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Over the years, Indian English Fiction has entered a new phase of an incomparable portrayal of the New Indian woman who is not always happy with the constraining cultural, natural, and sexual duties allocated to her by patriarchal India's unconscious dawn. In her parental house, the woman may be a daughter or sister, and in her husband's family, she can be a wife and mother. She will also be required to perform a professional role. Above all, Nature gave her a sex-based position in which she is naturally limited. Divided between her natural and cultural roles,a woman can be only a daughter, sister, wife, or mother but never her real ‘she’. She wants the freedom to think and live for herself as a human being and liberation from her womanhood. She sometimes escapesher culture-bound duties since there is no way out of her nature-bound responsibilities, particularly her function as a procreator and sexual partner.

This study investigates the spatio-temporal distribution and trends of seasonal rainfall for different meteorological sub-divisions (MSDs) of India using statistical analysis and the innovative trend analysis (ITA) method. The gridded dataset of daily rainfall for 120 years from 1901 to 2020 was obtained from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) and analysed using statistical results of mean rainfall, standard deviation, coefficient of variation, skewness, kurtosis, maximum seasonal rainfall, percent deviation of rainfall, number of rainy days, rainfall intensity, rainfall categorization, trend detection, and cross-correlation coefficients. The period was divided into three quad-decadal times (QDT) of 40 years each (i.e., 1901–1940: QDT1, 1941–1980: QDT2, and 1981–2020: QDT3). A general decrease in the number of rainfall events was observed in all the seasons except for a few MSDs of northwest India showing a rise throughout the pre-monsoon season in recent times (QDT3). Significant trends were detected using the ITA method in seasonal rainfall in nearly all the MSDs of India. Our findings are highlighting the qualitative and quantitative characteristics of seasonal rainfall dynamics at the MSDs level which will be useful for comprehending the rainfall dynamics as impacted by climate change and climate variability in India, and may further lead the policymakers and stakeholders for making the best use of available water resources.

The agricultural sector in India is a major water consumer, utilizing over 60% of the total water in the country. In order to meet the demands of the growing population and ensure food safety, irrigation is crucial for crop cultivation. However, extreme heat can negatively impact crops, particularly wheat. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of supplementary irrigation under different tillage conditions to mitigate these negative effects of terminal heat stress. The research examined the impact of tillage systems and additional irrigation on reducing terminal heat stress and enhancing wheat yields in India. Three tillage systems were implemented, including happy seeder, zero tillage, and conventional tillage. The experiment was conducted over three years in six scenarios, and the results indicated that SN-1, SN-3, and SN-5 produced higher yields than SN2, SN4, and SN6, with a statistically significant difference (p

In this study, we investigated the spatio-temporal distribution and performance of seasonal precipitation in all districts of Haryana, India. We analysed the gridded precipitation dataset of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) for a period of 120 years (1901–2020) using different statistical methods. We found that Haryana received a mean precipitation of 37.0, 37.7, 468.3, and 24.8 mm during the winter, pre-monsoon, monsoon, and post-monsoon seasons, respectively. During each season, the eastern districts of Haryana received more precipitation than its western counterparts. Sen's slope results obtained after trend-free pre-whitening (TFPW) showed a statistically significant increasing trend of 0.12 mm (p-value; 0.04) during the pre-monsoon period, whereas decreasing but non-significant trends were observed during the winter, monsoon and post-monsoon seasons at the rate of −0.04 mm (p-value; 0.49), −0.26 mm (p-value; 0.52), −0.05 mm (p-value; 0.33) per year, respectively, for the entire Haryana state. The winter precipitation is expected to increase under the Representative Concentration Pathway 4.5 (RCP4.5) scenario, whereas pre-monsoon precipitation is expected to decrease under the RCP8.5 scenario by the end of the 21st century. The monsoon precipitation is expected to decrease under all RCP scenarios, whereas post-monsoon precipitation is expected to gradually increase under the RCP8.5 scenario by the end of the 21st century.

The Pickup is a tale of romance, adventure and above all love of Julie for Abdu as she proves that her love does not change with changing situations. In spite of being the daughter of rich parents she decides to join Abdu and picks up her suitcase to live in a deserted Muslim village for the sake of love. In this novel the artist confirms that her range is pretty wide. In the beginning young guys take life non-seriously and lead life of Hippies. But Abdu has to pick up his suitcase as he can't live in Johannesburg due to lack of permission from Home Affairs department. Julie adjusts in the ordinary house of Abdu in a village of Arabian country. She does not join him to go to Chicago as he has no settled work and home there. She has of course identified herself with the village and the family of Abdu. Many matters of world economic business world are referred here and hence the novel is remarkable for socio-economic and ethical realism.

