.41 ± 0.19, 2.16 ± 0.05, and 0.00%, respectively), which may have been due to the downwash airflow produced by the multi-rotor propeller of the UAV sprayer. Finally, the UAV-based spraying technology results showed that the downwash air produced by the six-rotor propeller improved the penetrability of insecticide to crop leaves and led to a higher droplet deposition rate, droplet density, area coverage, and droplet penetrability on the upper layer, middle layer, and bottom layer of the plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water Hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) is a weedy lignocellulosic material which represents the best substrate for the production of bioethanol in tropical countries due to its more availability and more biomass yield. For the fermentation and bioethanol production from water hyacinth, the different bacterial and fungal inoculants were used. Water hyacinth was obtained from ukkadam-valankulam lake, Coimbatore. These leaves were washed properly to remove soil and contaminants and dried for 3 hours at 120 ℃. It was grained into a fine powder and sieved using 1.5 μm in diameter nylon sieve. The sieved material was cultured using different microbial culture such as Aspergillus oryzae, Aspergillus niger and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. After 21 days incubation, the culture was distilled using rotary vacuum evaporator and the produced bioethanol was analyzed by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) technique. The previous report showed, less yield only obtained using water hyacinth, potato peels, cassava peel and millet husks but this study produced highest yield using water hyacinth. This study indicated that water hyacinth is mostly available aquatic plant for the production of ethanol. The aim of current work is to understand the usage of water hyacinth as main substrate for bioethanol production using fungal inoculum. The microbial inoculants used for current study reported more potential for the production of bioethanol. This current work gives more economical value to water hyacinths and it can be cleared from all the waterways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many reinforced concrete frame buildings were developed and constructed in Coimbatore zone III before 2002. In 2002, the seismic code IS 1893 was updated. As a result, structures constructed earlier in 2002 do not meet the codal criterion. The majority of structures through infilled walls were nondesigned with infills in consideration. This paper goals to appraise seismic exposure of an advanced reinforced present concrete building with infilled and without infilled frames. A pushover analysis was used to conduct this analysis. According to ATC40, the analysis shows the comportment levels of several building components for various stated concert objectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The markets in India today are swamped with a extensive range of competitive products and offers, range of consumer attitudes and preferences, increase of brands. Leisure time and luxury markets have explosion in the new millennium. Modern lifestyle changes and shifts in psychographic inclination have resulted in demand for novel and innovative range of branded products and services. In such a condition understanding consumer behavior has become more composite for marketing mix, segmentation and to expand new dimensions in consumer orientation in a changing environment. Brand preferences are frequently studied by attempt to study and identify the loyal consumers. This paper presents a study of reason for change in brand preferences. The study considered 500 respondents from Coimbatore city, Tamil Nadu, India. Systematic sampling method has been used to select the sample and questionnaire is used to collect the data. The study found that the consumers are ready to change their brand preference. The main reason for change in brand preference is sales offers and discounts provided by the manufacturers. It is suggested that the manufacturers and marketers should concentrate and predict the consumers mind to retain their brand image. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new method for the annotation of multispectral satellite images based on image segmentation is proposed in this paper. This method performs the multispectral image annotation by incorporating a modified locally excitatory globally inhibitory oscillatory network (LEGION) algorithm and cascaded support vector machine (SVM) classifier. Initially, images in the training set are represented with semantic concepts. The testing image is segmented into various image regions based on the color information. Segmented image regions are classified using cascaded SVM classifier based on the probabilities of semantic classes. Experiments are conducted on multispectral images of Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India and the result validates the effectiveness of the proposed image annotation algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Coimbatore is one of the leading tier two cities in India. Vehicles in this city are increasing day by day. The VANET is a self-organizing network between vehicles. There are so many interesting issues in VANET. So many routing protocols are already availing in the market. In this paper, we put forward an adaptive quality of service (QoS) based smart routing for VANETs with ant colony optimization algorithm find a smart route in Coimbatore city. This smart routing protocol is to adaptively choose the connections in the various available nodes, through which data packets clearance to reach the destination. The selected smart route should fulfill with the QoS constraints and satisfy the best QoS in terms of three metrics, namely connectivity, probability, packet delivery ratio and delay. The AQRV and Ant colony algorithm was simulated. The comparative result was studied at various optimal positions in the city. