Antioxidative Metabolism in the Seedlings of Pigeonpea in Response to Lead and Cadmium Stress

Effects of Pb and Cd stress on antioxidative systems were studied in pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan (L.) Millspaugh) cultivars T21 and LRG30. The seeds were grown under different concentrations of Pb and Cd for 8-days and activities of enzymes including superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, catalase, glutathione reductase, malate dehydrogenase were assayed. In addition, quantitative estimations of ascorbic acid and glutathione were also carried out in control and Pb and Cd treatments of pigeonpea seedlings. The activities of antioxidative enzymes showed a marked increase in response to heavy metal stress. However the ascorbic acid and glutathione content were decreased by increasing heavy metal concentrations. This study revealed that varietal differences play an important role in the plant response to heavy metals.Key words: Antioxidants, cadmium, heavy metal stress, lead, pigeonpea.B. Sujatha and B. Priyadarshini. Antioxidative Metabolism in the Seedlings of Pigeonpea in Response to Lead and Cadmium Stress J Phytol 3/5 (2011) 41-50

A Hybrid Scheme based on Alternative Scalar Leader Election (HS-ASLE) for Redundant Data Minimization in Multi-event Occurrence Scenario for WMSNs

The current paper reports a hybrid approach namely “Hybrid Scheme based on Alternative Scalar Leader Election (HS-ASLE)” for camera sensor actuation in multi-event occurrence scenario. In the proposed approach, the whole monitored zone gets segregated into multiple virtual sub-compartments and in each of the sub-compartments, one and three scalar leaders are elected alternatively that behave as the representatives of scalars to report event information. During the event occurrence, the event information gets trapped through the scalar leaders in lieu of scalars and the leaders convey the event occurrence information to the respective camera sensors. Pervasive experiment and observation have been ordained to mark the impact of varying the number of deployed scalar sensors and camera sensors individually on various performance parameters in multi-event occurrence ambience. Further, the numerical outcomes attained in terms of number of cameras actuated, coverage ratio, redundance ratio and energy expenditure for camera activation proclaim the effectiveness of our proposed HS-ASLE over the other two existing approaches in literature. Moreover, it is marked that our proposed approach attains maximal event region coverage with least camera activation, least redundant data transmission and lowest energy expenditure for camera sensor actuation as compared to two other approaches, which justify the precedence of our proposition over the other existing approaches

A Comprehensive Study on Crypto-Algorithms

In the field of computer network and security, cryptography plays a vital role for secure data transmission as it follows the principle of data confidentiality, integrity, non-repudiation, authentication. By using several cryptographic algorithms, a user can deliver and receive the message in more convenient way. In this paper, we have collaborated on various cryptographic algorithms, several types of cryptographic techniques along with different types of security attacks prevailing in case of cryptography. During the exchanging of any sort of information, the key generation, encryption and decryption processes are examined in more details in the current paper. We have discussed regarding RSA (Ron Rives, Adi Shamir and Len Adelman), which is one of the most secure algorithm in the context of data and information sharing, that has been analysed clearly in our work along with the basic concepts of DES(Data Encryption Standard) , conventional encryption model, ECC(Elliptic curve cryptography), Digital signature, ABE(Attribute based Encryption), KP-ABE(Key policy Attribute based encryption), CP-ABE(Ciphertext policy attribute based encryption), IBE(Identity based Encryption). We have elaborated various cryptograhic concepts for keeping the message confidential and secure while considering secured data communication in case of networks

A Comprehensive Study on Security in Wireless Sensor Networks(WSNs)

Wireless Sensor Networks(WSNs) are an important component of today\u27s ubiquitous and pervasive computing. Without WSNs, the applications aren\u27t as clever as they could be. Almost every scenario involving WSNs necessitates a quick and precise localization process. Existing frameworks and algorithms, on the other hand suffer from a significant disadvantage when it comes to beacon node trust, which is a critical component in Wireless Sensor Network. For localization this has to be ensured.. This issue is addressed in our current solution. In the harsh environment of WSN operations, malicious nodes are inescapable. As a consequence, A technique has been proposed to find out the problem while simultaneously offering a safe trust based localization system. It focuses on the algorithm for assessing trust and the creation of blockchains. Every beacon node’s truth value(trust value) are determined using various trust criteria with the corresponding weights being dynamically changed during localization process. After that the most reliable beacon nodes are chosen for mining. This two-step process ensures that the blockchain is kept up to current, and that beacon nodes have consistent Tvalues(Trust values). We conducted a series of simulations to test the suggested algorithm’s performance and effectiveness. The accuracy of localization, harmful activity detection, the confusion matrixes are used to compare results

