Travel based multitasking on the Mumbai Local and Metro : measurement, classification and variation

This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.Thesis: M.C.P., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Urban Studies and Planning, 2019Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (pages 79-82).Review of travel based multitasking (TBM) behavior has shown that activities performed during travel is of growing interest in the field of transportation planning and mobility behavior. There is a lack of literature looking at this subject in cities in developing countries. This thesis examines TBM activities occurring on mass transit modes in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. It takes the Western Line of the Mumbai Suburban Railway and the upcoming Line I and Ill of the Mumbai Metro as case studies to understand TBM activities in the Indian context. Firstly, this thesis calculates the influence of socioeconomic and trip-related variables on the occurrence of ICT-related and social TBM activities through a framework of Positive Utility of Travel (PUT). Secondly, it identifies the possible causes of variation of TBM among different socio-economic groups. Thirdly, it charts how policy and infrastructure decisions on the Mumbai Suburban Railway and the Mumbai Metro can be informed by ICT-related and social TBM activities performed by riders during on-board travel time. An on-board intercept survey of 196 riders conducted in August 2018 on the Western line of the Mumbai Suburban Railway was used to analyze revealed and stated preferences of TBM activities. Results of choice models were further deconstructed with insights from unstructured interviews. Age and willingness to pay per minute were the strongest predictors of TBM activities. Riders younger than 34 years of age on the Mumbai Suburban Railway and younger than 29 years of age on the Mumbai Metro were more inclined to engage in ICT-related TBM activities. Female riders displayed a higher tendency to socialize on mass transit when compared to male riders and frequently perceived general compartments on the Mumbai Suburban Railway as unsafe to perform ICT-related activities.by Karthikeyan Kuppu Sundara Raman.M.C.P.M.C.P. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Urban Studies and Plannin

SECURITY AND USER EXPERIENCE: A HOLISTIC MODEL FOR CAPTCHA USABILITY ISSUES

CAPTCHA is a widely adopted security measure in the Web, and is designed to effectively distinguish humans and bots by exploiting human’s ability to recognize patterns that an automated bot is incapable of. To counter this, bots are being designed to recognize patterns in CAPTCHAs. As a result, CAPTCHAs are now being designed to maximize the difficulty for bots to pass human interaction proof tests, while making it quite an arduous task even for humans as well. The approachability of CAPTCHA is increasingly being questioned because of the inconvenience it causes to legitimate users. Irrespective of the popularity, CAPTCHA is indispensable if one wants to avoid potential security threats. We investigated the usability issues associated with CAPTCHA. We built a holistic model by identifying the important concepts associated with CAPTCHAs and its usability. This model can be used as a guide for the design and evaluation of CAPTCHAs

ANTIMICROBIAL AND ANTI-INFLAMMATORY STUDIES ON SARGASSUM WIGHTII EXTRACTS

Objective: To evaluate the antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory effect of hexane, chloroform and ethanolic extract of Sargassum wightii. Methods: Hexane, chlorofom and ethanolic extractions of these algae were done and evaluated for biological activity. Assay of antimicrobial activity was perfomed by disc diffusion method against various microorganisms. Assay of anti-inflammatory activity was performed in albino rats with paw edema, induced by Carrageenan. Results: Chloroform and ethanol extracts exhibited antimicrobial activity against various microorganisms. All the extracts revealed anti-inflammatory activity, in which chloroform extract showed maximum activity in dose dependent manner. Conclusions: Among the three different extracts tested, chloroform extract of S. wightii possess significant antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory activities. Further in-depth studies, could result in the development of a good antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory agent from this chloroform extract of S.wightii

4-(4-Bromo­benzyl­ideneamino)-3-{1-[4-(2-methyl­prop­yl)phen­yl]eth­yl}-1-(mor­phol­ino­meth­yl)-1H-1,2,4-triazole-5(4H)-thione

There are two mol­ecules (A and B) in the asymmetric unit of the title compound, C26H32BrN5OS, with almost identical geometry. The morpholine ring adopts the usual chair conformation in both mol­ecules. The triazole ring forms dihedral angles of 4.84 (6) and 74.19 (6)°, respectively, with the bromo­phenyl and isobutylbenzene rings in mol­ecule A, and angles of 16.68 (7) and 87.29 (6)°, respectively, in mol­ecule B. Intra­molecular C—H⋯S hydrogen bonds generate S(5) and S(6) ring motifs in both independent mol­ecules. The crystal structure is stabilized by C—H⋯N, C—H⋯Br and C—H⋯O hydrogen-bonding inter­actions, together with C—H⋯π inter­actions

Eimeria species occurrence varies between geographic regions and poultry production systems and may influence parasite genetic diversity

Coccidiosis is one of the biggest challenges faced by the global poultry industry. Recent studies have highlighted the ubiquitous distribution of all Eimeria species which can cause this disease in chickens, but intriguingly revealed a regional divide in genetic diversity and population structure for at least one species, Eimeria tenella. The drivers associated with such distinct geographic variation are unclear, but may impact on the occurrence and extent of resistance to anticoccidial drugs and future subunit vaccines. India is one of the largest poultry producers in the world and includes a transition between E. tenella populations defined by high and low genetic diversity. The aim of this study was to identify risk factors associated with the prevalence of Eimeria species defined by high and low pathogenicity in northern and southern states of India, and seek to understand factors which vary between the regions as possible drivers for differential genetic variation. Faecal samples and data relating to farm characteristics and management were collected from 107 farms from northern India and 133 farms from southern India. Faecal samples were analysed using microscopy and PCR to identify Eimeria occurrence. Multiple correspondence analysis was applied to transform correlated putative risk factors into a smaller number of synthetic uncorrelated factors. Hierarchical cluster analysis was used to identify poultry farm typologies, revealing three distinct clusters in the studied regions. The association between clusters and presence of Eimeria species was assessed by logistic regression. The study found that large-scale broiler farms in the north were at greatest risk of harbouring any Eimeria species and a larger proportion of such farms were positive for E. necatrix, the most pathogenic species. Comparison revealed a more even distribution for E. tenella across production systems in south India, but with a lower overall occurrence. Such a polarised region- and system-specific distribution may contribute to the different levels of genetic diversity observed previously in India and may influence parasite population structure across much of Asia and Africa. The findings of the study can be used to prioritise target farms to launch and optimise appropriate anticoccidial strategies for long-term control

