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Ajara Ghansal is a local rice landrace (Oryza sativa L.) from Kolhapur and has aromatic grains as well as good cooking grain quality. For the induction of mutations, two chemical mutagens Ethyl methanesulphonate (EMS) and Sodium Azide (SA) and one physical (gamma rays) radiation were used with three different concentrations and doses, respectively. For each treatment, 500 seeds were used. In M1 generation, seed germination (%), lethality (%), chromosomal abnormality (%), chlorophyll deficient sector (%), pollen sterility (%), and plant survival were determined. In M2 generation, observations on effectiveness, efficiency and mutation rate of all the three mutagens were calculated based on parameters like reduction in seedling height, lethality (%) and pollen sterility (%). The highest mutagenic effectiveness was observed in SA treatment whereas the highest mutagenic efficiency was observed in EMS treatment. The mutation rate of all the mutagens was calculated and the highest mutation rate in terms of effectiveness was reported in SA (3.57) while the highest mutation rate in terms of efficiency was observed in EMS (2.06) treatment. Among these three mutagenic treatments, EMS 0.8%, SA 0.006%, and gamma rays 200 Gy treatments are the most effective treatments to generate a useful genetic variation for the improvement of non-basmati aromatic landrace Ajara Ghansal.

The real-time information of enemy locations is capable to transform the outcome of combat operations. Such information gathered using connected soldiers on the Internet of Battlefield Things (IoBT) is highly beneficial to create situational awareness (SA) and to plan an effective war strategy. This article presents the novel enemy localization method that uses the soldier’s own locations and their gunshot direction. The hardware prototype has been developed that uses a triangulation for an enemy localization in two soldiers and a single enemy scenario. 4.24±1.77 m of average localization error and ±4° of gunshot direction error has been observed during this prototype testing. This basic model is further extended using three-stage software simulation for multiple soldiers and multiple enemy scenarios with the necessary assumptions. The effective algorithm has been proposed, which differentiates between the ghost and true predictions by analyzing the groups of subsequent shooting intents (i.e., frames). Four different complex scenarios are tested in the first stage of the simulation, around three to six frames are required for the accurate enemy localization in the relatively simple cases, and nine frames are required for the complex cases. The random error within ±4° in gunshot direction is included in the second stage of the simulation which required almost double the number of frames for similar four cases. As the number of frames increases, the accuracy of the proposed algorithm improves and better ghost point elimination is observed. In the third stage, two conventional clustering algorithms are implemented to validate the presented work. The comparative analysis shows that the proposed algorithm is faster, computationally simple, consistent, and reliable compared with others. Detailed analysis of hardware and software results for various scenarios has been discussed in this article.

Fog computing is a key solution for internet of things (IoT) applications, which demands operational security, real-time and power efficient intelligent responses, and low bandwidth usage. This paper introduces a novel idea related to an hardware implementation of High-performance classifiers for real-time and low power sensor data analytic on the intelligent edge gateway running on smart automobile. The high-performance classifiers uses an artificial neural network (ANN) to extract conclusive inferences from the raw automotive sensors information. The multiple classifiers are embedded into a re-configurable ANN hardware deign i.e. intellectual property core (IP core) which implemented and tested using field-programmable gate array fabric. In addition, this work studies the effect of the IP cores on the performance of the edge gateway. The implementation of fog/edge computing enables throughput reduction of 96.78% to 98.75% compared with the traditional gateway. The hardware design of the high-performance classifiers IP core requires only 31μ s and power consumption of 124mW for classification. The concept of re-configurable ANN model reduce about 41% to 93% of hardware resources requirement that contributing to reduced system power and cost.

The present study reports an optimized protocol for high frequency in vitro plant propagation through direct and indirect organogenesis, phytochemical accumulation, molecular profiling and antioxidant evaluation for micropropagated Swertia minor, a promising alternative to industrially important Swertia chirayita. Moreover, the study also aimed at enhancing the production of antidiabetic and anti-obesity drug swertiamarin using an alternative technology of elicitated cell suspension cultures. Different types, concentrations and combination of cytokinins and auxins showed their effects during various in vitro growth stages. A combination of BAP (3.0 mg/l) and TDZ (1.0 mg/l) had a dominant role in promoting multiple shoot proliferation with production of an average of 19.1 ± 0.95 shoots/node in 85% response. MS medium added with IBA (2.0 mg/l) showed optimal response for in vitro rooting (9.2 ± 0.56 roots/shoot). In order to establish genetic stability, molecular marker-based profiling of micropropagated plants were done and 'monomorphic banding pattern were identical to the mother plants. 2,4-D (2.0 mg/l) supported the maximum callus induction and proliferation rate (95%). The wild-grown plants showed higher polyphenols content and antioxidant activities as compared to callus and in vitro derived plantlets. However, chitosan-treated (25 ppm) methanolic extract of cell biomass accumulated in cell suspension cultures produced higher contents of swertiamarin (1.45 mg/g DW) than salicylic acid and methyl jasmonate. The described protocol can be effectively used for the large-scale propagation, exploitation of active compounds and will serve as potential alternative to S. chirayita for fulfillment of over-growing industrial requirements. The present investigation addressed in vitro regeneration, callus culture, somatic embryogenesis, molecular profiling, secondary metabolite production, cell suspension culture studies for first time in Swertia minor.

