Nanomaterial based drought mitigation in crops is through antioxidant defense system

Drought stress significantly impacts crop productivity by affecting the growth and development of plants. Studies have shown that drought stress induces oxidative damage, and the use of antioxidant molecules or nanoparticle (NPs) possessing antioxidant properties may decrease the negative effects of oxidative stress. So far, antioxidants like ascorbic acid, glutathione, proline, and glycine betaine have been studied in detail, but there is limited information available on the effect of NPs in decreasing drought induced oxidative damage. When plants are subjected to drought stress conditions, their ability to scavenge reactive oxygen species (ROS) decreases leading to an increase in ROS that can damage membranes, proteins, and lipids. Nonenzymatic antioxidants, such as tocopherols, ascorbate, glutathione, phenols, and carotenoids, along with enzymatic antioxidants such as superoxide dismutase, catalase, and ascorbate peroxidise, can strengthen the plant defense against ROS. Nanoparticles possessing antioxidant properties can mimic antioxidant enzymes, activate, and alter gene expression levels, leading to reduced ROS levels because of their increased surface area and presence of free electrons on their surface. This review discusses the effects of drought stress on crops, the synthesis, and unique properties of NPs, and the various traits improved by NPs possessing antioxidant properties to mitigate drought stress in plants

Molecular identification of scale insect (Eulecanium giganteum) in Hibiscus rosa-sinensis

Hibiscus rosa-sinensis is a widely grown evergreen valuable medicinal, ornamental species planted in India. Scale insects are small herbivorous insects found on all continents and they are serious sap sucking pests of many ornamental plants. These scale insects are undetectable due to their tiny size, basic morphology, and polyphagous feeding nature. Hence, the management of these tiny insects become a serious concern across the globe. To afford a prospective solution to the problem, an accurate, simple, and developmental-stage-independent identification method is required, hence this study attempted the molecular identification of scale insect in Hibiscus rosa-sinensis using mitochondrial gene Cytochrome Oxidase Subunit I (mtCOI) sequencing. The experiment was carried out by isolating insect DNA using a modified CTAB method. Through two or three rounds of error-prone PCR followed by a steady procedure to amplify a mtCOI region. This region of mtCOI has been used as a standard DNA barcode for a diverse array of taxa. The confirmation has been done by sequencing of mtCOI which suggest the highest similarities with Eulecanium giganteum. This study addresses the questions of biodiversity and molecular characterization of scale insects. Further, the information obtained in this study provides baseline data for future crop improvement programs and integrated pest management strategies

An efficient cathode electrocatalyst for anion exchange membrane water electrolyzer

\ua9 2024 The AuthorsA high performance and durable electrocatalyst for the cathodic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in anion exchange membrane (AEM) water electrolyzers is crucial for the emerging hydrogen economy. Herein, we synthesized Pt–C core-shell nanoparticles (core: Pt nanoparticles, shell: N-containing carbon) were uniformly coated on hierarchical MoS2/GNF using pyrolysis of h-MoS2/GNF with a Pt-aniline complex. The synthesized Pt–C core-shell@h-MoS2/GNF (with 11.3 % Pt loading) showed HER activity with a lower overpotential of 30 mV at 10 mA cm−2 as compared to the benchmark catalyst 20 % Pt–C (41 mV at 10 mA cm−2) with improved durability over 94 h at 10 mA cm−2. Furthermore, we investigated the structural stability and hydrogen adsorption energy for Pt13 cluster, C90 molecule, h-MoS2 sheet, Pt13–C90 core-shell, and Pt13–C90 core-shell deposited h-MoS2 sheets using density functional theory (DFT) simulations. We investigated the Pt–C core-shell@h-MoS2/GNF catalyst active sites during HER performance using in-situ Raman analysis as well as DFT. We fabricated AEM water electrolyzers with cathode catalysts of Pt–C core-shell@h-MoS2/GNF and evaluated device performance with 0.1 and 1.0 M KOH at 20 and 60 \ub0C. Our work provides a new pathway to design core-shell electrocatalysts for use in AEM water electrolyzers to generate hydrogen

Chapter 5 Microbial Production of Biopolymers

Biobased biodegradable polymers are emerging as an alternative to fossil fuel-based plastics. Biodegradable Polymers, Blends and Biocomposites: Trends and Applications discusses trends in the development of microbial/other renewable source-based bioplastic products, their blends and biocomposites applications in various industrial fields. It covers biodegradable polymeric materials preparation, extraction, formulation, modification of properties, product development and applications and end-of-life options. Furthermore, the book discusses topics like bioplastic resources, isolation procedures, utilization at commercial level and markets and economy. Features: Explains emerging application possibilities of biobased biodegradable polymers. Provides detailed application notes on agricultural waste-based bioplastics. Covers microbial and agro-based biocomposites and their applications. Summarizes bioplastic degradation and blending research. Discusses application possibilities of biobased biodegradable polymers. The book is aimed at researchers and graduate students in polymers and composites

Old Wall Paintings Restored Using Digital Technology

The ancient mural pictures are virtually recreated in this study using a technique that takes a weighted average of the mean image and the original image. There are four phases to this approach. Correlation and convolution are used to detect and extract lines. Toggle filter is used to improve the extracted lines. Templates with various orientations are used for correlation and convolution. Using k-means clustering, the pixels are grouped and each pixel is replaced by the cluster's mean value. After that, the weighted average is used to restore the ancient wall paintings.</jats:p

Smart Shopping with Automated Billing System Using Zigbee and RFID

In the future, smart commerce will serve as a platform for smart cities. This method is fully automated, and billing may be completed without the assistance of a cashier. It is a mobile gadget that will be installed in the PICk and Drop basket (trolley) at department shops. Billing can be done via a swipe machine or by using their smart phones to access online banking. Instead of a bar code reader, we utilise RFID. Each item will be assigned an ID number, allowing for easy billing. In addition, the product update will be transmitted to the server. As a result, if any of the products becomes null, an alert will be sent to the main server or the master PC administrator. The bill will be sent to the customer's cellphone number through GSM. ZIGBEE is used to communicate from the trolley to the main server. We employ a PIC microcontroller in our suggested system, which is cost and performance efficient. The ultimate goal of this article is to automate billing and move India closer to being a Digital India. Time may be saved for the client, and manpower can be decreased.</jats:p

Comparison of Interleaved Boost Converter Configurations for Solar Photovoltaic System Interface

Solar photovoltaic (SPV) panels that convert light energy into electrical energy through the photovoltaic effect have nonlinear internal resistance. Hence, with the variation in the intensity of light falling on the panel, the internal resistance varies. For effective utilization of the SPV panel, it is necessary to extract the maximum power from it. For maximum power extraction from SPV panels, DC-DC converter interface is used. The problem in using high frequency converter interface is the resultant high frequency ripple interaction with the SPV system. In this work, an interleaved boost converter (IBC) is considered to reduce the ripple. Our finding is that IBC fed by a SPV panel reduces this ripple to a greater extent. IBC also has a faster transient response as compared to conventional boost converters with reduced ripple contents. The main aim of this paper is to present a comparative analysis of the performance of IBC with inductors that are coupled in different ways. The results of the simulation were extrapolated with the help of MATLAB software and verified through experimentation