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The identification and systematic monitoring of water spread regions using remote sensing techniques necessitates precise temporal resolution datasets. Landsat data are one of the most popular data sources that provides satellite derived images of the Earth's surface for examining the satellite-based indices of a specific region. In the present research study, Normalized Difference Water Index is employed to identify the surface area of 11 system and non-system lakes in a part of Coimbatore region over the time span of 32 years (1990–2022). Based on the analysis, the water spread region in 1990 is seen to be 13.01 ha which gradually increased to 435.17 ha in 2022. This clearly indicates that there is substantial difference in the rainfall statistics over the years. Computations for cross-validation are done using other indices such as Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Normalized Difference Build-up Index (NDBI). A 500 m buffer is created and calculated for vegetation and built-up indices like Chinna kulam 1 and 2, Kumaraswamy Lake, Valankulam, Singanallur and Sengulam lakes which show the decreasing trend of NDVI. Simultaneously, NDBI increased in 2000, which shows that measures were taken to tackle the encroachment of lakes in the city and the concerted efforts of the Governmental authorities and Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) were fruitful. A decreasing trend is noted in NDBI during 2011 and 2020. The microclimatic conditions and advection current of waterbodies along with boating facilities and parks in some lakes offer city dwellers a tranquil recreational area with respite from vehicular pollution and heat generation from the concrete jungle. This study will be helpful in facilitating policy decisions for future planning and sustainable development of water bodies. It will also be beneficial in devising rehabilitation measures for irrigation tanks and will aid in bringing about agrarian stability of tanks in urban locales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the possible effects of climate change on sorghum in the western zone (WZ) comprising Coimbatore, Tirupur, and Erode districts of Tamil Nadu. The DSSAT crop simulation model was used to simulate sorghum yields with considering various planting dates and amounts of fertilizer application. The downscaled CCSM4 climate model data was utilized for the historical baseline period spanning from 1991 to 2020, as well as for future pridicted data from 2021 to 2099, under the RCP 4.5 scenarios. The key findings indicate that there is a projected yield decline range of -1.3% to -12.5% for the near century (2021-2040), -6.2% to -23.7% for the mid-century (2041-2070), and -12.6% to -30.5% for the end century (2071-2099). The sorghum yield experiences a high decrease at the end of the century (276.83 kg ha-1), mid-century (178.16 kg ha-1), and lastly in the near century (89.4 kg ha-1). The study revealed that a enhanced fertilizer application can have a minor positive effect on sorghum productivity. The study underscores the significant threat that climate change poses to food security in Tamil Nadu and emphasizes the need for adaptation strategies to protect agricultural productivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adaptability and significant economic value of the neem tree are well-known, as it can flourish in a variety of environmental conditions. While the neem seed production is highly sensitive to prevailing weather conditions during the reproductive phase and flowering behaviour of the tree. A study was conducted at Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore in 2023 with the primary objective of validating the weather influence on neem seed production using the logics of physiological responses, as a continuation of research conducted the previous year (2022). During the pre-flowering and flowering stages, diverse weather conditions led to notable changes in the physiological traits of neem trees, which displayed varying patterns of flowering. Trees that flowered consistently showed elevated levels of indole acetic acid (IAA) oxidase, relative water content, and nitrate reductase compared to those that lacked flowers or produced intermittently. In the flowering stage, the neem trees responded positively in terms of physiological aspects like IAA oxidase, relative water content, nitrate reductase, and exhibited lower proline levels, which can be attributed to the optimal maximum temperature, rainfall, and soil moisture. Proline levels rose during the pre-flowering stage due to soil moisture deficits but fell during the flowering stage with the onset of rain. These physiological changes, driven by climatic factors, are likely to enhance the flowering, fruiting, and overall yield of neem trees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intercropping presents an opportunity to optimise land use and resource efficiency in cotton cultivation, particularly for small and marginal farmers facing climate-related challenges and rising input costs. This study explores the potential of intercropping short-duration vegetables with cotton to transform this production system into a more economically viable and sustainable one. The study was conducted in the Cotton Department of Tamil Nadu Agricultural University in Coimbatore during the winter irrigated season, from August to January, in both 2020 and 2021. The growth, yield parameters, equivalent yield (3645 and 4234 kg ha−1), and net return (Rs. 123,434 ha−1 and Rs. 154,034 ha−1) were higher in the intercropping system with the paired row planting of Bt cotton with two rows of cluster bean. Upon comparing sole cropping and the paired row method of planting, it was found that adopting the paired row system of planting Bt cotton with two rows of cluster bean was highly profitable in all aspects of crop production. Therefore, the adoption of paired row cropping systems with compatible intercrops that promote synergistic effects on the main crop should be considered for enhancing overall productivity, as well as sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Design of economical and effective solar ponds which are useful thermal energy storage devices, remains a huge challenge. The present work aims at investigating the thermal performance of low cost mini salt gradient solar pond. The portable pond was fabricated as a rectangular configuration having a volume of 0.5m³. Polystyrene and high density polyethylene sheets were employed for insulating the walls. The top of the pond was covered with a slender glass so that the dust accumulation could be prevented without affecting the absorption of solar radiation. Sodium chloride salt was used as the medium and the three salt gradient regions namely lower convective, non-convective, and upper convective regions were established through injection filling technique. The temperature and salt gradient data were observed experimentally for a period of 20 days at Coimbatore, India. The pond could absorb significant amount of available radiation (around 65%) and the maximum temperature of the pond was observed to be 49 °C. Frequent washing of the water surface is necessary to maintain stable salt gradient. Nevertheless, portable pond fabricated with low cost materials exhibited good potential of storing solar energy for solar thermal applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to emphasize the adoption of computer aided design (CAD) technology for enabling the contemporary organizations to acquire agile characteristics. Design/methodology/approach - A model called total agile design system (TADS) was designed. Subsequently, a survey was conducted among 25 industry captains. By referring to their reactions, a roadmap for successfully implementing TADS has been evolved. Findings - The results of literature survey indicated that both research and practicing communities are yet to exploit CAD and computer aided manufacturing (CAM) technologies effectively for acquiring agile characteristics in organizations. The survey conducted among the industry captains indicated that the TADS model would bridge CAD/CAM and AM concepts in organizations. Research limitations/implications - The findings of this research were based on the survey conducted among industry captains of organizations situated only in Coimbatore city of India. Yet these findings would be applicable to the organizations situated in majority of the other parts of the world as the environment prevailing in these organizations is mimicking the scenario of all contemporary organizations. Practical implications - This research culminated in the development of a roadmap. This roadmap considers the practicality of implementing TADS in contemporary organizations. The contemporary organizations, which apply TADS using this roadmap, would imbibe world class manufacturing dimensions. Originality/value - The literature on AM has so far seen no survey examining the application propensity of automation technologies like CAD/CAM. This paper has overcome this research lacuna. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rainfed sorghum production is profoundly vulnerable to climate variability. Sowing the crop at an appropriate time could be one of the most crucial climate-resilient options to improve the yield. The well-calibrated and validated CERES-Sorghum model was employed to study the rainfed sorghum response to varied environments over the long term (1983-2021) and to determine the optimum sowing window at Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. The CERES-Sorghum model was used for automatic-planting with a different minimum threshold of 50,60,70 and 80 percent soil water content at 15 cm soil depth under various sowing windows from 1stSeptember to 13th October at a 7-day interval. The model results of automatic planting event indicated the best performance of 1st September sowing window at 50 percent soil water content over 39 years under semi-arid environment. The temperature rise of 1°C exhibited no significant influence on sorghum grain yields at all sowing windows and a slight reduction in yield was observed at an elevated 2°C temperature. A further rise in temperature reduced the yield drastically on September month sowings. Across the sowing window, first week sowing window (1st to 7th September) yield was higher under current climatic conditions. The yield of 1st September sowing window remained higher in the elevated temperature conditions as well as in both deficit and excess rainfall conditions than other sowings. In current and future climatic conditions, 1st September sowing window would be the best sowing time to mitigate climate risk in rainfed sorghum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Biological plant protection with entomopathogenic fungi is a vital component of sustainable pest management. The most widely used entomopathogenic fungi (EPF) are Beauveria bassiana, Metarhizium anisopliae, Verticillium sp. And Isaria sp., though there are several other genera of EPF whose potential correlates to that of commonly used fungi for reducing insect pests. The primary goal of this study was to assess the efficiency of a few novel fungal isolates against insect pests. Methods: Two concentrations of four different entomopathogenic fungi were evaluated for their potency against wax moth larvae, Galleria mellonella at Insectary, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore. Result: Mortality was observed in both the concentrations of four fungi, among which Penicillium simplicissimum performed well on par with Clonostachys rosea and Purpureocillium lilacinum. Hence, these fungi could be formulated and utilized in biological pest control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the healing practices of samayācāra Śrīvidyā, a Hindu Tantric tradition. This study is based on field research conducted in the Śrī Lalitāmbikā temple in Coimbatore, India. The tradition not only advocates inner ritualism, but also focuses on healing practices derived from Tantric sources. By using both emic and etic approaches, this paper attempts to show how the rituals and Śrīvidyā meditative practices became incorporated into this system of healing and well-being. A further aim of this paper is to indicate how various forms of embodiment and healing define the spiritual practice of Lalitāmbikā Śrīvidyā. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sugarcane crop is irrigated using surface, overhead, and drip irrigation methods. Increased water use in sugarcane is a major concern around the world, implying the need for water accounting, developing water-efficient hybrids and water-saving agro-techniques for long-term conservation and use of water. "Water Footprint (WF)" is a measure of both direct and indirect water usage accountable for any product and/or process. In praxis, 'Green Water Footprint' (GWF) and 'Blue Water Footprint' (BWF) are extremely crucial for the restoration of essential ecosystem services (ES), such as sugarcane production. The WF metric was used as a priority tool in our study to evaluate water-efficient sugarcane hybrids, germplasm clones, deficit irrigation scheduling, crop geometry, and water conservation measures. Precise and accurate WF quantification would supplement the decision-making processes for managing available water resources in sugarcane agriculture. In split plot experimental design two research investigations on water management in sugarcane were undertaken at the ICAR-Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India. The major objective of the research trails was to find out suitable sugarcane hybrids and agronomic management practices to minimise water usage in sugarcane cultivation in water stressed and drought prone areas of tropical India. Our investigation comprised two phases; the first one being assessment of the impact of deficit irrigation scheduling, planting techniques and water conservation measures in sugarcane production, while the second phase dealt with genotypic evaluation