Medicinal importance of Embelia ribes Burm f. is known since ancient time. Its berries are the main ingredient in Vidanga’ or ‘Baibidanga’—a component of ayurvedic formulations and possess medicinal properties such as antihelmintic, anticancer, neuroprotective and antidiabetic. Studies were conducted on phytochemicals, antioxidant activities, extraction efficiency of embelin from ten genotypes. Methanolic extract of berries from Nagavelli accession exhibited the highest total phenolic content (18.18 ± 0.14 mg GAE/g DW); whereas, ethanolic extract showed highest total flavonoid content (8.35 ± 0.20 mg RE/g DW). The antioxidant activities (AOA) were assessed and noted that ethanolic and methanolic extracts of berries from Nagavelli (NAG) accession revealed highest activities in terms of DPPH radical scavenging activity (67.48 ± 0.17%) and FRAP (66.73 ± 0.60 mg Fe(II)/g DW), respectively. In AOA analysis, berries extracted with different solvents were positively correlated with TPC. Principal component analysis revealed TPC and TFC were the most influencing components for strong antioxidant activities in E. ribes. Reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) was used to quantify embelin content and its optimize extraction using various methods. In the preliminary studies, berries from NAG accession revealed highest (1.770%) embelin content. Further, berries from NAG accession were subjected to various extraction methods and found three fold increase (5.08%) in embelin content in microwave assisted extraction (90 s). Present study suggested that NAG accession found to be a promising source of natural antioxidants and embelin that can be used in pharmaceutical industries.

Crotalaria shrirangiana is described and illustrated as a new species in the present communication. The new species is found growing in northern Western Ghats ranges of Maharashtra. It is an erect, profusely branched under-shrub up to 1.5 m in height, with bright yellow flowers. It shows close affinities with Crotalaria juncea but is distinguished by details of its stem indumentum, shape and size of the leaves, inflorescence, bracts and bracteoles, shape and size of the flowers, standard petal, pod size and number of seeds per pod.

Gradually rising atmospheric temperature is the vital component of the environment, which is anticipated as the riskiest abiotic stress for crop growth. Nanotechnology revolutionizing the agricultural sectors, notably, zinc oxide nanoparticles (nano-ZnO) has captured intensive research interests due to their distinctive properties and numerous applications against abiotic stresses. Mungbean (

PURPOSE Kala Jirga and Ajara Ghansal are the non-basmati aromatic rice landraces having small grains and good cooking qualities. In spite of huge demand these landraces are cultivated in a few pockets of Kolhapur district of India due to micro-climate required for the development of aroma and grain quality. Both the varieties are late maturing (> 160 days), tall (> 140 cm) and highly susceptible to lodging which resulted into low productivity. To overcome these constraints, induced mutation was attempted to improve the traits in these important rice landraces. MATERIAL AND METHODS Seeds of two landraces were treated with three concentrations/doses of Ethyl methanesulphonate (EMS), Sodium Azide (SA) and Gamma (γ) rays. Putative mutants were identified and isolated in M2 generation for desirable traits by comparing with adjacent untreated control. Putative mutants were grown in three replications to test their breeding behavior and other economical traits in M3 generation. RESULTS In the present study, differential response of landraces toward mutagenic treatments was observed which resulted into greater number of putative mutants in Ajara Ghansal (56 putative mutants) as compared to Kala Jirga (24 putative mutants). EMS induced the highest mutation frequency followed by Gamma rays and SA. In M3 generation, fifteen and eighteen mutants of Kala Jirga and Ajara Ghansal respectively exhibited true breeding for mutant traits, while rest of the putative mutants had very poor agronomic traits or reverted back to their normal trait. Desirable mutants of both the landraces viz., dwarf, early, nonlodging and more tillers with high yield were very promising and can be released for commercial cultivation after multi-location testing or used in crossing program as a donor for desirable traits. CONCLUSIONS Induced mutations were found to be very useful to improve the specific defect present in both landraces. The desirable mutants with early maturity and high number of tillers may prove useful in the improvement of aromatic rice.

The study aimed to develop an efficient, rapid, and large-scale in vitro regeneration system for propagation, conservation, and restoration of an endemic and critically endangered herb, Ceropegia mohanramii. The cultures were established using nodal explants on Murashige and Skoog’s (MS) medium supplemented with 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP: 1.0 mg/l). Nodal buds cultured on MS medium supplemented with BAP (2.0 mg/l) along with indole-3-butyric acid (IBA, 0.5 mg/l) resulted with production of maximum number of shoots (17.1 ± 1.2) in hundred percent of the cultures. MS medium supplemented with BAP (2.0 mg/l) along with diverse concentrations of indole-3acetic acid (IAA) promoted the in vitro flowering. In vitro regenerated shoots were transferred to one-half MS medium fortified with singular supplementation of auxins, where IBA (1.5 mg/l) served optimal for production of maximum number of roots (5.7 ± 0.6). In vitro derived plantlets were hardened under controlled conditions in a glasshouse and subsequently transferred to soil. Over 1200 saplings were transplanted to eight different localities of the Western Ghats where over 76% survival is recorded after 1 year of transplantation.