GBS-based SNP map pinpoints the QTL associated with sorghum downy mildew resistance in maize (Zea mays L.)

Sorghum downy mildew (SDM), caused by the biotrophic fungi Peronosclerospora sorghi, threatens maize production worldwide, including India. To identify quantitative trait loci (QTL) associated with resistance to SDM, we used a recombinant inbred line (RIL) population derived from a cross between resistant inbred line UMI936 (w) and susceptible inbred line UMI79. The RIL population was phenotyped for SDM resistance in three environments [E1-field (Coimbatore), E2-greenhouse (Coimbatore), and E3-field (Mandya)] and also utilized to construct the genetic linkage map by genotyping by sequencing (GBS) approach. The map comprises 1516 SNP markers in 10 linkage groups (LGs) with a total length of 6924.7 cM and an average marker distance of 4.57 cM. The QTL analysis with the phenotype and marker data detected nine QTL on chromosome 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, and 7 across three environments. Of these, QTL namely qDMR1.2, qDMR3.1, qDMR5.1, and qDMR6.1 were notable due to their high phenotypic variance. qDMR3.1 from chromosome 3 was detected in more than one environment (E1 and E2), explaining the 10.3% and 13.1% phenotypic variance. Three QTL, qDMR1.2, qDMR5.1, and qDMR6.1 from chromosomes 1, 5, and 6 were identified in either E1 or E3, explaining 15.2%–18% phenotypic variance. Moreover, genome mining on three QTL (qDMR3.1, qDMR5.1, and qDMR6.1) reveals the putative candidate genes related to SDM resistance. The information generated in this study will be helpful for map-based cloning and marker-assisted selection in maize breeding programs

Averting biodiversity collapse in tropical forest protected areas

The rapid disruption of tropical forests probably imperils global biodiversity more than any other contemporary phenomenon¹⁻³. With deforestation advancing quickly, protected areas are increasingly becoming final refuges for threatened species and natural ecosystem processes. However, many protected areas in the tropics are themselves vulnerable to human encroachment and other environmental stresses⁴⁻⁹. As pressures mount, it is vital to know whether existing reserves can sustain their biodiversity. A critical constraint in addressing this question has been that data describing a broad array of biodiversity groups have been unavailable for a sufficiently large and representative sample of reserves. Here we present a uniquely comprehensive data set on changes over the past 20 to 30 years in 31 functional groups of species and 21 potential drivers of environmental change, for 60 protected areas stratified across the world’s major tropical regions. Our analysis reveals great variation in reserve ‘health’: about half of all reserves have been effective or performed passably, but the rest are experiencing an erosion of biodiversity that is often alarmingly widespread taxonomically and functionally. Habitat disruption, hunting and forest-product exploitation were the strongest predictors of declining reserve health. Crucially, environmental changes immediately outside reserves seemed nearly as important as those inside in determining their ecological fate, with changes inside reserves strongly mirroring those occurring around them. These findings suggest that tropical protected areas are often intimately linked ecologically to their surrounding habitats, and that a failure to stem broad-scale loss and degradation of such habitats could sharply increase the likelihood of serious biodiversity declines.Keywords: Ecology, Environmental scienc

Functional Annotation of Hypothetical Proteins Derived from Suppressive Subtraction Hybridization (SSH) Analysis Shows NPR1 (Non-Pathogenesis Related)-Like Activity

Fusarium wilt is considered the most devastating banana disease incited by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense (FOC). The present study addresses suppressive subtraction hybridization (SSH) analysis for differential gene expression in banana plant, mediated through FOC and its interaction with biocontrol agent Trichoderma asperellum (prr2). SSH analysis yielded a total of 300 clones. The resultant clones were sequenced and processed to obtain 22 contigs and 87 singleton sequences. BLAST2GO (Basic Local Alignment Search Tool 2 Gene Ontology) analysis was performed to assign known protein function. Initial functional annotation showed that contig 21 possesses p38-like endoribonuclease activity and duality in subcellular localization. To gain insights into its additional roles and precise functions, a sequential docking protocol was done to affirm its role in the defense pathway. Atomic contact energies revealed binding affinities in the order of miRNA > phytoalexins > polyubiquitin, emphasizing their role in the Musa defense pathway. Contig 21 and polyubiquitin showed an atomic contact energy value of −479.60 kJ/mol, and even higher atomic contact energies were observed for miRNA (−804.86, −482.28, −494.75 kJ/mol), demonstrating its high RNA-binding properties. Phytoalexin contig 21-interacting interfacial residues were identified as rigid (10)/non-rigid (2) based on Bi, N values, and B-factor per residue. Hence, based on these results, contig 21 was characterized as a NPR1 (non-pathogenesis-related protein) homolog that is involved in plant defense and systemic induced resistance