Kanthapura (1938) depicts the conflict between Indian villagers and the Indian British authorities. Here Raja Rao paints Moorthy as a bold follower of Gandhian ideology. As a freedom fighter he does not accept caste barriers at all. Here Bhatta, the money lender exploits the poor innocent villagers. Gandhi's plan to introduce Charkha succeeds and many villagers start earning their livelihood. Moorthy organizes the villagers for national cause and they follow Gandhian dictates. As a result the tax policy of British government gets a set back. Finally, Moorthy is arrested but not excommunicated. When he comes out of prison, he asks his followers to lead a life of 'action'. Much has got to be done for national freedom. This novel is remarkable for social realism, economic realism and political realism. There is a direct encounter between villagers of Kanthapura and the British imperial powers.

Thalassemias are common monogenic autosomal recessive hemoglobin disorders. The usually asymptomatic heterozygotes (β-thalassemia traits, βTT) may rarely develop non-transfusion-dependent-thalassemia (NTDT) due to co-inheritance of supernumerary α-globin genes. Literature on phenotypic/genotypic features of these rare combinations is limited.We studied the demographic, clinical, and laboratory data from 47 persons with coinherited βTT+supernumerary α-globin genes. HBB mutations were tested for by ARMS-PCR and/or Sanger sequencing, αααThe 47 cases comprised 0.08% of 61,010 hemoglobinopathy screenings during the study period. Mean age was 31.9±14.7 years (range 5.5 to 83 years), with 57.4% males. Thirty (63.8%) had NTDT-phenotype, 16 (34%) were asymptomatic/minimally symptomatic, and one became transfusion-dependent at the age of 20 years. Anemia/pallor and jaundice were the commonest complaints (76% each); 40% had required blood transfusions. Twenty-one had splenomegaly, 14 had hepatomegaly. Mean hemoglobin was 9.0±1.9 g/dL (range 4.0-13.0). HbA2 was 5.1±0.7% (3.4-6.3%) and HbF% 4.2±3.2% (0.5-18.4%). Forty-four (93.6%) had αααThis largest Indian and globally the second-largest study reports the βTT+ααα

The evaluation of climatic change impact on maize grain and biomass yield under different N management practices through a well-calibrated and validated APSIM model in Vertisol of central India has been made. Climate scenarios were derived from seven global climate models (GCM) for two representative concentration pathways (RCPs), i.e. RCP4.5 and RCP8.5, and two-time slices, i.e. 2050 and 2080. The five N scenarios, namely N0%, N50%, N100%, N150%, and 100% organic, were studied in different climatic scenarios. The probability of exceedance showed that N0%, N50%, N100%, N150%, and 100% organic treatments have a 50% chance of yield greater than 1.0, 3.40, 4.20, 4.45 and 3.84 t ha-1, respectively. The average reduction of maize yield was -44.4, -20, -19.7 - 17.9 and 22.5 per cent in N 0%, N 50%, N 100%, N 150%, 100% organic, respectively under RCP4.5 over the baseline period (1980-2010). For RCP8.5, the average reduction of maize yield in N 0%, N 50%, N 100%, N 150%, 100% organic was 41.2, 21.2, 20.8 20.6 and 23.1 per cent, respectively. Simulation results suggested that a higher decrease of maize yield in 100 per cent organic treatments than inorganic treatments is due to variability in N uptake.

The purpose of this study is to find numerous key performance indicators for measuring real estate project success. A Systematic literature review was adopted to achieve the research objective. The main objective of a systematic literature review is to identify, evaluate, and synthesize existing research. A total number of "82" papers from ABDC journals and other journals and conference papers, including thesis, book chapters, were used to identify all the success factors. The study reveals that most of the previous studies have considered three-factor cost, quality, and time, but a few factors have taken other success factors such as budget, schedule, client satisfaction, project manager competence. So there is a dire need to explore additional determinants as the real estate project success is influenced by several other variables. After the systematic literature review there are many other performance indicators such as customer satisfaction, budget, manager qualification and schedule are becoming important for good performance of construction project. The findings of the study have numerous suggestions and these implications are not only for the educational area but also for the construction sector. The study provides a direction for construction organizations and the researcher's future studies.