Swertia is a diverse genus of herbs belonging to the family Gentianaceae and comprising roughly 170 species distributed throughout the world, but is most diverse in temperate and subtropical regions and in montane tropics. In Bhutan, China, India, Japan, and Nepal, some Swertia species are recognized for their anthelmintic, anti-inflammatory, activity, finding use in traditional medicine to treat malaria fever, liver diseases, gastric trouble, jaundice, diabetes, hepatitis, and other ailments. The aim of the present review is to provide updated and comprehensive information on the genus Swertia, for promotin the development and uses of such ethnomedical resources. Swertia species have been used in Indian traditional medical systems, the traditional Chinese system, and traditional Tibetan folk medicine for treating various ailments. In China, it has also been used as medicinal herbs for treating hepatitis, cholecystitis, pneumonia, osteomyelitis, dysentery, and scabies. Broad spectrums of phytochemicals such as xanthonoids, iridoids/secoiridoids, flavonoid, alkaloids, and terpenoids have been identified from Swertia spp. The crude extracts and isolated metabolites from Swertia spp. exhibited a wide range of in vitro and in vivo biological and pharmacological activities, including anticancer, anti-diabetic, antibacterial, antioxidant, anti-hepatitis, anthelmintic, anti-leishmanial, neuroprotective, anticonvulsant, anxiolytic, hepatoprotective, gastric emptying and gastrointestinal motility, inhibitors of 5α-reductase, β-glucuronidase inhibitory, anti-Benign prostatic hyperplasia and anti-mutagenic activities. The extensive literature survey reveals that Swertia species have been used for medicinal purpose in various parts of the world and there is significant traditional evidence of their uses. Additional research is required targeting individual ingredients responsible for the pharmacological effects, elucidating its mechanisms of action as well as safety and toxicological assessment.

Objective: The objective of the present study is to carry out fluorescence analysis, phytochemical, and antioxidant activities using different solvent extract in leaves and stem of Embelia ribes. Methods: In the present study, fluorescence analysis, phytochemical, and antioxidant activities of leaves and stem of E. ribes are carried out using standard procedures. Result: The fluorescence analysis under visible and ultraviolet light for leaves and stem powder of E. ribes treated with various chemical reagents shown different fluorescence effect. In the phytochemical analysis, the methanolic extract of leaves has shown the highest total alkaloid content (19.05±0.42 mg CE/g DW), followed by the stem. The methanolic extract of stem exhibited highest total phenolic content (59.82±2.98 mg GAE/g DW), and ethanolic extract showed highest total flavonoid content (10.05±0.36 mg RE/g DW), followed by leaves. The ethanolic extract of stem possesses highest antioxidant activity toward 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) (84.86±0.11%), whereas methanolic extract of stem reported highest FRAP activity (72.22±0.31 mg Fe+2E/g DW), followed by leaves. Antioxidant activities (DPPH and FRAP) were significantly correlated with TPC. Conclusion: The results of the present study revealed that the fluorescence analysis of leaves and stem of E. ribes can be helpful for the standardization and quality control of indigenous drug. Both leaves and stem serve as the good source of secondary metabolite and antioxidant agents.

Black gram (Vigna mungo (L.) Hepper) is a legume commonly used as proteinaceous food and forage. With the aim of improvement of black gram production and disease-resistant varieties, we initiated present investigation to select appropriate genome donor from crop wild relatives (CWRs) of Asian Vigna. In the present study, about 1163 interspecific crosses among black gram and wild Vigna species were attempted. The maximum crossability was recorded between black gram and its wild progenitor, V. silvestris (11.76%) and V. sahyadriana (9.18%). The F1 hybrids were also produced from crosses involving black gram and V. radiata, V. hainiana, V. sublobata, and V. stipulacea. The crosses among V. mungo × V. trilobata and V. mungo × V. trinervia var. trinervia showed the least crossability with an unfilled pod. We propose that this study will help in the selection of highly compatible Vigna species for black gram improvement program.

Vigna khandalensis (Santapau) Raghavan et Wadhwa, is an endemic legume belonging to subgenus Ceratotropis (Asian Vigna), genus Vigna of the family Fabaceae. It is commonly known as ‘Ranmung’, ‘Jungli mung’ or ‘Badamung’. V. khandalensis is sporadically distributed at high altitude areas in the Northern Western Ghats, India. It is an annual, erect, tall herb growing along roadsides, hilly slopes, pond sides and near human settlements. The legume seeds are utilized by human beings at the time of famine. Surprisingly, the plant remains neglected and underutilized although its high nutritional value. The scant information on V. khandalensis leads us to investigate this underexploited and underutilized legume as a food source for human. The present paper deals with geographical distribution, taxonomy, ecology, agro-morphological characterization, nutritional content and phytochemical analysis. The results obtained in the present investigation provide information on agro-morphological traits and nutritional potential of V. khandalensis. Furthermore, it is promoted as a legume ‘Crop for the Future’ for food security.

The lantern flowers (genus: Ceropegia L. — Apocynaceae) are among the most fascinating group of flowering plants which comprises of over 200 species of herbs and climbers. Although most of the species have appreciable importance as a source of edible tubers, ornamental flowers and implications in folk medicine, the conventional propagation techniques limit the mass propagation and their commercialization. Plant tissue culture and other biotechnological tools proved their importance in breeding and large-scale propagation of lantern flowers. In recent past, numerous in vitro regeneration approaches for micropropagation and conservation have been established for lantern flowers. Molecular markers represent powerful tools for constructing phylogenetics, taxonomic confirmations and reconsiderations of lantern flowers. Moreover, molecular markers are routinely used for ascertaining genetic integrity among the micropropagated clones of lantern flowers. This review provides comprehensive information on the biotechnological interventions for propagation, conservation, and improvement of lantern flowers. Protocols for various in vitro regeneration approaches, genetic composition, genetic fidelity analysis and in vitro secondary metabolite production are compared and optimized results are highlighted.

