Search

An experiment was conducted during kharif season 2020 at Instructional Farm, College of Agriculture, Ummedganj, Kota. The experiment comprised twenty-four treatment combinations, having four levels of phosphorus viz., 0, 20, 40 and 60 kg ha-1, three levels of sulphur viz., 15, 30 and 45 kg ha-1 and foliar spray of gibberellic acid viz., no spray and spray of GA3 @ 75 ppm laid out in sub-sub split-plot design with three replications. Results showed that application of 60 kg P2O5 ha-1 had significant effect on plant height, dry matter accumulation plant-1, branches plant-1 at 30, 60 DAS and at harvest, root nodules plant-1 and their dry weight at 45 DAS while root nodules plant-1 and their dry weight at 45 DAS andseed yield (1956 kg ha-1) over application of 40, 20 kg P2O5 ha-1 and control. Significantly higher seed yield (1956 kg ha-1) was recorded under application of 60 kg P2O5 ha-1 over application of 20 kg P2O5 ha-1 and control. However, it was found at par with application of 40 kg P2O5 ha-1. Application of 45 kg sulphur ha-1 had significantly higher plant height (cm) at 60 DAS and at harvest, dry matter accumulation (g plant-1) at 30, 60 and at harvest stages, branches plant-1 at 30, 60 and at harvest stage, number of root nodules and their dry weight (g) and seed yield (1742 kg ha-1) which was found at par with application of 30 kg sulphur ha-1 over 15 kg sulphur ha-1. Application of gibberellic acid @ 75 ppm as foliar spray gave significantly higher plant height (cm) at 60 DAS and at harvest stage, dry matter accumulation (g plant-1) at 60 DAS and at harvest, branches plant-1 at 30, 60 DAS and harvestand seed yield (1770 kg/ha) over control.

Chingus, an almost mountainous village of district Rajouri, falls under Jammu province of the UT of Jammu and Kashmir. The village is replete with local heritage which includes culinary heritage and handicrafts. Though rich in heritage, it cannot be considered as a sustainably developed area. Identification and utilisation of its available heritage can be helpful in its sustainable development. Years ago, Mahatma Gandhi also laid stress on the utilisation of local heritage for sustainable development. When it comes to the identification and utilisation of local heritage of Chingus, the local communities (Gujjars/ Bakarwals/ Paharies) of the area can do a lot. But, the locals would not come forward on their own. They must be channelised by local government and other government/private or non-profit agencies. Such channelisation would help in making Chingus, a self-reliant village, thus, giving practical shape to the Gandhian dream of self reliant villages. Moreover, establishment of ‘Mahatma Gandhi Museum of Heritage’ would make the process of sustainable development of Chingus more speedy.

The selection of climate resilient animal is necessary to secure the future of sustainable animal production. The present investigation therefore was an effort to unravel answers to the adaptation at physiological, hematological, and molecular levels in cows of hot arid region that helps them to survive harsh environment, to continue production and reproduction. This investigation was carried out in indicine cows over a period of one year, encompassing four seasons, wherein physiological data of 50 animals, hematological data of 15 animals, and gene expression profile of 5 animals from each of Sahiwal and Kankrej breeds per season was generated. In total, 5600 physiological observations, 1344 hematological observations, and 480 molecular samples were processed. The meteorological data revealed a high diurnal variation of temperature across seasons, with THI exceeding 80 during the months of summer and hot-humid seasons, indicating significant heat stress (HS). The physiological parameters showed an increasing trend with the incremental THI, with significantly (p 0.05) higher values of rectal temperature (RT), respiration rate (RR), pulse rate (PR), and body surface temperature (BST) at ventral (VT), lateral (LT), dorsal (DT), and frontal (FT), in both breeds recorded during HS. The hematological pictures also revealed significant (p 0.05) seasonal perturbations in erythrocytic and leucocytic parameters. Moreover, the molecular response was driven by a significant (p 0.05) upregulation of all the key HSPs, HSP70, HSP90, HSP60, and HSP40, except HSP27 during the hotter months of summer and hot-humid seasons. The expression of HSF1, an important transcriptional regulator of HSP70 was also significantly (p 0.05) upregulated during summer season in both breeds. All the molecular chaperones revealed a significant upregulation during the summer season, followed by a decreasing trend by hot-humid season. The study indicated a well-developed thermotolerance mechanism in animals of both breeds, with Kankrej cows exhibiting better thermotolerance compared to Sahiwal cows.

