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Internet of things (IOT) is the fastest growing technology in today’s world and has changed the world completely. It has become an integral part of our lives and from smart home to smart cities everything is connected to the internet which has reduced the human effort and made our lives easier. As it is all about the internet, so with it comes some repercussion which are the cyber threats. These threats need to be dealt with in a proper and a phased manner so that it won’t lead to any device failure or data breaches. As there have been a lot of attacks in the past so the issue of cybersecurity in IOT is of huge importance and needs to get much more attention. This paper discusses about the ways in which the important sectors like smart cities, healthcare and industries, apply IOT on day-to-day basis and the different ways in which these sectors deal with the cybersecurity issues. This paper deeply analyses the various kinds of cyber threats as well as the consequences the system has to face because of these attacks and what preventive measures can be taken to avoid the attacks.

In this work, preheated CNSL oil and diesel blends with ethanol fumigation were tested for a one-cylinder compression ignition engine to determine the engine efficiency and emission level under dif...

Improving the performance of heat exchangers is the primary objective of this study. Increasing the surface area of the heat exchanger will increase the heat transfer rate enormously. Extended surf...

Ambient equivalent black carbon (EBC) aerosol mass concentration is regularly observed over a period of 2 years (June 2014 to May 2016) at Kodaikanal, a high-altitude and Madurai, a semi-arid location to study its spatial and temporal characteristics and its sources. The diurnal variation of EBC had two peaks, early morning sharp peak that occurred between 06:00 and 09:00 h (LT) almost an hour after the local sunrise and the evening broad peak that occurred between 19:00 to 22:00 h (LT), while in Kodaikanal late afternoon peaks showed maximum contribution. The difference in the sunshine hours with respect to seasons also caused an effect on the EBC concentration. The mean seasonal values of EBC over Kodaikanal are 2.58 ± 0.15 μg m−3, 1.98 ± 0.19 μg m−3, 1.01 ± 0.19 μg m−3 and 2.48 ± 0.15 μg m−3 and over Madurai 8.97 ± 2.34 μg m−3, 4.69 ± 2.14 μg m−3, 6.70 ± 3.83 μg m−3 and 3.34 ± 2.53 μg m−3 during winter, summer, monsoon and post-monsoon seasons, respectively. The effects of meteorological parameters on EBC at the two stations are investigated and it is found that wind speed and rainfall plays a major role. Source identification is done by calculating absorption Angstrom exponent (α). The absorption Angstrom exponent values ranged from 0.99 to 1.15 with the average value of 1.05 for Madurai and a range from 0.54 to 1.92 with an average value of 1.43 for Kodaikanal, indicating that the major sources of EBC on the study site are from biomass burning and fossil fuel burning sources.

Source apportionment study at Madurai Kamaraj University was done to identify the possible sources of black carbon concentration (BC). It was found that the biomass burning resulted in the increase of BC mass concentration. As biomass was the primary source of fuel for most of the rural households around the educational site, a simple questionnaire-based bottom-up emission inventory was done to analyze the type of stove used, the number of combustion cycles performed and the type of biofuels used by them at two environments, namely indoor and outdoor. Emissions on an annual scale from the biofuels were estimated using the emission factors measured from real-time instruments such as Finch Mono-II for measuring carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2) meter for CO2 and an Aethalometer AE-31 for BC. Due to the influence of external meteorological parameters and other sources, the emission factors of pollutants in the outdoor environment vary from the those in the indoor environment. The average emission factors of the pollutants from the fuel woods and dung were (1) indoor BC mass: 0.24 (0.03–1.19) and 0.06 (0.02–0.08) g kg−1, respectively; (2) indoor CO2: 224.57 (134.25–343.82) and 140.05 (135.59–148.74) g kg−1, respectively; (3) indoor CO: 88.17 (46.30–115.94) and 89.45 (90.28–92.04) g kg−1, respectively; (4) outdoor BC mass: 0.58 (0.00–1.70) and 0.94 (0.84–1.1) g kg−1, respectively; (5) outdoor CO2: 482.44 (215.94–894.93) and 491.60 (475.65–528.37) g kg−1, respectively; (6) outdoor CO: 101.64 (50.48–281.33) and 214.55 (200.16–232.64) g kg−1, respectively. From emission factors measured, the total emission from the biomass burning was estimated and it was found that a total of 32.62 ± 11.74 (ton year−1), 174.62 ± 62.86 (ton year−1) and 0.019 ± 0.006 (ton year−1) of CO, CO2 and BC, respectively, was emitted from an average single household. This study thus quantifies emissions from different biomass sources and lays the framework for the creation of a regional emission database on rural households.

