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The hollyhock plants exhibiting typical symptoms produced by begomovirus were collected and subjected to PCR analysis using specific primers to amplify viral DNA. PCR amplification and whole genome sequencing indicated the involvement of a DNA virus in hollyhock infection. The full-length genome of the virus infecting hollyhock has shown maximum nucleotide (nt) identity of 91% with Tomato leaf curl virus(ToLCV) (KP178730 and AY754812) infecting tomato in India. As per the presently applicable classification for DNA viruses (91% nt identity), the virus infecting hollyhock is a strain of ToLCV. The betasatellite associated with hollyhock leaf curl disease showed maximum nt identity of 88.4–88.9% with Cotton leaf curl Bangalore betasatellite(CLCuBaB) infecting cotton and okra in south India. Further recombination analysis showed that the genome fragments of the virus infecting hollyhock has been derived from already prevailing begomoviruses infecting diverse crops resulting in the evolution of recombinant virus. This is the first report of ToLCV infection in Hollyhock.

Most of the existing motor imagery (MI)-based brain-computer interface (BCI) systems operate in synchronous to the system-generated time slots. But in real-world applications, users want to control the interface asynchronously at their own convenience. The main challenge in such asynchronous BCIs lies in the detection of relax period. In this study, sparse representation-based classification (SRC) scheme is proposed for asynchronous BCI systems. The dictionary needed for the SRC scheme is learned from the extracted EEG features using the K-SVD algorithm. The proposed framework is evaluated on two benchmark datasets from BCI competitions III and IV. The results showed the SRC's detection ability to relax states and to MI states, which is better than the detection ability of the well-known linear discriminant analysis classification method. The betterment of the proposed scheme is also shown in terms of accuracy while classifying the left-hand MI, right-hand MI, and the relaxed state.

This article presents the electrothermal runaway characteristics of an extruded high voltage direct current (HVDC) cable in the presence of eccentricity, i.e., a misalignment in the axes of cable conductor and insulation, which is practically unavoidable in extruded cables. In particular, eccentricity in dc case assumes importance due to nonlinear, temperature (or load current)-dependent field dynamics as compared to alternating current (ac) case. The effect of eccentricity on electrothermal breakdown has not received adequate attention till now. In this work, the authors simulate the runaway in an HVDC cable and investigate the impact of eccentricity under different scenarios, such as short-time and long-time instability, using a comprehensive finite element method (FEM) model. The results show a drastic shift in phenomenon from traditional global thermal breakdown to local thermal breakdown due to eccentricity in power cables. The results are validated with analytical computations.

Coefficient of elastic uniform compression (Cu) of soil, used in the determination of soil spring stiffness for design of foundations of industrial structures and structures subjected to dynamic loads, is generally determined from cyclic plate load tests. The values of Cudetermined with respect to test plate size are corrected for actual foundation size based on Barkan’s equation. However, no established shape factor is available from the literature for arriving at the value of Cuof circular footing from Cudetermined from plate load test results on square test plates. Hence, in the present work, the effect of shape of loading plate on Cuis studied in cohesionless and cohesive soils through small-scale cyclic load tests conducted in the laboratory using square and circular loading plates of same size. The results of study revealed that the value of coefficient of elastic uniform compression (Cu) of square test plate is about 0.85 and 1.2 times of Cuof circular plate in fine sand and cohesive soils, respectively.

Leaf samples of chrysanthemum plants showing typical begomovirus symptoms of mosaic, mottling and downward leaf curl were collected from famer’s field in Karnataka state of India. The begomovirus infection was confirmed by PCR using specific primers in twenty two infected chrysanthemum samples and no amplification was observed in twenty two healthy chrysanthemum samples. The partial begomovirus genome (1.2 kb) sequencing indicates, twenty two infected chrysanthemum samples are infected with begomovirus (tomato leaf curl New Delhi virus, ToLCNDV). Therefore one representative sample was selected for complete genome amplification using RCA method. The complete genome amplified was cloned and sequenced. The Species Demarcation Tool (SDT) analysis of full genome of ToLCNDV showed maximum nucleotide (nt) identity of 89.2–97.6% (DNA A) and 87.7–96.3% (DNA B) percent with ToLCNDV infecting cucurbits. Based begomoviruses species demarcation criteria (91% nucleotide sequence identity), the virus infecting chrysanthemum is considered as a strain of ToLCNDV. The betasatellite amplified from the begomovirus infected chrysanthemum showed maximum nt identity of 89% with Tomato leaf curl Bangladesh betasatellite (ToLCBDB) infecting papaya in India. Further, break point recombination analysis showed that genome and betasatellite of ToLCNDV infecting chrysanthemum is recombinant with already know begomoviruses. The whitefly cryptic species predominantly present in the begomovirus infected chrysanthemum fields was identified as Asia-II-5 group. The significance of these findings is discussed.