under variable irrigation scheduling. Results showed that BWF reduced significantly in the first ratoon crop due to deficit irrigation scheduling coupled with planting of two budded setts and application of sugarcane trash at the rate of 5 t ha−1. Sugarcane hybrids viz., Co 85019, Co 10026, Co 12009, Co 13014, Co 14002, Co 14025, Co 15015, and Co 15018 were more water efficient, with a lower total WF. Among the germplasm clones, Fiji 55, ISH 111, ISH 107, Pathri, and Gungera exhibited lower GWF, BWF and total WF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The present study has been carried out to explore antifungal property of folklore medicinal herbs Solanum trilobatum, Spathodea campanulata, Syzygium jambos and Tylophora indica prevalent among the tribal communal in the Western Ghats of Coimbatore district. Materials and Methods: The aqueous and organic leaf extracts obtained by cold maceration method was confirmed for its antifungal activity against Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus fumigatus by agar plate dilution method. Results: The methanolic extracts of S. trilobatum, S. jambos and T. indica exhibited substantial (p<0.001) fungal growth inhibition against A. flavus with IC50 values 40.63, 94.56 and 84.52 µg/mL respectively. The ethanolic extracts of S. trilobatum, S. campanulata, S. jambos and T. indica also revealed (p<0.01) inhibitory activity against A. flavus with IC50 values ranging between 102.34-146.79 µg/mL, whereas the S. campanulata methanolic and chloroform fractions of S. jambos influenced mycelial inhibition against A. flavus with a IC50 values at 147.92 and 111.08 µg/mL respectively. Furthermore, the methanolic extracts of S. campanulata exposed highly significant antifungal activity against A. fumigatus, (p<0.001) with IC50 value at 95.3 µg/mL. Analogous antifungal significances were also observed among methanolic extracts of S. jambos and T. indica against A. fumigatus with IC50 values at 131.52 and 114.51 µg/mL respectively. The other extracts were not up to the pronounceable level of fungal growth control against the two fungal strains used in the assay. Conclusion: The alcoholic leaf extracts of selected plants were more active against tested fungal strains when compared to the chloroform and aqueous extracts. Further surveys and findings have to be fixed to recognize the antifungal metabolites present in the chosen herbs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Groundwater has never been relied on as much as it has been in sections of Coimbatore in the previous two decades due to fast and unplanned urbanisation, industrial, and agricultural expansion. This report seeks to give local and regional planning authorities with a brief groundwater vulnerability assessment of the section of Coimbatore region in order to guarantee more sustainable growth in the area. The part of Coimbatore region, which covers Pollachi, Sulur and Coimbatore south in eastern part of Tamilnadu, is the study's focal point. The conventional DRASTIC model is used to map the initial groundwater vulnerability assessment. It is then altered by adding "lineament density index" to the original seven DRASTIC features, due to the previously established high correlation between groundwater flow and yield and lineament. The final drastic index map was classed into five categories: very low, low, medium, high, and very high vulnerability, with each covering an area of 840.26, 732.58, 583.46, 183.17, and 167.13 km2. The modified drastic index is classified the same five categories, with 965.35, 880.14, 399.21, 158.29, and 103.54 km2 of land covered in each. Alanthurai, Thodamuthur, Pichanur, and Pollachi are among the most susceptible places in the state. This groundwater vulnerability map will be used to aid in groundwater pollution management and planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Construction and Demolition Waste Management (CDWM) includes collecting, transporting, processing, and disposing construction and demolition (C&D) waste, where collection and transportation of bulky and voluminous C&D waste contribute significantly to economic and environmental impacts. Transfer station (TS) being a link between various waste management (WM) facilities plays a significant role in collection and transportation of waste. Thus, locating TS at suitable site can help in reducing the overall impacts. Employment of Geographic Information System (GIS) analysis tools in CDWM is a powerful strategy for site suitability study. A case study in Coimbatore, India, is presented in this study using GIS-based multi-criteria analysis for locating C&D waste TS. The criteria for site suitability analysis are chosen based on literature review, regulations, and experts' opinions. Weights of the chosen criteria are estimated using analytic hierarchy process (AHP), and the final suitability map is created by weighted overlay analysis (WOA) in GIS environment. Results provide first-hand information for local decision makers to locate C&D waste transfer station in the chosen study region and report that 12% of the entire area is "highly suitable" for transfer station location. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: COVID-19 pandemic caused a huge impact on the healthcare system worldwide. With a spectrum of outcome ranging from mild symptoms to mortality, the experiences of patients admitted in isolation wards have not been documented. Objective: To explore the experience of COVID-19 patients during hospitalization during the early phase of pandemic. Materials and Methods: A qualitative study using in-depth interviews was conducted among 30 COVID positive patients admitted in COVID wards of a private medical college in Coimbatore, South India between May and June 2020. Qualitative data analysis was done using the seven steps of Colaizzi's descriptive phenomenological method. Results: The experiences of COVID-19 patients during their hospitalization were categorized into three themes. Firstly, their initial reaction to being diagnosed positive for COVID-19. Secondly, experience during hospitalization with regards to their mental health, treatment providers, caregivers (family and relatives) and other COVID patients admitted in the same ward. Lastly, perceived change in their quality of life after discharge. Conclusion: The study highlights that the psychological experiences of COVID-19 patients admitted to the hospital were heterogeneous. Therefore, primary care physicians should provide individualized psychological interventions based on the needs. Since many expressed fear on diagnosis and stigma of the disease, hence policy makers and health care providers should plan intervention for control and treatment without causing stigma to patients and their families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vegetables are any part of the plant such as root, tuber, bulb, stem, leaf, flower and seed. The local inhabitants of Coimbatore District mainly depend on wild indigenous vegetables around their locality for food. This paper deals about the proximate and mineral analysis of eight edible flowers used by the local people of Coimbatore District. Carbohydrate and crude fibre were maximum in the flowers of Cucurbita maxima (29.37±0.02% per g and 4.63±0.21% per g respectively), protein and moisture content were maximum in Cassia auriculata (22.95±0.01% per g and 91.83±0.54% per g respectively), lipid was maximum in Benincasa hispida (3.57±0.01% per g) and ash content was maximum in Sesbania grandiflora (1.76±0.04% per g). The contents of calcium was high in B. hispida (1.92±0.06 mg/ g), magnesium and potassium was high in C. maxima (0.98±0. mg/g and 0. 