The root-feeding larvae of white grub Holotrichia serrata F. (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) causes serious damage in sugarcane fields in India. Generally, the damage caused by white grubs is in patches, but during severe outbreaks the entire crop in a field may be dried up. Entomopathogenic nematodes (EPN) have proven to be the safest and most effective way of controlling white grubs as both organisms spends a large portion of their life cycle in the soil. To ascertain the diversity of EPN, a survey was conducted in the white grub endemic areas of sugarcane ecosystem in the tropical India. Isolation, molecular identification of EPN and laboratory bioassays was conducted at Nematology Laboratory, ICAR-Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Coimbatore, India. Twenty-four EPN were isolated out of 243 samples, and frequency of occurrence of EPN was 9.87%. Among the 24 positive samples, eight EPN (three Heterorhabditis and five Steinernema) were isolated from dead larvae of naturally infested third instar white grub H. serrata. Out of 24 positive samples, 14 (58.3%) were heterorhabditis and 10 were (41.6%) sterinernematids. Sequencing and characterisation of the internal transcribed spacer region was used to identify all nematode isolates to species level. Out of 14 Heterorhabditis isolates, eight have grouped with H. indica in the indica-group and remaining six were unknown species. Out of 10 Steinernema isolates, two were grouped with Steinernema siamkayai and two isolates grouped close to S. backanense, while the remaining six unknown isolates clustered closely with S. affine, but these isolates form a separate cluster which is genetically different from other group of Steinernema spp. Bioassay studies were conducted under laboratory conditions against first, second and third instar larvae of white grub H. serrata. Among the five H. indica isolates, H. indica (DSM78) recorded maximum mortality of the grubs and low median lethal dose (LD50) value for all the three instars of white grub. Two field trials were conducted during June 2011 to evaluate the efficacy of H. indica (DSM78) against naturally infested white grub H. serrata sugarcane fields. In both the trials, reduction in number of grubs observed in the EPN treated plots compared to the control. The reduction in grub population due to EPN treatment ranged between 43.5 and 77% at field trial I and 30–78% at field trial II. The results of the present study clearly indicated that EPN, H. indica isolate DSM78 was found to be effective and a potential EPN isolate against all the three instars of white grub larvae under laboratory bioassays as well as in the field conditions.

Novel [1]benzothieno[3,2-b]benzo-thiophene (BTBT) derivatives were synthesized and characterized as solution-processable organic semiconductors for top-contact/bottom-gate organic filed-effect transistors (OFETs). Physicochemical properties of the new compounds were characterized by UV–vis absorption spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), cyclic voltammetry (CV), and density functional theory (DFT) calculation. The electrical properties of the corresponding compounds were investigated through the fabrication and characterization of field-effect transistors via solution-shearing. Both compounds were FET active and exhibited decent p-channel activity with carrier mobilities up to 0.10 cm2 V−1 s−1 and current on/off ratio >108. Film morphology and microstructure, as characterized by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were correlated with the device performance.

New benzothiadiazole derivatives, 4,7-bis(5-phenylthiophen-2-yl)benzo[c][1,2,5]thiadiazole (PT-BTD) and 4,7-bis[4-(thiophen-2-yl)phenyl]benzo[c][1,2,5]thiadiazole (TP-BTD), were synthesized and characterized as small-molecule organic semiconductors for organic thin-film transistors (OTFTs) and complementary inverters. The thermal, optical, and electrochemical properties of the new compounds were fully characterized. Vacuum-deposition and solution-shearing methods were used to fabricate thin films based on these compounds. Thin films based on PT-BTD exhibited p-channel characteristics with hole mobilities as high as 0.10 cm2 V-1 s-1 and current on/off ratios >107 for top-contact/bottom-gate OTFT devices. With an optimized blending ratio of PT-BTD and the representative n-channel semiconductor N,N'-1H,1H-perfluorobutyl dicyanoperylenediimide, bulk heterojunction ambipolar transistors were fabricated with balanced hole and electron mobilities of 0.10 and 0.07 cm2 V-1 s-1 , respectively. Furthermore, a complementary-like inverter was fabricated using ambipolar thin-film transistors, which showed a high voltage gain of 84.

New benzo[ b ]benzo[4,5]thieno[2,3 -d ]thiophene derivatives were synthesized and characterized as organic semiconductors in top-contact/bottom-gate organic thin-film transistors (OTFTs). New compounds were fully characterized by thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, UV–vis spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry, and density functional theory calculation. New compounds were vacuum-deposited as thin films, and investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Thin-film transistors based on compound 1 showed decent p -channel characteristics with mobility as high as 0.58 cm 2 V −1 s −1 and current on/off ratio of 10 6 –10 9 . Thin film microstructure and surface morphologies have been correlated with the corresponding device performance.