The effects of climate change on crop yields vary greatly from region to region across the globe. The projected climate change will also adversely affect soil quality by changing its physiochemical and biological properties. The soil's biological properties and processes are primarily mediated by microbial diversity and their distribution. The presence of soil microbes facilitates the production of greenhouse gases (GHGs). The microorganism also responded to global warming and climate change by either producing greenhouse gases or utilizing them in the environment. Soil microorganisms can recycle and transform the essential elements such as carbon and nitrogen that make up cells. Even small changes in the soil moisture content result in a change in the microbial habitat, particularly the fungal communities. However, the bacterial communities remain intact. The increase in the concentration of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide not only increases methane production from the soil but also reduces the uptake of methane by up to 30% in the soil microbial population. The microbial communities of the tree leaves act on plant residue during this process. The increase in temperature is likely to accelerate the rate of decomposition that emits carbon dioxide from the soil. However, higher temperatures also elevate soil nitrogen levels, which suppresses the rates of fungal decomposition. This affects microbial communities. At the same time, trees and shrubs that advance towards the north in the tundra under the influence of temperature alteration can also influence microbes in unknown ways through the shadows they cast on the ground.

This paper introduces a new divergence measure for a fuzzy matrix with proof of its validity. In addition, the properties are proved for the new fuzzy divergence measure. A method to solve decision making problem is developed by using the proposed fuzzy divergence measure. Finally, the application of this fuzzy divergence measure to decision making is shown using real-life example

An outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) occurred for the first time in Wuhan, China which spread as a pandemic to various countries of the world, resulting in high morbidity and mortality. Death toll in India on 8th February 2021 was 1,55,080. India had implemented steps such as lockdown and advised social distancing, washing of hands, and wearing masks to reduce the burden of Covid-19. This review discusses the epidemiological features, the population at risk and control strategies of novel coronavirus disease in India. The data was collected from various sources on individual details of Covid-19 cases, population density and affluence percentage from the literature studied. The data was used to analyse the susceptibility of the population to this disease. It was found that Indian males, age group 20 to 40 (based on morbidity) and above 60 (based on mortality) were at high risk. The authors compiled epidemiology, management and control strategies of covid-19 in India. Therefore, because of various early implementations, India has managed the disease well earlier, but in the current scenario (30 Nov 2020) morbidity and mortality have been at peak. Immunization of frontline workers started on 16th January 2021. Initially, 7,017,411 doses of Covishield and Covaxin vaccines have been given by 10th February 2021. Thus, the existing strategies like proper diagnosis, treatment, and successful implementation of vaccine inoculation will reduce covid-19 burden and may lead to normalcy.

India harbors the wealthiest biodiversity of mangroves, yet the utilization of sequence-based DNA barcodes for the characterization of mangrove diversity from the Indian coastal region is needed to be explored. In the present study, we assessed DNA barcode-based phylogenetics of mangroves from Sundarbans Delta and Kerala at the ITS locus of the nuclear genome. The phylogenetic analysis was performed using Bayesian inference, which proved to resolve the evolutionary affinities effectively. Our study presents mangroves’ systematic assessment with total 6 DNA sequences generated from 5 genera, and the first DNA barcode of Volkameria inermis and Avicennia marina from Payyanur Kerala, Avicennia alba and Suaeda maritima from the Sundarbans Delta was reported from ITS locus. The phylogenetic assessment confirmed that Avicennia belongs to the family Acanthaceae and placed the Volkameria inermis from Payyanur and Clerodendrum eriophyllum under the same monophyletic clade.

Waterborne diseases are known as a leading cause of illness and death in both developing and developed countries. Several pathogens can be present in contaminated water, particularly waters containing faecal material; however, routine monitoring of all pathogens is not currently possible. Enterococcus faecalis, which is present in the microflora of human and animals has been used as a faecal indicator in water due to its abundance in surface water and soil. Accurate and fast detection methods are critical for the effective monitoring of E. faecalis in the environment. Although conventional and current molecular detection techniques provide sufficient sensitivity, specificity and throughput, their use is hampered by the long waiting period (1–6 days) to obtain results, the need for expensive laboratory equipment, skilled personnel, and cold-chain storage. Therefore, this study aimed to develop a detection system for E. faecalis that would be simple, rapid, and low-cost, using an isothermal DNA amplification assay called recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA), integrated with a lateral flow assay (LFA). The assay was found to be 100% selective for E. faecalis and capable of detecting rates as low as 2.8 × 103 cells per 100 mL from water and wastewater, and 2.8 × 104 cells per 100 mL from saline water. The assay was completed in approximately 30 min using one constant temperature (38 °C). In addition, this study demonstrated the quantitation of E. faecalis using a lateral flow strip reader for the first time, enhancing the potential use of RPA assay for the enumeration of E. faecalis in wastewater and heavily contaminated environmental waters, surface water, and wastewater. However, the sensitivity of the RPA-LFA assay for the detection of E. faecalis in tap water, saline water and in wastewater was 10–1000 times lower than that of the Enterolert-E test, depending on the water quality. Nevertheless, with further improvements, this low-cost RPA-LFA may be suitable to be used at the point-of-need (PON) if conjugated with a rapid field-deployable DNA extraction method.