The present study was aimed to assess genetic variation among rice germplasm lines employing a multivariate biometrical approach, viz., Principal Component Analysis. Analysis of variance as per Augmented Block Design indicated the presence of sufficient genetic variation among rice germplasm lines, while estimates of components of variation revealed a maximum contribution of genotypic variance to the phenotypic variance, suggesting its exploitation through selection and hybridization. Simultaneously, correlation estimates revealed a significant positive association of grain yield with panicle length, 1000 grain weight and grain length indicating suitability of these traits for indirect selection. D2 statistics grouped germplasm lines into sixteen clusters and among these cluster I consists of 67 germplasm lines forming the largest cluster followed by cluster III (26 lines), cluster II (18 lines), cluster IV (15 lines), cluster V (13 lines), cluster VI (5 lines), cluster VIII (3 lines), cluster VII and cluster IX (2 lines each), while clusters X, XI, XII, XIII, XIV, XV, XVI (1 line each). Inter cluster distances were found to be higher than intra cluster distances and the maximum inter cluster distance was observed between cluster IX and VI (73.47) followed by cluster IX and X (73.14). Principal component analysis transformed eleven interrelated variables into four major principal components having an eigen value of more than 1, thereby, indicating that these components are responsible for a higher magnitude of variance in the population (76.60 per cent). Among these principal components, the first component accounted for 32.80 per cent of the total variation while, the second, third and fourth components explained 18.50 per cent, 13.90 per cent and 11.40 per cent of total variation, respectively. Factor loadings of the principal components revealed that principal component 1 had high positive loadings for grain length, panicle length, length/breadth ratio, 1000 grain weight and plant height whereas, principal component 2 had high positive loadings for total number of tillers per plant and number of effective tillers per plant indicating that the first two principal factors can be collectively designated as yield attributing factors. Principal component 3 had high positive loadings for grain breadth, 1000 grain weight and plant height, whereas, principal component 4 had high positive loadings for 1000 grain weight, days to maturity and days to 50% flowering. PCA biplots revealed that germplasm lines viz., GPL-1, GPL-4, GPL-131, GPL-128, GPL-20, GPL-127, GPL-135, GPL-100, GPL-130 were found to be superior performers for desirable traits and can be used as parents in hybridization programme.

Natural surfactants have gained importance as the usage of synthetic surfactants shows economical aspects, health, and environmental effect. This study examined the anti-microbial activity of safflower seed waste (Ssw) isolated surfactant against dandruff-causing Malassezia furfur and skin diseases causing bacterial strains. Saponin was the major component and non-ionic surfactants derived from plants, which have a special molecular structure with hydrophilic glycoside backbone and lipophilic triterpene derivative. The antimicrobial activity of isolated surfactants was confirmed by the MIC and kill-time assays. Our results showed that the isolated saponin may interact with the cell wall and membrane first and destroy the cell wall and membranes, which finally results in bacterial death. Besides, isolated saponin penetrates the cytoplasmic membrane or enters inside the cell after the destruction of cell structure, and then inhibits the normal synthesis of DNA and proteins that are required for bacterial growth. These results suggested that the effects of the Ssw isolated saponin on the growth inhibition of selected bacterial strains may be at the molecular level rather than only physical damage. Extraction of Biosurfactant (saponin) from Safflower seed waste and its antimicrobial activity.