Prospecting for potential novel Bacillus thuringiensis with new holotype crystal toxins was carried out in the Western ghats hill range of Karnataka state, India. From the soil samples collected three Bt isolates SBIKWG 12, SBIKWG 24 and SBIKWG 70 were isolated. Of these while the two isolates, namely SBIKWG 12 and SBIKWG 24 produced bipyramidal crystal toxins, the third isolate produced spherical crystal. PCR screening of the isolates revealed the presence of lepidopteran and coleopteran active cry genes. Partial sequences obtained from these isolates revealed the presence of multiple crystal toxin genes. BlastX analysis of the partial gene sequences indicated the potential for the occurrence of new holotype crystal toxin genes in SBIKWG 24 and SBIKWG 70.

EnvironmentAsia, 12, 1, 108-119

We have synthesized and characterized fluorene derivatives with alkylated thiophene as solution-processed organic semiconductors for organic field-effect transistor. HOMO/LUMO energy levels of the developed materials were tuned via different electron-acceptors. Organic field-effect transistor fabricated from dicyanovinylene-functionalized fluorine derivative with octyl thiophene as the side group exhibited n-channel characteristic with electron mobility of 0.0055 cm2/Vs and current on/off ratio ∼106. Film surface morphology and texture were correlated with the corresponding device performance.

The trend of using ICT as a teaching tool is now rapidly expanding into day to day life. Although ICT environments are becoming popular there is minimal research on self help group women attitude towards ICT. The purpose of this study is to develop a tool to measure the attitude towards ICT among self help group women in the Indian scenario. Initially the tool was constructed with 60 statements and administered to self help group women. Out of these 60 statements 28 statements were found to be statistically valid. In order to standardize the tool the researcher applied Cronbach Alpha test, Kolmogorov-Smirnov and 't' test. The final version of the tool entitled “Self Help Group Women’s Attitude towards ICT” consists of 28 statements. The 28 statements comprise of 19 positive statements and 9 negative statements. The tool consists of five point scale where by a respondent can score a maximum of 140 and a minimum score of 28., {"references":["1.\tAbbasi, Z. (2001). Pro-Poor and ender Sensitive Information Technology: Policy and Practice. Electronic Publication. 2.\tBadran, M. F. (2010). Is ICT empowering women in Egypt? An empirical study. In Proceedings of the Research Voices from Africa Workshop, IFIP WG (Vol. 9). 3.\tBrush, C. G. (1992) 'Research on Women Business Owners: Past Trends, a New Perspective and Future Directions', Entrepreneurship. Theory and Practice, 16(4), 5–30. 4.\tGarrett. Henry E., (1981). Statistics in psychology and education. Bombay: Vakils, Effer and simons Ltd. 5.\tGuilford, J.P. (1965). Fundamental statistics in psychology and education. New York: McGraw-Hill. 6.\tHilbert, M. (2011). Digital gender divides or technologically empowered women in developing countries? A typical case of lies, damned lies, and statistics. Women's Studies International Forum, 34(6), 479–489. 7.\tJia, F., Cai, S., & Xu, S. (2014). Interacting effects of uncertainties and institutional forces on information sharing in marketing channels. Industrial Marketing Management, 43(5), 737-746. 8.\tLangowitz, N., & Minniti, M. (2007). The entrepreneurial propensity of women. Entrepreneurship theory and practice, 31(3), 341-364. 9.\tMeel, P. (2012). ICT and Women Empowerment in India. International Journal of Advance Research in Computer Engineering and Technology, 1(8), 99-104. 10.\tNimbalkar, S. K. (2014). Role of Information Technology for Promoting Women Empowerment Especially with reference to Members of Self Help Groups in Ahmednagar District. IBMRD's Journal of Management and Research, 3(1), 281-292. 11.\tNingo, N. (1999). ICT and Sustainable Good Governance in Sub-Saharan Africa:Countering the Hegemonic Drive for Power. Washington DC: World Bank. 12.\tPrasad P. N., Sridevi V., (2007), Economic Empowerment of women through information technology : A case study of Indian State. Journal of International women studies, 8(4), 106-120. 13.\tSierra, K. & Dongier, P. (2008). ICT as Enabler of Sustainable Development. Washington DC. 14.\tSyeda Helmi Afrah., Syeda Tasnim Fabiha. (2017). Empowering Women Entrepreneurs through Information and Communication Technology (ICT): A Case Study of Bangladesh, Management, 7 (1), 1-6."]}

New fluorene derivatives with donor-acceptor-donor (D-A-D) structure were synthesized and characterized as solution-processable organic semiconductors for top-contact/bottom-gate organic thin-film transistors (OTFTs). Physicochemical properties of the new compounds were characterized by cyclic voltammetry (CV), UV–vis absorption spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), and density functional theory (DFT) calculation. All compounds were TFT active and compounds with strong electron withdrawing groups showed ambipolar semiconductor performance with electron mobility of up to 0.1 cm2 V-1 s-1 and current on/off ratio of > 106.