Anopheles subpictus, have been incriminated as a vector in some states of India hence, understanding its possible role in malaria transmission is essential. The present study was focussed on the alteration of mosquito profile in terms of species composition with particular emphasis on malaria vectors and known non-vector An.subpictus due to change in breeding sites that supports different species in Ghaziabad district, Uttar Pradesh, India. The immature larva were collected from the identified habitats and the adult mosquitoes were collected from human dwellings, cattle sheds and mixed dwellings of urban, rural and peri-urban during seasonal surveillance from April 2014 to February 2016 in Ghaziabad District. Pyrethrum spray collection was conducted in human dwellings during the same period. Sporozoite detection was done through ELISA and confirmation of positives by PCR. An.subpictus was first time found with Plasmodium infection of 0.73% (5/680) and 0.74% (4/539) by ELISA and PCR respectively, in rural areas (villages of Bhojpur and Muradnagar PHC). An.subpictus together with An.culicifacies and An.stephensi responsible for total sporozoite rate of 1.63% (11/680) by ELISA and 1.03% (7/680) confirmed by PCR. An.subpictus (49.32%) was the most prevalent species of Anopheles with highest abundance in human dwellings (55.76%). Their distribution in Ghaziabad district depends on type of breeding sites and season (by Chi square test) with maximum collection during monsoon season (80. 56%). This study reported role of An.subpictus as a vector of malaria in Ghaziabad district for the first time.

Agricultural yield of major crops is low due to the injudicious use of chemical fertilizers that affects soil fertility and biodiversity severely and thereby affecting plant growth. Soil health is regulated by various factors such as physicochemical properties of the soil, availability of micro/macronutrients, soil health indicator enzymes and microbial diversity which are essential for agriculture productivity. Thus, it is required to draw attention towards an eco-friendly approach that protects the beneficial microbial population of soil. Application of different bioinoculants and agriusable nanocompounds has been reported to enhance soil quality with increased nutrient status and beneficial bacterial population, but additive effects of combined treatments on soil microbial population are largely unknown. The present study investigated the impact of nanozeolite and nanochitosan along with two Bacillus spp. on rhizospheric microbial flora and indicator enzymes to signify soil health under field conditions on maize. Soil health was ascertained by evaluating physicochemical analysis; total bacterial counts including N, P, and K solubilizing bacteria; and soil health indicator enzymes like fluorescein diacetate hydrolysis, alkaline phosphatase, β-glucosidase, dehydrogenase, amylase, and arylesterase. Change in copy number of 16S rRNA as a marker gene was used to quantify the bacterial population using quantitative PCR (qPCR) in different treatments. Our study revealed that nanocompounds with Bacillus spp. significantly (p < 0.05) enhanced total microbial count (16.89%), NPK solubilizing bacteria (46%, 41.37%, and 57.14%), and the level of soil health indicator enzymes up to twofold over control after 20, 40, and 60 days of the experiment. qPCR analysis showed a higher copy number of the 16S rRNA gene in treated samples, which also indicates a positive impact on soil bacterial population. This study presents a valuable approach to improve soil quality in combined treatments of nanocompounds and bioinoculants which can be used as a good alternative to chemical fertilizers for sustainable agriculture.