The seed coat morphology was studied using scanning electron microscopy in 21 species (of which two are both cultivated and wild) of subgenus Ceratotropis (Piper) Verdc. and one species each from subgenus Plectotropis and subgenus Vigna of genus Vigna. The macromorphological and micromorphological seed characters, which include seed shape, testa texture, hilum, aril, testa pattern and ornamentation of periclinal wall, exhibited well-defined variability among the studied taxa. The smallest seeds were recognized in Vigna subramaniana (1.97 × 1.91 mm) and the largest in Vigna unguiculata (7.02 × 4.45 mm). The smallest hilum was observed in Vigna subramaniana (0.50 ± 0.01 mm) and the largest in Vigna umbellata (3.57 ± 0.05 mm). Novel morphological features such as reticulate, reticulate-foveate, alveolate, colliculate-pusticulate, substriate, ruminate-reticulate and ruminate-channelled reticulations of periclinal wall of the testa cell and hilum structure were observed in addition to those reported in...

Present work investigated an efficient method for extraction of swertiamarin and mangiferin from different species of genus Swertia . Various extraction methods like static extraction (SE), continuous shaking extraction (CSE), and ultrasonic extraction (USE) were evaluated for increasing recovery percentage of swertiamarin and mangiferin. The quantification was done using reversed phase-ultra flow liquid chromatographic (RP-UFLC) method at 238 nm (swertiamarin) and 257 nm (mangiferin) wavelength. The results revealed that the percentage extraction of swertiamarin and mangiferin from different species of Swertia by SE was more proficient. Three time intervals were optimized by SE and it was observed that the 24 h extraction gave the maximum recovery in S. chirayita of swertiamarin (256.98 mg/g) and mangiferin (155.76 ± 7.78 mg/g). S. minor remarkably best match for S. chirayita as per phytochemical fingerprint using swertiamarin and mangiferin is concerned, suggesting an alternative for chirayita.

The wearable technology carries sufficient potential to incorporate smartness into working of the military workforces like the Military Control Unit, Medical Responders, Backup Unit and War Strategist. The proposed work focuses on real-time soldier activity detection, which is essential for the operation of the smart military suit. The customized Artificial Neural Network (ANN) IP core is developed for the soldier activity classification, which is an integral component of suit gateway design. The multilayer perceptron (7-5-4) classification algorithm is implemented on the low-cost (99$) FPGA evaluation platform by using Xilinx vivado and system generator development tools. The training (70%) and testing (30%) of this ANN design is performed on the UCI human activity dataset. The LabVIEW GUI and IP test design completed the hardware testing of this IP. The presented ANN IP is able to achieve 98.5% classification accuracy by utilizing minimal FPGA (Artix-7 xc7a35t) resources. The implemented ANN design requires only 285 nanoseconds for a classification and consumes 103 milliwatts of dynamic power. The system’s accuracy at different development levels is also studied in this work.

The present study aimed to investigate phytochemical composition, antioxidant potential and quantification of anticancer, hepatoprotective and antidiabetic compounds using RP-UFLC from eight Swertia species. Extracts were obtained and evaluated for total phenolics; flavonoids as well as antioxidant properties were assessed by DPPH and FRAP assays. Identification and quantification of active components from different extracts obtained were performed by using RP-UFLC. Total phenolic content among the Swertia species ranged from 08.84 to 32.77 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/g whereas total flavonoid content varied within range of 03.66–27.01 mg rutin equivalent (RE)/g plant material in different solvent extracts. DPPH activity, ranging from 20.67 to 91.85 percent radical scavenging activity (% RSA), whereas FRAP activity ranging from 00.98 to 04.34 mg Ascorbic acid Equivalent Antioxidant Capacity (AEAC)/g plant material in different solvent extracts. The varied range of content of active components was observed (Swertiamarin 3.18–130.53 mg/g, Betulinic Acid 0.63–1.93 mg/g, Oleanolic acid 1.09–21.80 mg/g and ursolic acid 0.39–10.57 mg/g). Hierarchical multivariate cluster analysis study divided eight species into seven clusters with two major clades with similarity ranging from 57.83 to 97.22% on the basis of TPC, TFC and antioxidant activity while dendrogram obtained from UFLC analyses had one major clade at 35.31% with six species separated from remaining two forming other clade with 35.31%–97.22% similarity. Depending on higher phytochemical content study represent S. chirayita to be the superior candidate among the all other species, contributing to higher DPPH and FRAP antioxidant activities with higher swertiamarin content.

In the ever changing world where every day new IPs and chips are designed with less time to market, creating a very robust verification mechanism within a short duration is a big need of fast growing VLSI industry. With the advent of a standardized signal bus architecture used for interconnection of various modules of a system, system-on-a-Chip (SoC) design became the major integrated methodology for minimizing the design time of complete system. Now how to verify these on chip bus protocols is one of the grave challenges at hand, also traditional methods are inefficient for verifying large SoC. In this paper we have built a verification environment for AXI protocol using System Verilog (SV) where we had verified AMBA AXI Protocol achieving successful Write and Read Operations for incrementing burst feature with a saleable test bench architecture.

Genus Swertia is valued for its great medicinal potential; mainly Swertia chirayita (Roxb. ex Fleming) H. Karst. is used in traditional medicine for a wide range of diseases. Seco-iridoid glycosides like swertiamarin is referred with enormous pharmacological potentials. The aim of the study was to identify a suitable substitute to S. chirayita by quantifying seco-iridoid swertiamarin from five different Swertia species endemic to the Western Ghats. The reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography diode array detector analyses were performed and chromatographic separation was achieved on a Lichrospher 100, C18e (5 µm) column (250-4.6 mm). A mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile and water (25:75) was used for separation. Results indicated that the concentration of the marker compound has been found to vary largely between and within the species from different localities. The content of swertiamarin was the highest in S. chirayita compared to the other species studied herein, advocating the use of Swertia minor as an alternate source to S. chirayita.