Context: Bihar aims to achieve a maternal mortality ratio (MMR) of less than 70 per 1, 00, 000 live births, towards achieving its Sustainable Development Goal. The same can be achieved through robust monitoring of the health programs in the state. The present study critically analyses the use of a mobile-based reporting system on achieving the SDG for the state. Aims: The study aims to assess the use of mobile phone-based reporting systems for Sustainable Development Goals. Thus, establishing the usefulness of a mobile-based reporting system. The study also explores the cost of running the project. Settings and Design: It is a quasi-experimental design. The study was conducted with Front Line Workers (FLW -Accredited Social Health Activist & Auxiliary Nurse Midwife) of two intervention blocks in the Saharsa District of Bihar. The two blocks were using mobile phones for reporting RMNCHA services. A total of 109 FLWs were contacted in Jul 2017. Methods and Material: Quantitative methods were used in the study. Two tools were administered to the respondents at the facility level. Statistical Analysis Used: The study compares the increase in the utilization of health care services from FY 13-14 to FY 16-17. The case is defined as the block in which the front-line workers use mobile phones for reporting and control is where the reporting is through paper-based mode. To arrive at a net difference, the study used the difference in a different technique to analyse the data. Data were obtained from the government reporting system. To corroborate the results, the mean values were calculated, by dividing the blocks of the district into two groups case and control. The step-down costing of the project was performed to arrive at the unit cost of implementation.

Acinetobacter baumannii forms robust biofilms, which aid protection against antimicrobials and account for adaptation in hospital settings. Biofilm formation by A. baumannii has worsens the scenario of drug resistance. Therefore, new strategies are required to tackle biofilm-forming multidrug-resistant A. baumannii. The present study investigated compounds with antimicrobials and antibiofilm properties against A. baumannii. Different antimicrobials were selected from available reports. Initially, comparative antimicrobial activity against A. baumannii isolates was assessed. Most potent antimicrobial compounds were further analyzed for time-kill kinetics, biofilm inhibition, and exopolysaccharide (EPS) reduction in their presence and absence. The antibiofilm potentials were also confirmed with SEM analysis. The relative gene expression of the csuE gene and molecular docking was carried out to investigate the molecular mechanism of mature biofilm disruption. The results demonstrated eugenol and geraniol as the most potent inhibitors with MICs of 6.08 mM and 3.24 mM, respectively, with the potential to significantly inhibit growth and EPS production. Complete inhibition of A. baumannii mature biofilms was observed with a maximum of 60.89 mM and 129.6 mM concentrations of eugenol and geraniol, respectively. The SEM analysis and lower expression of the csuE gene showed the effectiveness of potent antibiofilm agents. In-silico docking showed efficient binding of eugenol and geraniol with the csuE protein of archaic pilus. The findings of molecular docking concordant the assumption that these molecules may prevent the assembly of mature pilus, which results in abolished biofilms. In conclusion, the antibiofilm virtues of eugenol and geraniol were elucidated to be used in the future to control the persistence of biofilm-forming drug-resistant A. baumannii.

Euryale ferox (also known as foxnut), belongs to the family Nymphaeaceae. It is mainly grown in India, China, Japan, and Korea. It is a highly nutritious food, abundant in nutritional and bioactive compounds such as carbohydrates, protein, fiber, vitamins, minerals, and polyphenols. It is considered a functional food owing to its various health benefits such as antidiabetic, antihyperlipidemic, antifatigue, hepatoprotective, cardioprotective, antimelanogenic, etc. E. ferox has immense potential in both food and non-food industries. Regardless of being recognized as a superfood packed with nutritional as well as medicinal properties, it is still neglected, and there has not been much attention given to its cultivation. Therefore, in this review, the potential of E. ferox as a superfood has been explored to enhance its utilization in the development of different foods and make it available outside its growing area. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Euryale ferox is abundant in several macronutrients and micronutrients; and considered as a superfood in terms of various health benefits. E. ferox has the ability to be used in the development of different health, functional, and nutraceutical foods, which will open a new door for the food industry to combat with numerous diseases.