39±0.67 mg/g respectively). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The experiments were conducted at Agro Climate Research Centre, TNAU, Coimbatore. Calibration and validation of AquaCrop model was done using Winter and Kharif, 2022 data. Calibration showed that AquaCrop accurately simulated the canopy cover by low RMSE≤13.1%, good E≤0.76, high d≤0.94 and high R² values ≥0.98 and biomass development by low RMSE≤13.2%, high E≤0.92, good d≤0.68 and high R² values ≥0.95. During calibration, model well-simulated the CC under second sowing (D2) and biomass under third sowing (D3). Validation showed almost good fit of CC by low RMSE≤22.0%, good E≤0.68, high d≤0.84 and high R² values ≥0.97 and biomass development with low RMSE≤7.1%, good E≤0.66, good d≤0.60 and high R² values ≥0.98. During Validation, model well-simulated the CC and biomass under third sowing (D3). Model showed good fit of yield during first sowing window (D1) with a less deviation for both calibration and validation (15.6% and 5.8% respectively). From the result it could be concluded that sowing windows influence on baby corn production was accurately simulated using AquaCrop during calibration (R²=0.94) and validation (R²=0.98). Hence, AquaCrop proved to be a feasible tool for maximizing the Baby corn yield under different sowing windows. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A field investigation was made at the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University farm in Coimbatore during the late Kharif 2019 and late Rabi 2019-20 seasons to quantify the impact of induced moisture stress (MS) at critical stages (10, 15, 20 & 25 days from panicle initiation and flowering) on physiological traits and yield of rice. The experiment was laid-out in randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications. During both seasons, physiological traits (photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, transpiration rate and chlorophyll index) were recorded after the MS period (10, 15, 20 and 25 days) at both critical stages. The experimental results revealed that MS of any period and any stage (panicle initiation and flowering) reduced the values of all physiological traits, grain and straw yields in both seasons. The MS period of 25 days from panicle initiation significantly reduced all physiological parameters, including rice yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the genus Conocephalus (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae) collected from the rice fields of Coimbatore and Bhavanisagar, Tamil Nadu are taxonomically analysed. Three species viz., C. longipennis, C. maculatus and C. rentzi inhabiting rice fields have been redescribed and illustrated. Occurrence of C. rentzi in rice with description of male genitalia is reported for the first time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Infrastructure megaprojects straddle multiple stakeholder boundaries who have an interest in the project and are affected by the project. Multiple papers in the literature stress the need for holistic approaches to stakeholder engagement, as existing approaches only address the concerns of the noisy stakeholders. This research proposes an innovative approach in which Soft Systems Methodology (SSM) is used for understanding stakeholder concerns, complemented by the use of Theory of Inventive Problem Solving (TRIZ) for identifying innovative solutions to address conflicting stakeholder goals. The researchers simulated the stakeholder engagement of the Coimbatore metro rail project, in India, through a workshop setting in a classroom to check the feasibility of this approach for stakeholder engagement. The 15 participants of the workshop were divided into four groups representing different stakeholders of the project. Data was collected through participant observations by the authors and oral feedback from the participants. The results show that while SSM helped to capture the concerns and goals of each stakeholder, TRIZ helped to identify and dissolve conflicts among these goals through innovative solutions. The theoretical, practical and pedagogical contributions are highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the study is to understand the e-KrishiShiksha, an e-Learning platform for agriculture education in India. An e-learning portal called e-KrishiShiksha had a significant impact on India's agricultural research and extension programs. According to the study, out of seven-degree programs, most students (56.2%) registered for the B.Sc. (agricultural) degree program. This was followed by the B.Sc. (Horticulture) 15.3%, B.Tech. (Agricultural Engineering) 11.3%, and B.Tech. (Dairy Technology) 6.4%. According to the report, university-wise across the country majority of users registered in MPKV Rahuri University (8.9%), followed by IGKV Raipur (5.6%) and TNAU, Coimbatore (4.7%). Furthermore, it has been noted that the majority of undergraduate students across all seven disciplines have registered for e-KrishiShiksha. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spectral indices-based soil prediction models derived from multispectral datasets are too intricate in terms of accuracy as well as resolution. Complications arise while incorporating multispectral datasets for regional-scale spatial assessment of soil macronutrients. Sporadically satellite image fusion techniques have been used for soil nutrient interpolation to circumvent the complications. The fusion of multispectral bands encompasses precise soil information that cannot be observed as accurate with single satellite dataset. In this study, fusion of near infrared regions of Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager and Sentinel 2 has been observed for its contribution on soil macronutrient assessments. Area-to-point regression Kriging (ATPRK) approach is followed in fusing the two satellite imagery and in situ soil spectral have used for the validation of the resultant. Comparative statistical analysis on Landsat 8 OLI band 5 (wavelength: 845–885 nm), Sentine-2 band 8,8A (wavelength: 785–900 nm) datasets and fused satellite bands provides R2 values of 0.8209, 0.8436, and 0.8763 respectively. Regression models y = (0.25006 ± 0.00754) + (0.0000313)x, y = (0.25252 ± 0.0062) + (0.0000810)x, and y = (0.23715 ± 0.0062) + (0.0001210)x for nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium respectively aids for soil macronutrient interpolation and assessments. Computations reveals the ranges of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium that floats from 48 to 295 kg/ha, 5.0 to 37 kg/ha, and 32 to 455 kg/ha in the study area. Fusion of satellite imagery by ATPRK approaches in soil macronutrient study at regional scale brings the novelty of the study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) have become a better solution for agricultural growers due to advanced features such as minimal maintenance costs, quick set-up time, low acquisition costs, and live data capturing. Near-ground remote sensing (drone) has opened up new agronomic opportunities for better crop management. This study predicted the seed cotton yield for a cotton field area located at Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore. Pearson correlation analysis and regression analysis were done for ground truth data and vegetation indices for validation and accuracy and also to find the best-performing indices. It was concluded that the Wide Dynamic Range Vegetation Index (WDRVI) showed a better correlation coefficient (R=0.949) with LAI ground truth data (R²=0.902). In contrast, the Modified Chlorophyll Absorption Ratio Index (MCARI) showed a better correlation coefficient (R=0.975) with SPAD chlorophyll ground truth data (R²=0.951). Then the best performing indices WDRVI and MCARI were further used for generating the yield model. High spatial resolution drone imageries for determining LAI and chlorophyll are reliable and rapid, as per the study. It helps to determine the LAI and chlorophyll at a spatial scale and their influence on yield production. This yield prediction was technical support for the widespread adoption and application of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) remote sensing in large-scale precision agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Weather parameters are critical parameter which is to be considered for understanding atmospheric variation. The aim of this paper is to see how the parameter values fluctuates for three decades. Three decade information is isolated into two and K-means machine learning calculation is utilized for bunching the divided data. Then how the information focuses are conveyed around the centroid of every sectioned data group is confirmed. At long last the group for initial one and half decade is compared with the second one and half decade to know how the information focuses are strayed in dynamic year. This gathering is validated with silhouette value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The yellow mosaic disease (YMD) of blackgram caused by Mungbean yellow mosaic virus has emerged as a serious threat to grain legume production, especially in Southeastern Asia. Seasonal incidence of YMD with its vector population was assessed in three different agroclimatic zones of Tamil Nadu in India for three consecutive cropping seasons namely, Rabi 2018 (October–December), Summer 2019 (March–May), and Kharif 2019 (June–August) at three different time intervals viz., 20, 40, and 60 days after sowing (DAS). For all three seasons, disease incidence and whitefly count were recorded for a resistant and susceptible variety of blackgram in fields without any vector control intervention. The highest disease incidence (87%) was observed in the Panpozhi location during the summer season followed by Vamban and Coimbatore locations. The whitefly count was made through both visual count and yellow sticky traps. The whitefly population was highest at 20 DAS and decreased with the increasing age of crop for all the three locations assessed. Molecular epidemiology was analyzed by determining latent infection of mungbean yellow mosaic virus (MYMV) using molecular diagnosis. Latent infection was found to be well pronounced in the Coimbatore location during the Kharif season, where the crop was asymptomatic in both the resistant and susceptible varieties for all the three time periods assessed. The latent infection of MYMV observed in Coimbatore and Vamban ranged from 16.6 to 83.3% in both resistant and susceptible varieties for all three seasons. In Panpozhi, the latent infection of MYMV ranged from 16.6 to 66.6% for the susceptible variety (CO-5) for all three seasons observed. However, in the Panpozhi location, the resistant variety (VBN-8) failed to record any latent infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Batteries that have been used and thrown away are potential threats to the environment. The aim of the present study is to explore the bacterial bioremediation of the battery-contaminated soil. The battery contaminated soil sample was collected from the municipal compost yard, Vellalore, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India. The Bacillus sp was isolated by the serial dilution method. The Bacillus strain was identified based on the colony morphology as well as the 16s ribosomal ribonucleic acid partial gene sequence and was designated the name HVRCBNR. It was deposited in the GenBank under the accession number Bacillus sp MZ959824. The bacterial growth was evaluated by measuring the optical density of the media (OD600), while the degradation was determined by FTIR analysis. The phytotoxic analysis was performed using Trigonella foenum-graecum to assess the toxicity of the battery waste before and after bacterial treatment. The spectroscopic study showed that the strain HVRCBNR achieved 83.6% degradation. The growth indexes of Trigonella foenum-graecum showed that the biodegraded soil was nonphytotoxic in comparison with the control. This study supports the degradability of the strain HVRCBNR, and this could pave a way for sustainable solution to battery contaminated soil treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Meticulous analysis on intertwined interaction among the soil nutrients and microbial communities brings fruitful outcomes on horticulture. This study focuses on identifying well