Swertia is ethno-medicinally an important genus belonging to family Gentianaceae. Swertia chirayita is used as imperative medicinal plant in Indian system of medicine. However, this species has been frequently adulterated due to its high demand and scarcity. Authentication of this species was needed to protect consumers and conservation measures and to find out the alternative source. Deoxyribose nucleic acid (DNA) extracted from fifteen samples of six species belonging to different localities, were used as templates. Four candidate barcodes were amplified by polymerase chain reaction and sequence analysis was executed by Z-Big Dye Terminator Cycle Sequencing v.3. Sequenced products were analyzed on automated applied biosystems 3730XI analyzer. Identification was performed by using molecular evolutionary genetics analysis 5 software (version 5.1). The amplification efficiency of all DNA barcodes [megakaryocyte-associated tyrosine kinase (matK), ribulose-bisphosphate carboxylase (rbcL), photosystem II protein D1- stuctural RNA- His tRNA (psbA-trnH) and internal transcribed spacer region (ITS)] was 100 %. Here, the highest interspecific divergence provided by ITS is 11.87 % and intraspecific by psbA-trnH being 10.22 % as compared to matK (5.04 %) and rbcL (0.99 %). ITS region proves robust molecular marker for differing the S. chirayita from its related adulterant species. All barcoding regions indicate that S. chirayita and S. minor both are more closely related than other Swertia species. Findings showed that DNA barcoding is an efficient tool for identification and authentication of S. chirayita. Use of S. minor as substitute to S. chirayita can be advocated.

An in vitro micropropagation system has been developed for the Ceropegia anjanerica Malpure et al., a rare endemic plant species having ornamental as well as medicinal potential but a limited reproductive capacity. Axillary bud explants were cultured on Murashige and Skoog medium supplemented with 6-Benzylaminopurine, Thidiazuron and 6-Furfurylaminopurine along with combination of Indole-3-Butyric Acid. Although all concentrations showed multiple shoot formation, the best results (8.0 ± 0.5) were achieved with MS + 6-Benzylaminopurine (8.87 µM) + 6-Furfurylaminopurine (18.58 µM). Half strength Murashige and Skoog medium fortified with Indole-3-Acetic Acid (8.56 µM) showed good rooting response (4.0 ± 0.7). Well grown plantlets hardened, acclimatized and established in greenhouse exhibited 78 % survival.

Lightning location information plays a significant role in proper and safe working of Power utility staff, Air traffic managers, etc. To capture the location of lightning strokes, Lightning Detection Networks (LDN) are widely used. LDN comprises of several such sensor nodes distributed in a certain geographical area which captures lightning signals. The single sensor node system consists of the antenna, analog circuit front end, and digital back end. These sensor nodes then transmit lightning data in real time to central lightning location system (CLLS) which calculates the exact location of the lightning stroke. We have designed and implement cost effective digital back-end system for a sensor node which digitizes analog signals and performs some signal processing in the digital domain before sending the data to CLLS. Analog front-end receives and amplifies lightning very low frequency signal (VLF) signals, then presented digital system samples the analog signals at a rate of 1 Mega samples per second. This is followed by digital filtering and digital down conversion; after which the data samples are time-stamped with the corresponding real time (UTC time) then this data is sent to CLLS by UART link. This digital design has been simulated and implemented on the Xilinx Spartan 6 series lx9csg324 FPGA board. Presented digital system has been tested on LabVIEW GUI and Xilinx ChipScope pro analyzer and received signals spectrogram has been calculated. The Proposed work of sensor node back-end is carried out for the development of the North-East Indian LDN system with resource efficiency and has real-time features.

The seed coat polymorphism of 50 accessions representing five species of Vigna section Aconitifoliae (subgenus Ceratotropis) was investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) in order to evaluate the interspecific and intraspecific variations of various morphoanatomical seed traits. Seed shape, hilum structure aril and testa pattern were examined. The seed coat pattern was found to be a significant character for species delimitation. The testa cell size and ornamentation showed distinctive intra- and interspecific variations across the examined species. The results revealed that the wild accessions of V. aconitifolia (I-aco and II-aco), V. indica (I-ind and II-ind), V. stipulacea (I-sti, I-sti, II-sti, III-sti and VI-sti) and V. trilobata (I-tri, II-tri) have different seed coat types. In the present study, only a single seed coat pattern was recorded for the endemic, threatened species V. khandalensis. Finally, the congruency of seed coat patterns optimized onto an rDNA-ITS phylogeny was discussed.

Ceropegiaevansii McCann (family: Asclepiadaceae), a critically endangered plant of Western Ghats has acquired significant importance due to its medicinal implications, edible tubers, and ornamental flowers. This study deals with the optimization of axillary bud proliferation using nodal explants followed by genetic stability analysis of regenerants. Maximum number of shoots (11.6 ± 1.1) was observed on the Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with 6-benzylaminopurine (4.0 mg/l) and indole-3-acetic acid (0.3 mg/l) with 85% shoot multiplication frequency. In vitro-grown shoots were rooted best in 1/2 MS medium supplemented with indole-3-butyric acid (1.0 mg/l) with an average of 10.3 ± 0.9 roots per shoot and 92% rooting frequency. Plantlets were acclimatized best (90%) in a mixture of sterile soil, sand, and coco peat (1:2:1). Micropropagated plants were subjected to random amplified polymorphic DNA and inter simple sequence repeat markers analyses. Collectively, 759 bands were generated which were...

