A Framework for Delineating the Emotive Character of Motorbikes in India

This paper proposes an approach to investigate the styling concept of motorbikes by establishing a relationship between its evaluative aesthetic properties and associated emotions. A framework is delineated in form of emotive words and representational image boards to map the emotive character of motorbikes. The framework forms the basis for investigating the emotional differentiation in the social structure of biking in India. The findings give insights on the emotive character of various motorbikes representing different emotional needs. The usability and efficacy of the framework was tested among styling designers and design students

Veterinary Ethnomedicinal Plants in Uttarakhand Himalayan Region, India

Drug research has enriched human life in many ways. The health care and resulting social and economic benefits of new drugs to society are most remarkable, are quite well recognized. Drug research has been the driving force for many basic scientific developments, such as that of many new synthetic methods, of the understanding of the physiology and pharmacology of biological systems and has contributed much too molecular recognition. The Uttarakhand Himalayas have a great wealth of medicinal plants and traditional medicinal knowledge. The medicinal plant that has been widely used as veterinary ethno-medicine in Uttarakhand region has been studied. These do not either occur elsewhere or have not so far been exploited commercially. Attempts have been made to explore the new possible species having medicinal importance especially for veterinary and to grow them in suitable areas so as to meet national industrial demands. The present paper deals with the traditional uses of 100 plant species employed in ethno-medicine and ethno-veterinary practice in Uttarakhand

Quantitative assessment and antibacterial activity of Origanum vulgare L.

Biodiversity, which twenty years ago was considered unimportant by most ecologists, has now been shown to impact significantly upon many aspects of ecosystem functioning. Diversity must now be added to the list of factors — including species composition, disturbance regime, soil type and climate — that influence ecosystem functioning. The recent knowledge of the importance of biodiversity highlights an under-appreciated truth — although society is dependent on natural and managed ecosystems for goods and services that are essential for human survival, we know all too little about how ecosystems work. Origanum vulgare L. is one of the important ethno medicinal plants, are found spread over to sub-temperate forest zone. They are of Ayurvedic importance and have trade value as well. Due to over exploitation and habitat degradation they are now turning into a rare species. Threat assessments of this species revealed that they are vulnerable in study area under reference. Their dominance too was found less as compare to other species. Their diversity profile in study areas also went down. Origanum vulgare L. has antimicrobial activities but Becillus subtillis, Pseudomonas aereuguinosa, Staphylococcus aureus and Escherchia coli bacteria were shown to be proactive. Due to fast growing urbanization of life, people are being attracted towards use of natural products and as such utility of such plants are gaining ground. Thus the need is to protect, promote and conserve such natural resources to have advantage of biodiversity conservation.Â

Comparative phytochemical composition and antimicrobial potential of leaf and twig extracts of Ginkgo biloba L. from India

Antimicrobial potential of leaf and twig extracts of Himalayan gymnosperm Ginkgo biloba L. has been determined by agar well diffusion and agar dilution methods respectively. Strains of five Gram positive bacteria were used as test organisms. Plant extract were prepared in different organic solvents (methanol, hexane and DCM). All plant extracts exhibited antimicrobial activity against all these tested bacterial strains. Methanolic extract of leaf and twig, and hexane leaf extract of G. biloba showed maximum activity against E. coli with Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) 2.01, 2.53 and 2.97 mg/mL, respectively

Serine/threonine protein phosphatase PstP of Mycobacterium tuberculosis is necessary for accurate cell division and survival of pathogen

Protein phosphatases play vital roles in phosphorylation-mediated cellular signaling. While there are 11 serine/threonine protein kinases in Mycobacterium tuberculosis, only one serine/threonine phosphatase, PstP, has been identified. Although PstP has been biochemically characterized and multiple in vitro substrates identified, its physiological role has not yet been elucidated. In this study we have investigated the impact of PstP on cell growth and survival of the pathogen in the host. Overexpression of PstP led to elongated cells and partially compromised survival. We find that depletion of PstP is detrimental to cell survival, eventually leading to cell death. PstP depletion results in elongated multiseptate cells, suggesting a role for PstP in regulating cell division events. Complementation experiments performed with PstP deletion mutants revealed marginally compromised survival, suggesting that all the domains including extracellular domain are necessary for complete rescue. On the other hand, the catalytic activity of PstP is absolutely essential for the in vitro growth. Mice infection experiments establish a definitive role for PstP in pathogen survival within the host. Depletion of PstP from established infections causes pathogen clearance, indicating the continued presence of PstP is necessary for pathogen survival. Taken together, our data suggests an important role for PstP in establishing and maintaining infection, possibly via the modulation of cell division events