compatible bacterial genera in enhancing soil primary macro-nutrients for sustainable vegetable crops cultivation. The biochemical tests were executed for identification of bacterial genera. Eventually, mathematical models among available NPK nutrients (Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium) and identified bacterial genera were derived to determine most suited bacterial genus for nutrients inhibition. This Study reveals the present nutrient's status of soils at Anaimalai block covering 12,424 ha of Coimbatore district in Tamil Nadu. Seven utilitarian bacterial genera were identified which inhibit the plant nutrients. Among them, Azotobacter, Arthrobacter and Achromobacter actively inhibit available NPK in the soil. Present study of correlating soil nutrients with bacterial components enriches successful conservation of biosphere through adopting these innovative technologies in horticulture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Timely and accurate medium range weather information is critical to conquer the impact of highly dynamic next few days' weather on the farming. Advances in weather forecast models, as well as their increased resolution, have resulted in more accurate and realistic forecasts. An attempt was made during 2019 - 2021 at Agro Climate Research Centre, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore to develop cluster of village level (@ 3km resolution) Medium Range Weather Forecast (MRWF) for Tamil Nadu with higher accuracy. In this study, Weather Research and Forecast Model (WRF v4.2.1) with four microphysics viz., Kessler, WSM3, WSM5, WSM6 schemes were tested for Tamil Nadu during CWP, HWP, SWM and NEM 2020. The MRWF generated from the WRF model v4.2.1 with WSM3 had better BSF, higher Forecast Accuracy Index (FAI) and Forecast Usability Percent (FUP) for Tamil Nadu followed by Kessler scheme. The WSM5 and WSM6 were poor performer during the study. In general, CWP had higher FAI followed by HWP, NEM & SWM. The FAI from WSM3 was 0.65 - 0.74 during NEM and 0.55 - 0.69 during SWM. Among the season, the MRWF generated during SWM were over forecasted the rainfall quantity, where the NEM and HWP had better rainfall forecast nearing actuals. The FUP was higher in NEM followed by CWP, SWM & HWP, which was 57 - 88 per cent during NEM and 46 - 82 per cent during SWM. A decreasing trend in the quantitative FUP was observed with increase in lead times, irrespective of the microphysics and seasons. Finally, the study concluded that the accuracy of village level medium range rainfall forecasts from WRF model v4.2.1 varied temporally by season and the WSM3 microphysics option having superiority in all seasons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Order Orthoptera is one of the largest and most important invertebrate groups for environmental monitoring and assessment. Orthoptera faunal composition was carried out at Bharathi Park, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India to evaluate the present status of various species. PAST software was used to perform various statistical analyses to estimate the Orthoptera composition. Overall, 334 individuals belonging to 22 species, 19 genera, 17 tribes under 10 subfamilies, and four families of Orthoptera were recorded. Species richness (59.09%) and species abundance (70.06%) were recorded highest in the Acrididae family followed by Pyrgomorphidae, Tettigoniidae, and Gryllidae. Oedipodinae was the most species-rich (27.27%) and the most abundant subfamily, accounting for 30.24% of the total collected individuals. During the study period, 10 dominant, five intermediate dominance, four incidental, and three rare species were observed. Among these, Spathosternum prasiniferum was found to be the most dominant species (D=18.26) and the least dominant (D = 0.6) species was Euconocephalus pallidus. Based on the principal component analysis, the distribution of species along with the first two PCs (PC1= 33.87% and PC2=28.68%) accounted for the highest variance of the total variances. Cluster analysis showed that Acrotylus humbertianus and Teleogryllus mitratus, Conocephalus maculates and Gryllus bimaculatus Orthopterans were similar to each other. The value of the Shannon diversity index (2.27), Simpson index (0.87), Margalef index (2.2), and α-diversity (5.75) were higher in Acrididae when compared with other families. Value of Evenness (0.93) was highest in Gryllidae. Statistical analysis infers that the richness and abundance percentage of Orthopterans significantly varied between species to species and family to family. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research study was designed to assess the performance of male and female students on a reading test with regard to demands on the strategy use and the interaction of the text topic with gender in a formal testing environment. The participants were 140 (90 - male and 50 - female) first year students in the 17 - 19 age range studying Engineering at PSG College of Technology, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, South India. After 20 hours instruction in reading skills during their course work "Communication Skills in English", the reading test was administered to the participants. The test material consists of two passages, both dealing with topics without gender bias. The questions based on these two passages were classified into three categories: Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ), Identifying True or False Statements (T/F), and Matching the Vocabulary (MV). The demanding nature of each question enabled the students to interact with the reading text using different strategies. The findings of the study suggest that males and females perform differently on different items. Significant differences in their performance on "Multiple Choice Questions" and "True or False Statements (T/F) were found for both the passages. Conversely, there were no significant differences in their performance on "Matching the Vocabulary items (MV)" for both the passages. Further, the text topics, which were not gender-biased, did not have an effect on the performance. Nonetheless, the overall performance of male and female students of first year graduate engineers on the reading comprehension tests were significantly different, implying that the text topic did not influence the performance on the reading comprehension test. This research paper discusses the findings and suggests suitable classroom implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on various refresher courses on subjects related to sciences. It says that a referesher course on experimental physics will be hosted by three Indian academies at St. Xavier's College in Ahmedabadon, India on February 15 to March 1, 2012. It mentions that a refresher course in image processing and computer vision will be hosted in Coimbatore, India on January 23 to February 4, 2012. Furthermore, a call for submission of papers related to mathematics is presented.