The aim of the present study was to develop a protocol for in vitro propagation and genetic stability analysis of Ceropegia panchganiensis Blatter and McCann, a threatened ornamental plant of Western Ghats, India. Axillary shoots were generated from nodal explants on MS medium supplemented with different concentrations of plant growth regulators. The best frequencies of shoot multiplication (100 ± 0.0%), maximum numbers of shoots (13.2 ± 0.5) and longest shoot lengths (10.1 ± 0.8 cm) were obtained on MS media containing BAP (13.31 μM) and NAA (2.69 μM). Optimum callus induction response (95 ± 2.3%) was observed on MS medium supplemented with 2,4-D (9.05 μM). Half-strength MS medium supplemented with BAP (4.44 μM) in combination with sucrose (175 mM) produced an average of 8.2 ± 0.4 flower buds with 80 ± 2.9% flowering response. Cultures treated with BAP (17.74 μM) along with sucrose (175 mM) showed the highest percentage (85%) of microtuber formation. Microshoots rooted best (96 ± 1.9%) in ½MS medium supplemented with IBA (7.36 μM), produced an average of 9.3 ± 0.9 roots/shoot with 3.6 ± 0.5 cm root length. The rooted plantlets survived best (85%) in a mixture of sterile soil, sand and coco peat (1:2:1). The molecular status/genetic stability of micropropagated plants was assessed by random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) and inter-simple sequence repeats (ISSR) markers. A total of 1149 bands were generated with 10 RAPD and 10 ISSR primers in a mother plant and 10 micropropagated plants, out of which 1134 (98.69%) bands were monomorphic and rest 15 (1.31%) were polymorphic. The present study has established the rapid micropropagation protocol for the first time and will be of great use in conservation of C. panchganiensis with low risk of genetic instability.

Ceropegias has acquired significant importance due to their medicinal properties, edible tubers, and its ornamental flowers. The aim of this study was to optimize direct shoot organogenesis (DSO), indirect shoot organogenesis (ISO) and plant regeneration of threatened medicinal plant Ceropegia santapaui, followed by analysis of genetic status and biochemical characterization of micropropagated plantlets. For optimization, cotyledonary nodes and cotyledons were used as source of explants in DSO and ISO respectively. The highest frequency of regeneration (88.0 %) for DSO with 8.1 ± 0.6 shoots per explant was obtained from cotyledonary nodes cultured on Murashige and Skoog’s (MS) medium containing 2.0 mg L−1 2iP. The best response for callus induction and proliferation was achieved with 1.5 mg L−1 PR (picloram) in which 97.5 % of cultures produced an average of 913 ± 10.9 mg (fresh weight) of callus. The highest frequency of shoot formation (92.5 %) with an average of 19.7 ± 0.3 shoots in ISO was obtained when calli were transferred to MS medium supplemented with 2.5 mg L−1 BAP and 0.4 mg L−1 IBA. Regenerated shoots were best rooted in half-strength MS medium with 2.0 mg L−1 NAA. Plantlets successfully acclimatized were morphologically indistinguishable from the source plant. Micropropagated plantlets subjected to random amplified polymorphic DNA and inter simple sequence repeats (ISSR) marker based profiling reveled uniform banding pattern in DSO-derived plantlets which was similar to mother plant. ISSR fingerprints of ISO-derived plants showed low variation. Method of regeneration, plant part and solvent system significantly affected the levels of total phenolics, flavonoids and antioxidant capacity. Assay of antioxidant activity of different tissues revealed that significantly higher antioxidant activity was observed in ISO-derived tissues than DSO-derived and mother tissues. RP-HPLC analysis of micropropagated plantlets showed the presence of three major phenolic compounds which were similar to those detected in mother plant. Rapid multiplication rate, genetic stability and biochemical parameter ensures the efficacy of the protocol developed for the propagation of this threatened medicinal plant.

Background: Smithia conferta Sm. is an annual herb widely used in Indian traditional medical practice and commonly known as “Lakshman booti” in Sanskrit. Morphological resemblance among the species of genus Smithia Aiton. leads to inaccurate identification and adulteration. This causes inconsistent therapeutic effects and also affects the quality of herbal medicine. Aim: This study aimed to generate potential barcode for authentication of S. conferta and its adulterants through DNA barcoding technique. Materials and Methods: Genomic DNA extracted from S. conferta and its adulterants was used as templates for polymerase chain reaction amplification of the barcoding regions. The amplicons were directed for sequencing, and species identification was conducted using BLASTn and unweighted pair-group method with arithmetic mean trees. In addition, the secondary structures of internal transcribed spacer (ITS) 2 region were predicted. Results: The nucleotide sequence of ITS provides species-specific single nucleotide polymorphisms and sequence divergence (22%) than psbA-trnH (10.9%) and rbcL (3.1%) sequences. The ITS barcode indicates that S. conferta and Smithia sensitiva are closely related compared to other species. Conclusion: ITS is the most applicable barcode for molecular authentication of S. conferta, and further chloroplast barcodes should be tested for phylogenetic analysis of genus Smithia. SUMMARY The present investigation is the first effort of utilization of DNA barcode for molecular authentication of S. conferta and its adulterants. Also, this study expanded the application of the ITS2 sequence data in the authentication. The ITS has been proved as a potential and reliable candidate barcode for the authentication of S. conferta. Abbreviations used: BLASTn: Basic Local Alignment Search Tool for Nucleotide; MEGA: Molecular Evolutionary Genetic Analysis; EMBL: European Molecular Biology Laboratory; psbA-trnH: Photosystem II protein D1- stuctural RNA: His tRNA gene; rbcL: Ribulose 1,5 bi-phosphate carboxylase/oxygenase large subunit gene.