The biosynthesis and transport of long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFA) require the activity of fatty acid desaturase (FADS) enzymes, fatty acid transport proteins (FATP) and fatty acid binding proteins (FABP). In a previous study we have demonstrated region-specific changes in the LCPUFA levels in preeclampsia (PE) as compared to the normotensive control (NC) placentae. Aim To understand the region-specific changes in the mRNA levels and protein expression of biosynthesis enzymes and transporters of LCPUFA in PE and NC placentae. Methods In this cross-sectional study, 20 NC women and 44 women with PE (23 term (TPE) and 21 preterm PE (PTPE)) were recruited. The samples were collected from four regions of the placentae considering cord insertion as the center (CM, central maternal/basal; CF, central fetal/chorionic; PM, peripheral maternal/basal and PF, peripheral fetal/chorionic). The mRNA levels were estimated using qRT-PCR. Statistical analysis was done using both post hoc least significant difference (LSD) test and Benjamini Hochberg correction in the analysis of covariance. Preliminarily, localization and expression of proteins were studied by immunohistochemistry (n = 3/group). Results The mRNA levels of FADS1, FADS2 and FATP1 were lower in the central regions (CM and CF) of the PE placentae (both TPE and PTPE) as compared to NC. These differences in the mRNA levels were observed by the LSD test and were not significant after the Benjamini Hochberg correction. Preliminary findings of IHC indicate that the protein expression of FADS1 and FATP4 was higher in the basal regions (CM and PM) of the PE placentae as compared to NC. FADS1, FADS2 and FATP4 proteins were localized in the syncytiotrophoblasts, cytotrophoblasts, mesenchymal cells, endothelial cells of the fetal capillaries and extravillous trophoblasts of the placenta. Conclusion FADS enzymes are detected in the placentae of Indian women. In PE placentae, there are region-specific alterations in the mRNA and protein levels of LCPUFA biosynthesis enzymes (FADS1 and FADS2) and transporters (FATP1, FATP4 and FABP3) as compared to term NC. These changes were more pronounced toward the basal side and region around the cord insertion.

Background Since the World’s population is increasing, it’s critical to boost agricultural productivity to meet the rising demand for food and reduce poverty. Fertilizers are widely used in traditional agricultural methods to improve crop yield, but they have a number of negative environmental consequences such as nutrient losses, decrease fertility and polluted water and air. Researchers have been focusing on alternative crop fertilizers mechanisms to address these issues in recent years and nanobiofertilizers have frequently been suggested. “Nanophos” is a biofertilizer and contains phosphate-solubilising bacteria that solubilises insoluble phosphate and makes it available to the plants for improved growth and productivity as well as maintain soil health. This study evaluated the impact of nanophos on the growth and development of maize plants and its rhizospheric microbial community such as NPK solubilising microbes, soil enzyme activities and soil protein under field condition after 20, 40 and 60 days in randomized block design. Results Maize seeds treated with nanophos showed improvement in germination of seeds, plant height, number of leaves, photosynthetic pigments, total sugar and protein level over control. A higher activity of phenol, flavonoid, antioxidant activities and yield were noticed in nanophos treated plants over control. Positive shift in total bacterial count, nitrogen fixing bacteria, phosphate and potassium solubilizers were observed in the presence of nanophos as compared to control. Soil enzyme activities were significantly (P Conclusion The study concluded a stimulating effect of nanophos on Zea mays health and productivity and indicates good response towards total bacterial, NPK solubilising bacteria, soil enzymes, soil protein which equally showed positive response towards soil nutrient status. It can be a potential way to boost soil nutrient use efficiency and can be a better alternative to fertilizers used in the agriculture.

Soil pollution from petroleum hydrocarbon is a global environmental problem that could contribute to the non-actualisation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Several techniques have been used to remediate petroleum hydrocarbon-contaminated soils; however, there are technical and economical limitations to existing methods. As such, the development of new approaches and the improvement of existing techniques are imperative. Biochar, a low-cost carbonaceous product of the thermal decomposition of waste biomass has gained relevance in soil remediation. Biochar has been applied to remediate hydrocarbon-contaminated soils, with positive and negative results reported. Consequently, attempts have been made to improve the performance of biochar in the hydrocarbon-based remediation process through the co-application of biochar with other bioremediation techniques as well as modifying biochar properties before use. Despite the progress made in this domain, there is a lack of a detailed single review consolidating the critical findings, new developments, and challenges in biochar-based remediation of petroleum hydrocarbon-contaminated soil. This review assessed the potential of biochar co-application with other well-known bioremediation techniques such as bioaugmentation, phytoremediation, and biostimulation. Additionally, the benefits of modification in enhancing biochar suitability for bioremediation were examined. It was concluded that biochar co-application generally resulted in higher hydrocarbon removal than sole biochar treatment, with up to a 4-fold higher removal observed in some cases. However, most of the biochar co-applied treatments did not result in hydrocarbon removal that was greater than the additive effects of individual treatment. Overall, compared to their complementary treatments, biochar co-application with bioaugmentation was more beneficial in hydrocarbon removal than biochar co-application with either phytoremediation or biostimulation. Future studies should integrate the ecotoxicological and cost implications of biochar co-application for a viable remediation process. Lastly, improving the synergistic interactions of co-treatment on hydrocarbon removal is critical to capturing the full potential of biochar-based remediation.

