A new genus and three new species of whiteflies (Aleyrodidae: Homoptera) from the cardamom ecosystem, South India

A new genus and species of whitefly Sphericaleyrodes bambusae from Bambusa sp., and two new species, namely, Aleuromarginatus erythrinae from Erythrina indica and Cohicaleyrodes mappiae from Mappia sp. collected from the cardamom ecosystem in South India are described. &nbsp

Is the cardamom whitefly Kanakarajiella cardamomi (David and Subralllaniam) a vector of Nilgiri Necrosis Virus disease of cardamom Elettaria cardamomum Maton?

The vector and mode of transmission of the Nilgiri Necrosis Virus (NNV) disease affecting cardamom. Elettaria cardamomum Matoh is 'unknown so far. More than 70 whitefly borne viral diseases have been reported on cultivated plants and weeds from ttopical and subtropical regions (Cohen 1990). Muniappa (1980) in his critical review listed 65 viral diseases transmitted by whiteflies. The present studies were carried out to determine whether the cardamom whitefly, Kanakarajiella cardamomi (David and Subramaniam), an important pest on cardamom, acts as a vector of the NNV disease. &nbsp

Influence of abiotic factors on population build up of cardamom whitefly Kanakarajiella cardamomi (David and Subramaniam) on cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum Maton)

The seasonal occurrence and influence of abiotic factors on population build up of cardamom whitefly Kanakarajiella cardamomi on cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum) was assessed during 1989-1990 at Lower Pulneys in Tamil Nadu (India). K. cardamomi persisted throughout the year with a maximum egg population of 9.09 per leaf during October 1989 and a minimum of 0.33 per leaf during June and August 1990; maximum nymphal population was 8.66 per leaf during October 1989 and minimum was OA9 per leaf during August 1990. Maximum temperature and relative humidity exhibited a significant negative association with population build up of eggs and nymphs; however, none of the abiotic factors had signifiant partial correlation coefficient with egg. and nymphal population. From the multiple regression equation constructed with R' value, it was attributed that the abiotic components had only 24 and 43% influence on the population build up of K. cardamomi eggs and nymphs, respectively. &nbsp

Broad spectrum antimicrobial compounds from the bacterium Exiguobacterium mexicanum MSSRFS9.

Clinical bacterial pathogens front a major challenge for the clinical researchers and physicians. In particular microbial pathogens like Escherichia coli, Shigella flexneri, Klebsiella pneumonia and Salmonella enterica are apparelled with systemic machineries to bring down the human immune system as well as proliferate dramatically in a short period which in turn cause a pronounced ailment to the human health. In vitro evaluation of four purified compounds isolated from rhizosphere bacterium Exiguobacterium mexicanum tested against clinical pathogens mentioned above by disc diffusion method showed the two compounds viz., 3,6,18-trione, 9,10-dihydro-12'-hydroxyl-2methyl-5-(phenyl methyl) (5'-alpha, 10-alpha)-dihydroergotamine (C3) and dipropyl - S-propyl ester (C4) exhibit antibacterial property against all the tested pathogens. Among the four clinical pathogens tested, compound C3 has shown higher zone of inhibition against S. enterica with 17±0mm, followed by S. flexneri with 16.5±0.7mm, E. coli with 15±0mm and K. pneumoniae with 14±0mm, respectively. The compound C4 has shown higher antimicrobial activity against S. enterica with 21.5±0.7mm zone of inhibition, followed by S. flexneri with 19.5±0.7mm, E. coli with 17±0mm and K. pneumoniae with 16±0mm, these two compounds were found to be safer when subjected to rat haematological and enzymatic analysis

Autonomous Braking System Using Linear Actuator

The most frequent cause of vehicle accidents (car, bike, truck, etc.) is the unexpected existence of barriers while driving. An automated braking system will assist and minimize such collisions and save the driver and other people’s lives and have a substantial influence on driver safety and comfort. An autonomous braking system is a complicated mechatronic system that incorporates a front-mounted ultrasonic wave emitter capable of creating and transmitting ultrasonic waves. In addition, a front-mounted ultrasonic receiver is attached to gather ultrasonic wave signals that are reflected. The distance between the impediment and the vehicle is determined by the reflected wave. Then, a microprocessor is utilized to control the vehicle’s speed depending on the detected pulse information, which pushes the brake pedal and applies the vehicle’s brakes extremely hard for safety. For work-energy at surprise condition for velocity 20 km/hr, the braking distance is 17.69 m, and for velocity 50 km/hr, the braking distance is 73.14

Comparative Study of Structural and Mechanical Properties of as Deposited and Shock Wave Exposed NiW Nano Structured Thin Films

The current work describes the effect of shock wave exposure on electroplated NiW thin films. NiW thin films were deposited through electrodeposition process by varying the bath temperatures (35°C and 70°C) at constant current density of 1A/dm2. The deposited NiW thin films were exposed to shock waves with varying Mach numbers of 1.13 and 2.33 using an in-house shock wave tube facility. The as-deposited and shock wave-exposed NiW thin films were characterized by XRD, FESEM, EDS, and EIS to reveal its structural and mechanical properties. The XRD results disclose the stable cubic structural phase of as deposited and shock wave exposed NiW thin films with average crystallite size varying between 5 nm to 17nm. The elemental composition of as-deposited and shock-wave exposed films are similar as confirmed in the EDS analysis. This henceforth represents the stability of nanostructured NiW film in terms of compositional and structural aspect. Morphological analysis through FESEM shows that the exposed thin film is defect free due to the impact of shock waves. Furthermore, corrosion resistance is observed to enhance ten times in shock-wave exposed thin film than as-deposited thin film for higher mach number (Pressure ~63 bar). Similarly, corrosion resistance for low mach number (pressure ~13 bar) increases by three times of as deposited film according to the EIS analysis. Therefore, the structural, morphological and corrosion properties were enhanced upon surface treatment by shock wave exposure. NiW thin films with enhanced mechanical properties such as low corrosion rate, high corrosion resistance is used in various industrial applications like defense applications, aircraft, and marine applications