Dissipative particle dynamics (DPD) simulations has been performed to study the phase transition of a mixture of cationic and anionic surfactants in an aqueous solution as a function of the total concentration in water and the relative ratio of surfactants. The impact of the relative difference between the tail lengths of the cationic and anionic surfactants on the phase diagram has been simulated by tuning the number of DPD beads in the simulation model. This research also discusses the impact of the frequently used values of the parameters associated with the harmonic bonds among the bonded DPD beads on the obtained self-assemblies. We find remarkable differences in the resultant self-assemblies based on different choices of harmonic bond parameters. The performed simulations show an enhanced spectrum of self-assemblies with augmented tail lengths and disparate harmonic bond parameters. The obtained self-assemblies are quite unique and can potentially be used in the future for various applications. We also compare the simulation results of the vesicle structures obtained by modeling the electrostatic interaction in the simulation among the charged beads by explicitly introducing charges with a long-range interaction with those obtained by tuning the implicit electrostatic interaction without the long-range interaction. The effects of the chain length of the model and the harmonic bond parameters on the internal density of DPD beads and stress profiles within the vesicles are examined closely. These results are a significant contribution to understanding the stability of the phases and tailoring of the desired vesicles.

Study background: Traditional fermented foods are the source of probiotic bacteria which can be envisaged as formulation ingredients in various food and beverages. Scope and approach: The present research aimed to explore one of the Indian traditional recipes, “Tarvaani,” for nutritional and probiotic potential as a part of its healthy perspectives. Main findings and conclusion: The traditional recipe was found to contain the lactic acid bacteria and isolated. The isolated product showed prominent curdling activity after 48 h, and bacterial growth was seen in all the pH (pH 3–7) tested. The antibiotic susceptibility test found that streptomycin, vancomycin, and kanamycin were resistant to the bacterial culture, and imipenem, gentamycin, rifampicin, and tetracycline were found to be resistant susceptible to the bacterial culture according to zone diameter interpretative criteria given in ICMR SOP 2015. A clear halo zone around the tested colony was obtained in the amylase test, which indicated that starch was degraded and α-amylase was produced. The culture also showed prominent antimicrobial action and inhibited the growth of the pathogenic strains tested by a well-diffusion assay. Moreover, the isolates only showed no haemolysis activity after incubation at 30 ◦C for 24 h under anaerobic conditions. Overall, the present research findings showcase the nutritional and probiotic potential of Lactobacillus sp. of “Tarvaani” as a viable option as a formulation ingredient in traditional-based functional foods Universidade de Vigo/CISUG

The internet has given us access to vast amounts of information and enabled us to communicate globally. However, posting uncensored comments on internet has raised several concerns. Cyberbullying, provoking and pestering are some of the growing issues on social media. People try to belittle others on public forums for fun. There is no suitable and scalable way to establish the authenticity and reliability of information and users. In this paper, we propose Cyberbullying Profile Identification System (CbPIS), to identify bullying profile involved in cyberbullying. In the proposed work, we first evaluate and compare existing state-of-the-art machine learning and deep learning techniques, then select the suitable technique for the system development. Moreover, CbPIS takes Users’ feedback for validation purpose and based on the feedback, if needed, CbPIS retrains itself to improve the predictions. Experimental results show that CbPIS with user feedback gives effective results.

Acinetobacter baumannii is one of the clinically important nosocomial pathogen that has become resistant to most of the conventional antimicrobials. Biofilms formed by A. baumannii are difficult to eradicate, thereby highlighting the need for new therapeutic options to treat biofilm associated infections. Antimicrobial peptides have recently emerged as new alternatives to conventional antibiotics, but peptides often suffer with drawbacks such as poor proteolytic stability and high cost of production. To tackle these limitations, mimetics based on antimicrobial peptides are usually designed and synthesized. In this study we have designed and synthesized a peptoid based on a minimum amphipathic template of a twelve residue cationic peptide. Antimicrobial evaluation of peptide and peptoid was carried out against biofilm producing A. baumannii strains. Further, proteolytic stability study of these compounds was carried out in human serum and morphological alterations caused by them on A. baumannii were visualized by SEM analysis. In addition, these compounds were found to be non toxic to human erythrocytes at their minimum inhibitory concentrations against A. baumannii strains. Overall results obtained in this study suggest that these compounds might be potential antimicrobial agents against biofilm forming A. baumannii and it may be postulated that their mode of action on A. baumannii is disruption of bacterial cell membrane.