The detection of both viable and viable but non-culturable (VBNC) Escherichia coli O157:H7 is a crucial part of food safety. Traditional culture-dependent methods are lengthy, expensive, laborious, and unable to detect VBNC. Hence, there is a need to develop a rapid, simple, and cost-effective detection method to differentiate between viable/dead E. coli O157:H7 and detect VBNC cells. In this work, recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) was developed for the detection of viable E. coli O157:H7 through integration with propidium monoazide (PMAxx). Initially, two primer sets, targeting two different genes (rfbE and stx) were selected, and DNA amplification by RPA combined with PMAxx treatment and the lateral flow assay (LFA) was carried out. Subsequently, the rfbE gene target was found to be more effective in inhibiting the amplification from dead cells and detecting only viable E. coli O157:H7. The assay’s detection limit was found to be 102 CFU/mL for VBNC E. coli O157:H7 when applied to spiked commercial beverages including milk, apple juice, and drinking water. pH values from 3 to 11 showed no significant effect on the efficacy of the assay. The PMAxx-RPA-LFA was completed at 39 °C within 40 min. This study introduces a rapid, robust, reliable, and reproducible method for detecting viable bacterial counts. In conclusion, the optimised assay has the potential to be used by the food and beverage industry in quality assurance related to E. coli O157:H7.

Biological diversity provides the variety of life on earth and can be defined as the variability among and between the living organisms and species of surrounding ecosystems and ecological complexes of their life support. Many plant species are threatened with extinction because of the gradual disappearance of the terrestrial natural ecosystems worldwide for various human activities. Often, this is due to the clearing of indigenous vegetation for agriculture and the resulting erosion, salinization, and invasion of alien species, but more recently climate change is looming as a significant new threat. The major causes of loss of biodiversity is due to human activities such as habitat destruction, pollution, climate change, invasion of exotic species, human population pressure, agricultural practices, and lifestyle change. Biodiversity is the very basis of human survival and economic development. Biotechnology has been used to improve and enhance crop productivity, as well as to conserve, evaluate, and utilize the various aspects of biodiversity. Biodiversity conservation can be achieved either by in situ or ex situ methods. Various biotechniques have been used for improvement of the ex situ conservation process to maintain biodiversity. The use of biotechnological methods such as plant tissue culture, plant cell culture, anther culture, and embryo culture are quite applicable and fruitful techniques for ex situ conservation.

Microorganisms including actinomycetes, archaea, bacteria, fungi, yeast, and micro algae are the auspicious source of vital bioactive compounds. In this review, the existing state of the art re-garding antimicrobial molecules from microorganisms has been summarized. The potential an-timicrobial compounds from actinomycetes, particularly Streptomyces sp.; archaea; fungi including endophytic and marine-derived fungi, mushroom; yeast, and microalgae were briefly described. Furthermore, this review briefly summarized the activity and mode of action of bacteriocins, a ribosomally synthesized antimicrobial peptides product of Eurotium sp., Streptomyces parvulus, S. thermophiles, Lactococcus lactis, etc. Bacteriocins have inherent properties such as targeting multi-ple-drug resistant pathogens, which allows them to be considered next-generation antibiotics. Similarly, Glarea lozoyensis derived antifungal lipohexpeptides i.e., pneumocandins, inhibits 1,3-β-glucan synthase of the fungal cell wall and acts as a precursor for the synthesis of caspo-fungin, is also elaborated. In conclusion, this review highlights the possibility of using microor-ganisms as an antimicrobial resource for biotechnological, nutraceutical, and pharmaceutical ap-plications. However, more investigations are still required to separate, purify, and characterize these bioactive compounds and transfer these primary drugs into clinically approved antibiotics.