Western Ghats are considered as one of the global biodiversity hotspots. There is an information gap on conservation status of the biodiversity hotspots. This study has quantified estimates of deforestation in the Western Ghats over a period of past nine decades. The classified forest cover maps for 1920, 1975, 1985, 1995, 2005 and 2013 indicates 95,446 (73.1%), 63,123 (48.4%), 62,286 (47.7%), 61,551 (47.2%), 61,511 (47.1%) and 61,511 km2(47.1%) of the forest area, respectively. The rates of deforestation have been analyzed in different time phases, i.e., 1920–1975, 1975–1985, 1985–1995, 1995–2005 and 2005–2013. The grid cells of 1 km2have been generated for time series analysis and describing spatial changes in forests. The net rate of deforestation was found to be 0.75 during 1920–1975, 0.13 during 1975–1985, 0.12 during 1985–1995 and 0.01 during 1995–2005. Overall forest loss in Western Ghats was estimated as 33,579 km2(35.3% of the total forest) from 1920’s to 2013. Land use change analysis indicates highest transformation of forest to plantations, followed by agriculture and degradation to scrub. The dominant forest type is tropical semi-evergreen which comprises 21,678 km2(35.2%) of the total forest area of Western Ghats, followed by wet evergreen forest (30.6%), moist deciduous forest (24.8%) and dry deciduous forest (8.1%) in 2013. Even though it has the highest population density among the hotspots, there is no quantifiable net rate of deforestation from 2005 to 2013 which indicates increased measures of conservation.

In this issue of the magazine, we (Francesca Vipiana and CJ Reddy) “sat down” (virtually) with Prof. Konstantina (Nantia) S. Nikita, M.Eng., M.D., Ph.D., who is currently serving as the editor in chief of IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation. Prof. Nikita gave the keynote talk at the Women in Engineering and Radio Science Reception during the IEEE International Symposium on Antennas and Propagation and USNC-URSI Radio Science Meeting, from 23 to 28 July 2023, in Portland, OR, USA, on the topic of building divergent career paths based on convergence principles. Our interview is based on her talk at the event so her inspiring story can reach a wider audience.

Young Professionals (YPs) of the IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society (AP-S) are excited to announce that the AP-S won the prestigious 2023 IEEE Young Professionals Hall of Fame award from IEEE YPs. This award is meant to recognize active and inspiring YPs affinity groups and Society groups worldwide, based on their activities [1]. As the winner of the award, the AP-S received a plaque (Figure 1) and US${\$}$500 cash prize designated for future activities. AP-S YPs were recognized for this achievement at the IEEE Student Activities Committee (SAC)/YPs/Women in Engineering (WIE) Joint Meeting on 15–17 March 2024, in Lisbon, Portugal, in the presence of Saifur Rahman, 2023 IEEE president and chief executive officer; Fred Schindler, IEEE vice president of technical activities; Antonio Luque, chair-elect/vice president-elect, IEEE Member and Geographic Activities Board; and Hasala Dharmawardena, chair, IEEE YPs (Figure 2).

Beet root plant exhibiting different kinds of symptoms were collected from two locations of Karnataka State (India). The presence of causal agent in the infected samples was assayed by PCR using begomovirus specific primers. The partial genome amplification from the ten infected beet root samples was cloned and sequenced. The Sequence Demarcation Tool (SDT) analysis revealed that infected beet root samples were closely related (> 95% nucleotide identity) to tomato leaf curl Kerala virus (ToLCKeV) reported from Pakistan. A comparison of complete genomes (DNA-A) of the five representatives ((BR1, BR2, BR3, BR4 and BR5) isolates infecting beet root revealed that more than 97% nt identity with ToLCKeV. Further full-length genome sequence of DNA satellite shared highest nucleotide (nt) identity of 98.5% with papaya leaf curl betasatellite (PaLCuB). This is the first record of ToLCKeV and PaLCuB associated with yellow vein mosaic disease of beet root plant from India.

The marine red alga Phycocalidia vietnamensiswith healthy thalli (HT) at a mature stage, moderately bleached thalli (MBT) at 5 weeks post-maturity, and fully bleached thalli (FBT) at 7 weeks post-maturity were collected from wild stocks. All samples were analyzed for biochemical such as pigments (R-phycoerythrin (R-PE), R-phycocyanin (R-PC), and chlorophyll-a), total phenolic content (TPC), antioxidants (FRAP, DPPH), moisture, lipid, protein, and carbohydrate contents. Sulfated polysaccharides and cellulose were also extracted from all the samples. Results indicated a significant reduction in all the components studied except for moisture and carbohydrates in post-maturation MBT and FBT samples over the HT. The carbohydrate was found unaffected and got densified due to the loss of other components in the thallus. Polysaccharides and cellulose contents in FBT and MBT were significantly higher than in HT. The findings suggests that the biomass harvested from wild stock after 5 weeks from maturity (MBT) could be utilized for diet purposes, while the biomass harvested after 7 weeks from maturity (FBT) could be used for the extraction of sulfated polysaccharide and cellulose for various commercial applications. Thus, the harvesting of P. vietnamensisfrom natural stock in post-maturation stages could provide biomass for edible and commercial applications without negatively impacting the species diversity and population structure.

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