Salacia chinensis L. has various beneficial properties including antidiabetic and antioxidant activity. The S. chinensis fruit pulp (SCFP) was extracted with four different solvents (Methanol, ethanol, acetone and water) and was screened for total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC) and antioxidant activity (AOA). The AOA was assessed by evaluating the 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and metal chelating assay. Methanolic SCFP extract exhibited the highest phenolic content (3.20 ± 0.12 mg GAE/g FW) whereas, ethanolic extract showed highest flavonoid content (0.31 ± 0.68 mg RE/g FW). The methanolic extract possesses highest antioxidant activity towards DPPH (92.44 %), FRAP (1.939 O.D) and metal chelating activity (74.16 %). AOA (DPPH and FRAP) was significantly correlated with TPC. The results indicated that SCFP is a good natural source of antioxidant compounds for use in food and pharmaceutical industry.

Factors affecting in vitro propagation were evaluated for Ceropegia attenuata Hook., an endemic and endangered plant having ornamental potential but a limited reproductive capacity. Rapid shoot multiplication from nodal explants was established using varying concentrations of cytokinins and auxins either alone or in combinations. The highest frequency of shoot induction was achieved when nodal explants were inoculated on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with 13.31 μM 6-benzylaminopurine with a mean of 12.9 ± 0.5 shoots per explant. High concentrations of TDZ (6.81–11.35 μM) and KN (6.78–11.61 μM) resulted in stunted and vitrified shoots. Factors implicated in the promotion of floral transition of the C. attenuata have been identified which are 4-amino-3, 5, 6-trichloropicolinic acid (picloram), 6-benzylaminopurine, sucrose and photoperiod. The highest frequency of flowering (100%) was obtained when axillary shoot explants were transferred to MS medium supplemented with picloram (4.14 μM) within 4 weeks of culture. Transfer of in vitro regenerated shoots to half strength MS medium with 2.46 μM indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) showed maximum root induction. The in vitro grown plantlets were successfully acclimatized in the glasshouse with 85% of survival and showed normal development. The developed protocol provided a simple, cost-effective approach for the conservation of endangered plant C. attenuata for replenishing its declining populations.

Earthquake is one of the major natural calamity. So prediction of the reach of earthquake event to the various locations could result in minimizing the disaster due to it. An early warning system for earthquake mainly issues an alarm to have a time margin for evacuating peoples to the safe place or shutting down key facilities like major industrial work etc. to avoid major consequences [1]. This paper contains the design of sensor system and the techniques used for detection and processing of the received signals in real time. The main difference between our method and conventional methods of earthquake location tracking is addition of two planer Azimuth angle. Conventionally the distance triangulation method is used for tracking the earthquake location. But this method is not much accurate since it considers the average speeds of the P and S waves. Speed of seismic waves varies immensely depending upon type of soil, rocks or water etc. below the earth surface. The addition of using the two planer Azimuth angle gives 3-dimensional angle of incoming seismic waves at the sensor system. So using two planer Azimuth angle along with distance triangulation method we can track location of earthquake more accurately by using at least three sensors data.

Swertia chirayita is one of the potential medicinal plants of the family Gentianaceae in traditional medicine. Due to its high demand and scarcity, trade of chirayita is affected by adulterants. Swertia species from Western Ghats were compared with S. chirayita for phytochemical characterisation and antioxidant activities by using different extracts. This study revealed that acetone is the best extraction solvent of phenolic and flavonoid compounds with antioxidant properties as compared with other extracts. S. chirayita showed better antioxidant activity than other species with highest content of phenolics and flavonoids. Among the species from Western Ghats, Swertia minor has better antioxidant properties with higher content of phenolics and flavonoids when compared with S. chirayita. Gallic acid was detected in all species under study by using HPLC analysis. The Swertia species under study showed similar phytochemical properties and antioxidant potential and hence their use as substitute to S. chirayita needs to be further investigated.

Background: Smithia conferta Sm. is an annual herb widely used in Indian traditional medical practice and commonly known as “Lakshman booti” in Sanskrit. Morphological resemblance among the species of genus Smithia Aiton. leads to inaccurate identification and adulteration. This causes inconsistent therapeutic effects and also affects the quality of herbal medicine. Aim: This study aimed to generate potential barcode for authentication of S. conferta and its adulterants through DNA barcoding technique. Materials and Methods: Genomic DNA extracted from S. conferta and its adulterants was used as templates for polymerase chain reaction amplification of the barcoding regions. The amplicons were directed for sequencing, and species identification was conducted using BLASTn and unweighted pair-group method with arithmetic mean trees. In addition, the secondary structures of internal transcribed spacer (ITS) 2 region were predicted. Results: The nucleotide sequence of ITS provides species-specific single nucleotide polymorphisms and sequence divergence (22%) than psbA-trnH (10.9%) and rbcL (3.1%) sequences. The ITS barcode indicates that S. conferta and Smithia sensitiva are closely related compared to other species. Conclusion: ITS is the most applicable barcode for molecular authentication of S. conferta, and further chloroplast barcodes should be tested for phylogenetic analysis of genus Smithia. Abbreviations used: BLASTn: Basic Local Alignment Search Tool for Nucleotide; MEGA: Molecular Evolutionary Genetic Analysis; EMBL: European Molecular Biology Laboratory; psbA-trnH: Photosystem II protein D1- stuctural RNA: His tRNA gene; rbcL: Ribulose 1,5 bi-phosphate carboxylase/ oxygenase large subunit gene.