Starting Young- Instilling Research Skills through School Libraries

Abstract This article focuses on the impact that school libraries can have on the informational and research skills of an individual if utilised as proposed while working within the academic framework of the institution that they serve. The benefits of introducing high school students to the world of research and the structured approach to it is discussed in detail along with how it improves student performance as well as equipping them with the tools and techniques they will need as they move forward with confidence to higher education and the professional environment. The paper also visits in brief the research process that can be utilized at a beginner’s level and the challenges school libraries continue to face in the path of establishing themselves as the linchpin of research projects / assignments in the institutions that they serve

Greenways for a Greater Good- An Indian Perspective

Cities have developed on the banks of rivers from the dawn of civilizations. The urban fabric of Indian cities is an intricate tapestry composed of settlements that span almost 4000 years of urban history. Cities as old as 2500 B.C co-exist sometimes in harmony and sometimes in conflict with cities that are still being conceived. The pace of urbanization in India is unprecedented and the country hosts some of the most populous cities in the world. According to the 2011 census, urbanization in India has increased faster than expected reversing the declining trends of the earlier decades. (Census of India, 2011) This boom presents its own set of challenges and opportunities. The role of a Landscape Planner becomes prominent since ensuring the balance of ecological processes and the components of Master Plans are imperative to ensure a sustainable future

A GATA-binding protein expressed predominantly in the pupal ovary of the silkworm, Bombyx mori

Preferential localization of Bkm (Banded krait minor-satellite) DNA sequences on Y/W chromosomes of higher eukaryotes, which remain highly condensed in somatic cells but undergo extensive decondensation in the germ cells during early stages of development, led to the postulation for the existence of a sex- and tissue-specific Bkm-binding protein (BBP). Accordingly, we purified and characterized a BmBBP expressed predominantly in pupal ovary of the silkworm (Bombyx mori). 2D-PAGE revealed BmBBP as moderately basic (pI 7.8-8, in the range expected for DNA-binding proteins) and Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Time of Flight exhibited a value of 37.5-kDa. BmBBP neither contains nor requires divalent metal ions for its DNA-binding activity, suggesting that it does not belong to the well-studied GATA-family of transcription factors. BmBBP is unusually strong in its DNA-binding characteristics to Bkm (GATA-repeats), which suggests its probable role in bringing about coordinated chromatin conformational changes to activate genes present in associated chromosomal domains. Fluorescence immuno-localization studies employing specific anti-BmBBP antibodies revealed its presence in the follicle cells and in the ooplasm, as well as the nucleus of different developmental stages of oocytes

Prescription pattern of patients admitted in the intensive care unit of a tertiary care hospital in Puducherry, India: a cross sectional study

Background: Patients with varied demographic characteristics, admission criteria and heterogeneous group are admitted to medical Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and are usually associated with co-morbid illnesses. Instituting rational pharmacotherapy is the need of the hour for saving the life of critically-ill patients while irrational drug use may be life threatening. Drug use patterns and prescribing behaviour are the essential tools to measure drug use in health care facilities.Methods: A record based, cross-sectional, observational study was done at medical ICU, IGMC and RI, Puducherry after obtaining IEC approval. Systemic random sampling was followed and data was collected for a period of one year. Data were analysed based on demographic characteristics, prescribing pattern and WHO drug use indicators.Results: The data of 151 patients were analysed. Mean age of the patients admitted in ICU was 52.9±17.7 years. Percentage of male patients (57.6) admitted in ICU were more when compared to female patients (42.4). Infective etiology was the most common factor for ICU admission followed by cardiac disorders. Diabetes mellitus and hypertension were the most common co-morbidities. The average length of stay in ICU was 4.11±2.99 days. Duration of stay in ICU ranged from 1-5 days (78.8% patients) to 15-20 days (0.1% patients). On an average 10.6±4.3 drugs were prescribed for each patient. Percentage of drugs prescribed by generic name was 45.8%. Majority of the drugs (87.4%) were from essential medicine list. Antibiotics in the prescription was 13.8% and 44.4% of drugs were administered in parenteral route. The prescription was complete in 145 case sheets (96%). Majority of the patients (68.9%) were discharged with improvement in the condition for which they were admitted.Conclusions: This drug utilization study has highlighted the strengths and shortcomings of the prescription pattern of patients who were admitted in the critical care setup. The information derived from this research work will be transmitted to the stakeholders for implementing the modifications wherever applicable for the betterment of the patient and the community