The novel COVID-19 disease pandemic is still at its height caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome-2 (SARS-CoV-2), causing thousand of death every week. It has extremely high infectivity, a short doubling time and a high risk of nosocomial infection. COVID-19 is a sudden disaster which has not been previously identified in humans and resulted in a public crisis. However, prevention and management are the best options. Several efforts are made by the researchers to develop vaccines, therapeutic and antiviral drugs to curb the spread of COVID-19 disease. Plant biotechnology is used for the development of test kit reagents, vaccines, immunomodulatory proteins, monoclonal antibodies and antiviral drugs. The rapid production of biologicals on an industrial scale could be facilitated by plant molecular farming (PMF). In the present scenario of the COVID-19 pandemic, PMF has the potential to fulfill emergency demands. Therefore, this is the most attractive approach in terms of cost, scalability, safety, easy delivery and mucosal immunity induction.

Hindu marriage not only has been a union of two families but also considered as one of the sanskars. However, it is observed that though the customs and traditions of ancient India remained static till modern times, there were no legal systems except a few molded and altered customs and usages till the emergence of British rule. European civilization also impacted on the Indians after the establishment of the British rule in India and create a few ripples on the otherwise calm sea of Hindu Law. This paper discusses about the concept of Hindu marriage since the ancient times and further elaborate important amendments took place in Hindu Marriage Laws after independence

In this paper, we report the influence of Ni doping on the structural, electrical, magnetic and magnetoelectric properties of BaTiO3 (BTO) ceramics. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis indicates a phase transition from tetragonal to hexagonal at x = 2.5 mol%. Further, XRD data has been refined using Rietveld method to extract the phase formation, lattice parameters, and the phase fraction of BaTi1-xNixO3 ( BTNO ) ( 0 ≤ x ≤ 10 mol % ) ceramics. The ferroelectric polarization decreases with Ni doping concentration. The relative permittivity of BTNO compositions decreases while the corresponding dielectric loss increases with Ni doping concentration. Room temperature magnetic hysteresis (M-H) loop of all BTNO samples exhibit ferromagnetic nature with a saturated loop except for x = 2.5 mol% Ni doping concentration. At x = 2.5 mol% Ni doping concentration, a small amount of diamagnetism is observed at higher fields along with ferromagnetism. The origin of ferromagnetism is due to the F- center exchange interaction via oxygen vacancies. The highest remnant magnetization (Mr) is 11.76 memu/g for x = 10 mol%. The Magnetodielectric coefficient (MD) and magnetoelectric coefficient (ME) gradually increases with increasing Ni doping concentration, and are 1.72% and 4.51 mV cm − 1 Oe − 1 respectively for x = 10 mol%.

In this work, BaTi1-xCoxO3 (BTCO) ceramics with x = 0, 2.5, 5, 7.5 and 10 mol% have been synthesized and their structural, electrical, magnetic and magnetoelectric have been investigated. Rietveld refinement of XRD data reveals that pure BTO has pure tetragonal phase. On the other hand, between 2.5 ≤ x ≤ 7.5, BTCO shows both tetragonal as well as hexagonal phases. At x = 10 mol%, BTCO shows only hexagonal phase. The grain size of the BTCO samples is found to increase with Co doping concentration. The ferroelectric polarization and relative permittivity of BTCO samples reduce with an increase in the Co concentration. A standard magnetization equation is used for fitting the magnetic hysteresis (M-H) curve, thus deconvoluting the ferromagnetic (FM) and paramagnetic (PM) components. The saturation magnetization (Ms) gradually increases from x = 2.5 to x = 10 mol%, the value being 0.8 memu/g and 8.92 memu/g respectively. The origin of magnetization is due to the oxygen vacancies and their associated exchange interaction. The magnetodielectric coefficient (MD) shows a reducing trend from 1.80 to 0.18 for x = 2.5 to x = 10 mol% respectively. The magnetoelectric coefficient ( α ME ) for x = 2.5 mol% is 3.399 mV/cm. Oe, while for x = 10 mol% it is 0.896 mV/cm. Oe.