The focus of this paper is the application of written discourse with special reference to technical English writing skill of the engineering students in Coimbatore. The discourse theories of writing are focused upon in this research. Writing is an important part of the engineering course and is an area where students often need plenty of training. The analysis of written discourse is based on Unity, Coherence and Paragraph development. A test was conducted to see how far the students were able to write paragraphs coherently by using discourse markers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this research article details the hydrogeo chemical process characterization and ecological impact of groundwater was carried out around the Noyyal river, Coimbatore region, India. In pre and post monsoon region, the surrounding shallow wells groundwaters are used for this trial experiments (50 samples) and its major cations and anions are also observed. From the analytical results it's identify that majority of ions pursue the succeeding sequence Cl > Na > Ca > Mg > HCO3 > SO4 during both seasons. About 6% of the groundwater samples was lying in under saline water group during both seasons. The dying industries use many chemicals throughout the dyes process, resulted in high content of Cl and sodium within the groundwater. During the post and pre monsoon, 42% and 45% of samples were affected. It revealed that the absorption of Na and Cl were surpassed the allowable percentage. About 55% of the examples fall in Na-Cl sort, which plainly demonstrates the prominent impact of enterprises profluent and geochemical measures on the nature of water. Spatial distribution indicates that all the major ions increase towards northern and central part of the region. Strong positive correlation for Cl with EC, Ca, Mg, and Na were observed during both seasons due to influence of anthropogenic impact and natural processes. The Kelly's and Magnesium Hazards about 50% of the samples exceeded above the limit indicates unsuitable for agriculture purpose during the season of pre and post monsoon. In current location, the process like silicate weathering and reverse ion exchange establishing the groundwater chemical properties. This study further reveals that in the proximity of industries the ground water possesses higher concentration of associated ions is found around the industries due to the ecological impact of effluents. Hence it is realised that to recover the groundwater quality of this region, it is essential to treat the effluent effectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the relationship between impact of electronic resources and its usage in selected management institution libraries in Coimbatore. This is a quantitative approach-based study done by using questionnaire to gather data and information. A valid response rate of 76% has been obtained. Survey method is used for this study, primary data is collected via questionnaire. Five-point Likert scale is used, SPSS software helped to analyse the data in respect of descriptive elements. The study is relevant as it will help to build up awareness about e-resources and view them as valuable scholarly tools. Another reason for the importance of the study is that it enquires about the purposes for which the academia in higher education uses e-resources, thus contributing to knowledge in those areas. The study recommends library professional to take initiative to make awareness about the e-resources and intensive marketing strategies should be adopted to increase usage of electronic resources in management institution libraries in Coimbatore. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sauropus androgynus and Solanum torvum are known to possess antioxidant, anti-cancerous, anti-fungal and antiseptic properties. The current study aimed to evaluate the effect of ethanol extracts of Sauropus androgynus leaves and Solanum torvum fruit in prevention of biofilm formation by methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus. The study also assessed the presence of bioactive compounds and their ability to modify the cell surface hydrophobicity of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus biofilm. In this study, methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolates obtained from tertiary care hospitals in Coimbatore were subjected to antibiotic susceptibility testing and biofilm formation. Among the 20 methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolates, all were found to be 100 % sensitive to vancomycin and 100 % resistant to cotrimoxazole and tetracycline. Two methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolates were observed to be strong biofilm producers confirmed by microtiter plate method and only one methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolate was used for further studies. Phytochemical screening of plant materials was carried out to identify the bioactive compounds potentially responsible for the biological properties. Among the plant extracts tested, extracts of Sauropus androgynus leaves showed a maximum zone of inhibition (18 mm), whereas the zone of inhibition exhibited by Solanum torvum fruit extracts was 16 mm at 200 µg/ml against methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Minimum inhibitory concentration and minimum biofilm inhibitory concentration testing of extracts of Sauropus androgynus leaves and Solanum torvum fruit were also carried out against methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus, in which each extract at a concentration of 5 mg/ml was found to inhibit methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus growth and biofilm formation via the microtiter plate method. Moreover, there was an increase in cell surface hydrophobicity of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus biofilm from 33.96 to 61.90 % at 150 µg/ml of extracts of Sauropus androgynus leaves, while Solanum torvum fruit extracts showed 46.80 % hydrophobicity. Similarly, anti-adhesive activity was found to be higher in extracts of Sauropus androgynus leaves (0.008) when compared to Solanum torvum fruit extracts (0.016) at 50 µg/ml. The current study reports for the first time the efficacy of Sauropus androgynus and Solanum torvum extracts as a promising source of anti-biofilm agents, especially against methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]