A convenient one step anodic synthesis of 3-alkyl indoles

1274-127

Effect of transplanting dates and mulching materials on growth, yield and economics of summer squash (Cucurbita pepo) in Uttarakhand hills

A study was undertaken to investigate the effect of different dates of transplanting and mulching materials on plant growth, yield and economics of summer squash (Cucurbita pepo L.) under rainfed condition in Uttarakhand hills during spring summer season of 2011 and 2012. Summer squash was mulched with black polyethylene, pine needle, FYM and dried leaves along with and without mulched (control) and transplanted at three different dates, i.e. 10 March, 25 March and 9 April in Factorial RBD replicated thrice. During the study, observations on plant height, plant spread, leaf area, days to 50 % flowering, number of harvesting, number of fruits/plant, total yield etc. were recorded. In addition, to assess the profitability of treatments cost of cultivation, net profit and benefit cost ratio were also worked out. Among three transplanting dates, 10 March was found to be best with respect to plant growth characters, total yield (61.35 tonnes/ha), net return (Rupees 452897/ha) and benefit cost ratio (3.82). Similarly, out of four mulches and control, black polyethylene mulch was observed the best with respect to plant growth characters, total yield (68.50 t/ha), net return (Rupees 449732/ha) and benefit cost ratio (3.58). So far interaction between transplanting dates and mulching materials used, out of 15 treatment combinations, D1M1 (transplanting on 10 March under black polyethylene) had recorded maximum yield of 76.03 tonnes/ha along with highest net profit of Rupees 582242/ha and benefit cost ratio of 4.27. Based on overall performance, it could be concluded that under the prevalent climatic condition of Uttarakhand hills, treatment combination D1M1 (transplanting on 10 March under black polyethylene) is the best and most economical treatment, hence, recommended for commercial cultivation at farmers fields, provided all other scientific management practices are followed

A Dynamic Image Analysis Method for Fragmentation Measurement in Blasting

188-201Fragment size optimization with selection of best values of blast design variables is an important process in mine-mill fragmentation system to maximize the system performance. This calls for measurement and analysis of mean fragment size with respect to blast design parameters. Digital image analysis technique is the most accepted method for measurement of blasted fragment sizes and their distribution. For quick assessment of the fragment sizes, a new novel method based on the digital images extracted from a blast video is reported in this paper. Correction factor for the size of fragments, considering the face movement is also proposed. The method has been tested with the help of seven blast data sets. The proposed dynamic image analysis technique can not only be used in fragment size estimation but also to assess the time-progressive size reduction in a blast, which can help designing the delay timing. Further, a possibility to estimate the in-situ block size is also explored with this method. The images of blast fragmentation were extracted from their videos at an interval of 0.08 s. These images were analyzed later for measurement of mean fragment size at respective times. The fragment size of the complete muck generated by the blast was also measured and correlated well with the sizes achieved from video analysis. The analysis revealed that from 0.08 s to 0.56 s from the initiation of the blasts, the fragment size reduction progressed from 58% to 80% of the estimated in-situ rock block sizes. Significant effect of blast design variables and two firing patterns on the mean fragment size was also observed. The analysis suggested that V-type firing pattern provides finer fragment size in comparison to the diagonal firing pattern. The suggested method provides an easy yet fast way for the assessment of blast fragment size

Assessment of genetic variability in mutant lines of greengram (Vigna radiata) using ISSR markers

Out of 40 ISSR primers used in this study, 16 markers resulted in 163 amplifications with an average of 10.25 bands/ primer. Among 163 amplifications, 38 (42.89%) were found to be polymorphic. The genetic similarity coefficients among the mutant lines ranged from 0.88 to 0.99 with a mean value of 0.92. Cluster analysis based on ISSR profile grouped the genotypes into two major clusters which further divided into sub-clusters. The molecular diversity among the mutant lines was greater than that of the morphological diversity which also revealed that considerable amount of genetic variability has been generated through mutagenic treatment. The superiority of mutants AAIMM-10 and AAIMM-24 over the parental line in terms of yield and early maturity respectively proves the relevance of this study