Application of Analytic Hierarchy Process in Engineering Education

Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) provides a mathematical technique to formulate a problem as a hierarchical structure and believes in an amalgamation of quantitative and qualitative criteria. It is this uniqueness of AHP that makes it one of the important inclusive systems, considered to make decisions with multiple criteria. This paper focuses on conducting Analytic Hierarchy Process, based on the data collected from several Engineering colleges in the state of Telangana. This paper aims to understand the reasons for removing the staple Engineering streams such as Mechanical engineering, Production engineering, Electronics and Instrumentation engineering and introducing new and contemporary streams such as Artificial Intelligence and Data Science, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning and Internet of Things. The World Economic Forum’s latest “Future of Jobs” report highlights the impact of ‘double disruption’ of Automation, followed by COVID-19. The report indicates that while 85 million jobs will be displaced, 47% of core skills will change by 2025. The topic thus is of immense value since it looks closely at the paradigm shift mentioned above and its further consequences. The result of the present study would be helpful to indicate the exact rankings of the programming and non-programming branches in the engineering field and thus would be instrumental in gauging learners’ inclination towards studying specific branches. This paper aims to analyze the growing demand of programming branches over traditional, non-programming branches.

Photorespiration in C<SUB>3</SUB>-C<SUB>4</SUB> intermediate species of Alternanthera and Parthenium: reduced ammonia production and increased capacity of CO<SUB>2</SUB> refixation in the light

The pattern of photorespiratory ammonia (PR–NH3) formation and its modulation by exogenous bicarbonate or glycine were investigated in C3–C4 intermediates of Alternanthera (A. ficoides and A. tenella) and Parthenium hysterophorus in comparison to those of C3 or C4 species. The average rates of PR–NH3 accumulation in leaves of the intermediates were slightly less than (about 25% reduced) those in C3 species, and were further low in C4 plants (40% of that in C3). The levels of PR–NH3 in leaf discs decreased markedly when exogenous bicarbonate was present in the incubation medium. The inhibitory effect of bicarbonate on PR–NH3 accumulation was pronounced in C3 plants, very low in C4 species and was moderate in the C3–C4 intermediates. Glycine, an intermediate of photorespiratory metabolism, raised the levels of PR–NH3 in leaves of not only C4 but also C3–C4 intermediates, bringing the rates close to those of C3 species. The rate of mitochondrial glycine decarboxylation in darkness in C3–C4 intermediates was partially reduced (about 80% of that in C3 species), corresponding to the activity-levels of glycine decarboxylase and serine hydroxymethyltransferase in leaves. The intermediates had a remarkable capacity of reassimilating photorespiratory CO2 in vivo, as indicated by the apparent refixation of about 85% of the CO2 released from exogenous glycine in the light. We suggest that the reduced photorespiration in the C3–C4 intermediate species of Alternanthera and Parthenium is due to both a limitation in the extent of glycine production/decarboxylation and an efficient refixation/recycling of internal CO2

Purification and properties of glycolate oxidase from plants with different photosynthetic pathways: Distinctness of C<SUB>4</SUB> enzyme from that of a C<SUB>3</SUB> species and a C<SUB>3</SUB>-C<SUB>4</SUB> intermediate

Glycolate oxidase (GO; EC 1.1.3.1) was purified from the leaves of three plant species:Amaranthus hypochondriacus L.(NAD-ME type C4 dicot),Pisum sativum L. (C3 species) andParthenium hysterophorus L. (C3-C4. intermediate). A flavin moiety was present in the enzyme from all the three species. The enzyme from the C4 plant had a low specific activity, exhibited lower KM for glycolate, and required a lower pH for maximal activity, compared to the C3 enzyme. The enzyme from the C4 species oxidized glyoxylate at &lt;10% of the rate with glycolate, while the GO from the C3 plant oxidized glyoxylate at a rate of about 35 to 40% of that with glycolate. The sensitivity of GO from C4 plant to α-hydroxypyridinemethane sulfonate, 2-hydroxy-3-butynoate and other inhibitors was less than that of the enzyme from C3 source. The properties of GO from Parthenium hysterophorus, were similar to those of the enzyme fromPisum sativum. The characteristics of glycolate oxidase from leaves of a C4 plant, Amaranthus hypochondriacus are different from those of the C3 species or the C3-C4 intermediate

Patterns of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase activity and cytosolic pH during light activation and dark deactivation in C<SUB>3</SUB> and C<SUB>4</SUB> plants

The rate and extent of light activation of PEPC may be used as another criterion to distinguish C3 and C4 plants. Light stimulated phosphoenolypyruvate carboxylase (PEPC) in leaf discs of C4 plants, the activity being three times greater than that in the dark but stimulation of PEPC was limited about 30% over the dark-control in C3 species. The light activation of PEPC in leaves of C3 plants was complete within 10 min, while maximum activation in C4 plants required illumination for more than 20 min, indicating that the relative pace of PEPC activation was slower in C4 plants than in C3 plants. Similarly, the dark-deactivation of the enzyme was also slower in leaves of C4 than in C3 species. The extent of PEPC stimulation in the alkaline pH range indicated that the dark-adapted form of the C4 enzyme is very sensitive to changes in pH. The pH of cytosol-enriched cell sap extracted from illuminated leaves of C4 plants was more alkaline than that of dark-adapted leaves. The extent of such light-dependent alkalization of cell sap was three times higher in C4 leaves than in C3 plants. The course of light-induced alkalization and dark-acidification of cytosol-enriched cell sap was markedly similar to the pattern of light activation and dark-deactivation of PEPC in Alternanthera pungens, a C4 plant. Our report provides preliminary evidence that the photoactivation of PEPC in C4 plants may be mediated at least partially by the modulation of cytosolic pH