Escherichia coli O157:H7, a Shiga-producing E. coli is a major pathogenic E. coli strain which since the early 1980s has become a crucial food and water-borne pathogen. Several management strategies can be applied to control the spread of infection; however early diagnosis represents the optimum preventive strategy to minimize the infection. Therefore, it is crucial to detect this pathogen in a fast and efficient manner in order to reduce the morbidity and mortality. Currently used gold standard tests rely on culture and pre-enrichment of E. coli O157:H7 from the contaminated source; they are time consuming and laborious. Molecular methods such as polymerase chain reaction are sensitive; however, they require expensive instrumentation. Therefore, there is a requirement for Accurate, Sensitive, Specific, User friendly, Rapid, Equipment free and Deliverable (ASSURED) detection methods for use in the laboratory and in the field. Emerging technologies such as isothermal amplification methods, biosensors, surface enhanced Raman Spectroscopy, paper-based diagnostics and smartphone-based digital methods are recognized as new approaches in the field of E. coli O157:H7 diagnostics and are discussed in this review. Mobile PCR and CRISPR-Cas diagnostic platforms have been identified as new tools in E. coli O157:H7 POC diagnostics with the potential for implementation by industry. This review describes advances and progress in the field of E. coli O157:H7 diagnosis in the context of food and water industry. The focus is on emerging high throughput point-of-care (POC) E. coli O157:H7 diagnostics and the requirement for the transformation to service routine diagnostics in the food and water industry.

Root architecture serves as a promising target for efficient resource capture below the soil. Understanding its dynamics and performance under varying management practices is quite pivotal for the development of efficient cultivars in the era of resource crunch and vagaries of climatic scenarios. Because of the tedious methodology and time involvement, there is a limited study of root system architecture (RSA) performance under management practices; thus, in the present chapter, we reviewed the effect of varying tillage on root proliferation, resource capture, and its uptake. There is a presence of nutrient-specific transduction systems in roots for selectively absorb nutrients from the soil, and they modify as per the level of stress in the soil. This chapter also highlights how tillage alters both biotic and abiotic factors that, in turn, affect the root growth significantly. In addition, studies on the long-term effect of management practices on root dynamics/RSA are quite necessary for a complete understanding of resource capture and the pattern of its distribution in soil.

This paper illustrates the methodologies and techniques used in IoT in order to prevent the systems from various kinds of attacks. Cybersecurity demands several encryption/decryption techniques to prevent their system from attackers and keep them safe. It is important to enhance the knowledge of attacks in order to design the model for them. Recent years observe the exponential increase in the number of attacks. It requires a proper classification, so that researchers can understand the characteristics of each attack before creating their algorithms. Due to large number of attacks, it becomes difficult to differentiate between the attacks that put the question on the producing algorithms. This paper depicts the classification of attacks in IoT with their existing solutions.

Arctic region is at the forefront of climate crisis; this is where the planet is warming maximally and the effects of climate change are most obvious. In this review, we introduce the topic in broader perspective by discussing first on why Arctic biodiversity matters, and scientific evidences for a changing Arctic biodiversity due to climate change. The Arctic then dwells into the current status of Arctic biodiversity covering species diversity and its conservation status with an emphasis on species important for bioprospecting. Subsequently, threats to Arctic biodiversity will be reviewed including climate change, shipping, oil exploration, overfishing, and overharvesting. This essay would then further deliberate why Arctic matters to India in particular. Himadri—Indian research station at Svalbard, Norway—will be briefed followed by an overview of Svalbard Global Seed Vault and why signing a pact with this international facility would benefit the country. The essay concludes with final thoughts and way forward including strategies to minimize Arctic biodiversity loss, UN SDGs (Ssustainable Ddevelopment Ggoals), and climate action.

Impacts of climate change (CC) and climate variability (CV) are felt throughout the world as it’s getting hotter. As a result, irregular distribution of precipitation, a progressive rise in the oceanic levels, and more frequent occurrence of extreme weather events (EWE) have become a common phenomenon in recent years. Extended episodes of drought, floods, and shifts in the agroclimatic areas are threatening agricultural crop production (ACP) throughout the globe. However, their severity is especially felt and perceived more in developing and least developed nations from southern Asia and African regions. Their impacts are expected to become further severe as the average global temperature of Earth is projected to rise by another 1.1 °C to 6.4 °C till the end of the twenty-first century. In addition to being affected by CC and CV, agriculture also exacerbates it via emitting a large amount of greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere. The GHG is reported to be intensive in usual production methods, such as conventional cultivation and plant nutrient and irrigation management systems by the farmers. In this context, climate-smart agriculture (CSA) can bring adaptation and mitigation strategies to sustain ACP. For instance, CSA contributes to the development of climate-resilient agricultural systems by increasing soil characteristics and the efficiency of water and nutrient use and by providing more stable yields and reducing emissions of GHGs. Although the advantages of CSA are broadly recognized, there is still a limited and dispersed holistic assessment of adaptation and the mitigation potential of CSA techniques.