The present study deals with the extraction of sterol-rich compounds and characterization of their nanoparticles from the leaf explant of Chenopodium album L. followed by their anti-acne microbial activity by disk diffusion method. The presence of sterol-rich compounds in the extracted leaf samples was confirmed by the thin-layer chromatography (TLC) followed by further characterization by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) on the basis of their peaks compared with stigmasterol (standard). FTIR has revealed alcohol (R–OH), alkane (R–C) and alkene (R=C) groups in the leaf sample. The silver nanoparticles of extracted leaf samples were synthesized and characterized by double-beam UV spectrophotometer (characteristics peak at 421 nm), FTIR spectroscopy (depicted capping of the nanoparticles by the sample extract), Zeta-sizer and Zeta-potential (81 nm, − 32.5 mv), and their particle size was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy, i.e., 39–43 nm. Comparatively extracted leaf sterol compounds and their green nanoparticles exhibited in vitro anti-acne activity. Crude sterol sample responded better (42 mm) than its nanoparticles (32 mm) showing inhibition zone against acne-causing microbes. Various concentrations with enhanced activity are under optimization process. This preliminary study has exhibited its anti-acne potential, which could be used in therapies and cosmetic applications in future.

The wide acceptance of Underwater Wireless Sensor Network (UWSN) comes from its high stature in underwater marine life monitoring, communication, ocean data collection and sampling, and civil and military operations. However, UWSNs are deployed in the 3-D environment, which introduces new deployment challenges, connectivity, coverage and mobility. UWSN is having many imperative deployment approaches designed for ground-based sensor networks, out of many cannot be directly applicable in the UWSN because of its inimitable 3-D physiognomies. Underwater networks are positioned in the 3-D environment, which certainly conveys new encounters, such as, sensor node mobility produced by water currents and lengthy communication delay. This paper aims to analyse the different node deployment strategies to present sensor node deployment complexity. This paper also focuses on a detailed literature survey about node deployment, concerns, or issues during the deployment and performance evaluation of the different node deployment algorithms.

Waste-to-energy technologies promise to displace organic waste, including wastewater, livestock, and food waste, for energy use while the global population has risen and more countries have industrialized, and the amount of waste that is disposed of or released for environmental use has steadily increased over the last century. Growing demand for fossil fuels worldwide is harmful to human health and leads to the emission of greenhouse gases. Food waste is easily spread around the world without the use of landfills or incinerators. Nonetheless, this food waste is rich in many nutrients and can be altered to value-added possessions, such as biofuels, using suitable technology. Around the similar period, the growing waste production, combined with increasing population besides existing standards, is a universal challenge for waste managing arrangements. Bioethanol is important for economic and environmental applications in the automotive, beverage, pharmaceutical, and other industries. Biological ethanol processing has been carried out using cellulose materials such as cocoa, pineapple and sugarcane waste, coffee husk, and lactose/cheese/whey hydrolyzed strains. However, such waste may also contain naturally occurring pollutants which may adversely affect the soil or water in which it is deposited.

Cellulose is an abundant natural biopolymer found on earth as a major component of the plant’s cell wall. Microbial cells can digest hemicellulose, cellulose, and lignin by secreting various hydrolytic and oxidative enzymes. Microorganisms such as actinomycetes, aerobic bacteria, yeasts, and fungi produce cellulase, which breaks down cellulose by hydrolyzing β-1,4-glycoside compounds. Like anaerobic bacteria, aerobic bacteria lack the ability to effectively penetrate into the cellulosic material, contributing to the development of complex cellulosic systems called cellulosomes (multienzyme complexes formed by many cellulolytic microorganisms). Microbial cells have wide applications in diverse fields, constituting a wide class of industrial enzymes. Improving the economies of such processes would result in a cost reduction in the development of cellulase that can be achieved through better bioprocesses and better genetic improvement to yield more of the enzymes. Knowing the significance of cellulase in this chapter is an overview of the spectrum of cellulolytic microbes from around the world.