An efficient protocol was developed for the rapid in vitro multiplication of an endemic and critically endangered medicinal herb, Ceropegia noorjahaniae Ans., via enhanced axillary bud proliferation from nodal explants. The effects of phytohormones [6-benzylaminopurine (BAP), kinetin (Kin) thidiazuron (TDZ), indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) or α-naphthalene acetic acid (NAA)] on in vitro regeneration were investigated. The highest number of shoots (18.3 ± 1.3), maximum shoot length (10.1 ± 0.8 cm) and the highest response of shoot induction (95 %) were recorded on MS medium supplemented with 2.0 mg/l BAP. Rooting was best achieved on half-strength MS medium augmented with IBA (1.0 mg/l). Half-strength MS medium supplemented with BAP (4 mg/l) and sucrose (5 %, w/v) produced an average of 5.6 flower buds per microshoots with highest (90 %) flower bud induction response. The plantlets regenerated in vitro with well-developed shoot and roots were successfully established in pots containing sterile sand and coco peat (1:1) and grown in a greenhouse with 85 % survival rate. The regenerated plants did not show any detectable morphological variation. The developed method can be successfully employed for large-scale multiplication and conservation of C. noorjahaniae.

Background: Genus Swertia is valued for its great medicinal potential, mainly Swertia chirayita (Roxb. ex Fleming) H. Karst. is used in traditional medicine for a wide range of diseases. Mangiferin one of xanthoids is referred with enormous pharmacological potentials. Objective: The aim of the study was to quantify and compare the anticancerous and antidiabetic drug mangiferin from 11 Swertia species from India. The study also evaluates hierarchical relationships between the species based on mangiferin content using multivariate analysis. Materials and Methods: The reverse phase-ultra flow liquid chromatography-diode array detector analyses was performed and chromatographic separation was achieved on a Lichrospher 100, C18e (5 μm) column (250–4.6 mm). Mobile phase consisting of 0.2% triethylamine (pH-4 with O-phosphoric acid) and acetonitrile (85:15) was used for separation with injection volume 20 μL and detection wave length at 257 nm. Results: Results indicated that concentration of mangiferin has been found to vary largely between Swertia species collected from different regions. Content of mangiferin was found to be highest in Swertia minor compared to other Swertia species studied herein from the Western Ghats and Himalayan region also. The same was also evident in the multivariate analysis, wherein S. chirayita, S. minor and Swertia paniculata made a separate clade. Conclusion: Conclusively, the work herein provides insights of mangiferin content from 11 Swertia species of India and also presents their hierarchical relationships. To best of the knowledge this is the first report of higher content of mangiferin from any Swertia species. SUMMARY The present study quantifies and compares mangiferin in 11 species of Swertia from India. The study also evaluates hierarchical relationships between the species based on mangiferin content using multivariate analysis. The mangiferin content was highest in S. minor compared to the studied Swertia species. To the best of our knowledge this is the first report of higher content of mangiferin from Swertia species. Abbreviations used: LOD: Limit of detection, LOQ: Limit of quantification, RP-UFLC-DAD: Reverse phase-ultra flow liquid chromatography-diode array detector, RSD: Relative standard deviation, SAN: Swertia angustifolia, SAP: Swertia angustifolia var. pulchella, SBI: S. bimaculata, SCH: S. chirayita, SCO: S. corymbosa, SDE: S. densifolia, SDI: S. dialatata, SLA: S. lawii, SMI: S. minor; SNE: S. nervosa, and SPA: S. paniculata

The propagation of Clematis species has been studied for last 2-3 decades, but problems related to rooting havelimited the conventional methods to fulfil commercial needs. The present investigation describes an efficientmicropropagation protocol for Clematis heynei, an important medicinal plant. Multiple shoot production wassuccessfully achieved from axillary buds using nodes as explants. The highest organogenic response wasobtained from the nodal segments cultured on MS medium enriched with Kinetin (3 mgL-1) and indole-3-aceticacid (0.4 mgL-1). Microshoots were transferred for rooting in variety of auxins and its concentrations; in whichmaximum root induction was occurred in Indole-3-acetic acid (1 mgL-1). Through sequential hardening process,well-rooted plantlets were established in the field conditions and exhibited 88 % survival with normalmorphology and growth characteristics. This protocol is a successful and efficient biotechnological approach tothe micropropagation of C. heynei.

The aim of present work was to assess the total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), phenolic compounds and antioxidant properties of various extracts of three Ceropegia spp.: Ceropegia spiralis, Ceropegia panchganiensis and Ceropegia evansii from Western Ghats of India. TPC of the samples varied from 0.3 ± 0.2 to 28.5 ± 0.3 mg TAE/g FW, whereas, TFC of the samples ranged between 0.1 ± 0.1 and 15.3 ± 0.3 mg RE/g FW. The major phenolic compounds identified were gallic acid, vanillin, cathechol and ferulic acid. All the extracts possess 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl hydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity, ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) as well as metal chelating ability and this was also supported by significant correlation with TPC and TFC. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first paper presenting comprehensive data on TPC, TFC, phenolic profile and antioxidant properties of the Ceropegia spp.