The existence of enzyme was reported since half of nineteenth century and was broadly used in various industrial processes. Due to its specific nature, it finds numerous applications in various fields. In the field of industrial enzymology, enzyme role in various processes in textile industry is swiftly growing on a huge scale. In textiles, they have been much preferred due to its biodegradable nature, non-toxicity and environment-friendliness. Degradation of lignin, degradation of hydrogen peroxides and bleaching textiles are the main focus areas in the textile industry that are enzyme-induced process. Popular and most frequently used biocatalyst in the textile industry is amylases, peroxidase, and catalase. Enzymes (biocatalysts) are budding in a huge way in the field of textile. There still is significant prospective for innovative and enhanced enzymes applications in potential textiles. The current review focuses the role of various enzymes and their applications in the fields of textiles.

An underwater wireless sensor network (UWSN) is a group of spatially distributed sensors for monitoring the physical changes of underwater environment and organize the measured data at a base station. Out of many big challenges in this field, network protocol design is of great concern due to the idiosyncratic nature of underwater environment. As underwater sensor networks are very much distinct in nature from terrestrial network so as the challenges, some of the major issues of concern in underwater environment are long propagation delay, available bandwidth, error rate, restricted battery power, movement of sensor nodes, etc. Because of all these issues and challenges, the routing protocols for terrestrial network can't be implemented in UWSNs. Hence, there is demand for new and different routing protocols for UWSNs. In this chapter, an overall survey of various routing protocols along with pros and cons are explained with challenges for designing new routing protocols for vast and enormous UWSNs.

Breakfast consumption is of utmost importance for adolescents to attain nutritional adequacy. The association of breakfast skipping with overall nutritional status has been supported with little causal evidences. Therefore, the present investigation was undertaken to examine this conjecture. A total of 500 adolescent girls from rural and urban government schools of Ludhiana District in the Punjab State of India in the age group of 16-18 years were randomly interviewed to assess their breakfast consumption pattern. Based on their breakfast consumption pattern, 90 subjects out of 500 interviewed girls were selected and categorized in three groups of regular, occasional, and never breakfast consumers. They were further assessed for body composition and hematological profile including hemoglobin level, red blood cell count, packed cell volume to evaluate the association with breakfast consumption. Consequently, a higher percentage of regular breakfast (83%) consumers were found in the normal category of BMI as compared to occasional (30%) and never (27%) consumers. There was a significant (p ≤ 0.05) association of body mass index and muscle mass with breakfast consumption. Similarly, a higher percentage of regular breakfast consumers (60%) were found non-anemic in comparison to occasional (13%) and never (3%) and showed a significant association with breakfast consumption.

Dissipative particle dynamics (DPD) simulations are performed to study the phase transition of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) in aqueous solution, which is an anionic surfactant commonly known as sodium dodecyl sulfate. In this work, the aim is to find a coarse-grained minimal model suitable to produce the full phase diagram of SDS. We examine the coarse-grained models of SDS, which have been used in earlier computational studies to produce the phases as well as for finding the critical micelle concentration (CMC) of SDS. We contrast the results based on these models with the experimental observations to assess their accuracy. Our research also takes into account the importance of sodium ions, which come from the partial dissociation of SDS, when dissolved in water. The effect of sodium ion has not been considered explicitly in the computational work done so far using dissipative particle dynamics. In light of the above explorations, we propose new models for SDS and demonstrate that they successfully produce a compendious SDS phase diagram, which can precisely overlay the experimental results.

Agricultural and lignocellulosic residues are abundantly available biomass substrates that are considerable sources for biofuel fermentation. Gasification and enzymatic hydrolysis are the primary technologies used to convert lignocellulosic biomass into products used to produce biofuels as a sustainable source of energy for fuel transport. Based on the potential of biofuel to also contribute to the fulfillment of environmental protection legislation for cleaner environments, the demand for biofuel is growing daily. In metabolic engineering, bacterial and yeast strains have been constructed and modified to enhance qualities that are advantageous for biofuel production using lignocellulose sugar substrates. The prospects discussed in this chapter are biofuel fermentation scale-up, including in particular biomass resources, microorganisms and technology; and the hydrolysis of lignocellulosic materials using enzymes, in which immobilization of the microorganism in large systems and simultaneous saccharification and fermentation processes are carried out.