https://www.i-scholar.in/index.php/CURS/issue/feed Current Science 2024-02-22T05:52:37+00:00 R.Srinivasan currsci@ias.ernet.in Open Journal Systems Current Science, published every fortnight by the Association, in collaboration with the Indian Academy of Sciences, is the leading interdisciplinary science journal from India. It was started in 1932 by the then stalwarts of Indian science such as CV Raman, Birbal Sahni, Meghnad Saha, Martin Foster and S.S. Bhatnagar. In 2011, the journal completed one hundred volumes. The journal is intended as a medium for communication and discussion of important issues that concern science and scientific activities. Besides full length research articles and shorter research communications, the journal publishes review articles, scientific correspondence and commentaries, news and views, comments on recently published research papers, opinions on scientific activity, articles on universities, Indian laboratories and institutions, interviews with scientists, personal information, book reviews, etc. It is also a forum to discuss issues and problems faced by science and scientists and an effective medium of interaction among scientists in the country and abroad. Current Science is read by a large community of scientists and the circulation has been continuously going up. https://www.i-scholar.in/index.php/CURS/article/view/224099 In this Issue 2024-02-21T12:43:17+00:00 K. P. Madhu scienceandmediaworkshops@gmail.com No Abstract. 2023-11-10T00:00:00+00:00 https://www.i-scholar.in/index.php/CURS/article/view/224100 Good Science Writing in the Days of AI and ChatGPT 2024-02-21T12:54:11+00:00 Yatheendra Joshi yateendra.joshi@gmail.com No Abstract. 2023-11-10T00:00:00+00:00 https://www.i-scholar.in/index.php/CURS/article/view/224101 Importance of STEM Education for Rural Women 2024-02-21T12:54:11+00:00 S. K. Varshney skvdst@nic.in N. K. Prasanna No Abstract. 2023-11-10T00:00:00+00:00 https://www.i-scholar.in/index.php/CURS/article/view/224102 Current Science Reports 2024-02-21T12:54:11+00:00 Sheikh Aneaus scienceandmediaworkshops@gmail.com Manish Kumar Tekam scienceandmediaworkshops@gmail.com Manish Kumar Tekam scienceandmediaworkshops@gmail.com A. Karthic scienceandmediaworkshops@gmail.com A. Karthic scienceandmediaworkshops@gmail.com Sileesh Mulasseri scienceandmediaworkshops@gmail.com Sileesh Mulasseri scienceandmediaworkshops@gmail.com M. S. Induja scienceandmediaworkshops@gmail.com M. S. Induja scienceandmediaworkshops@gmail.com A. Anuradha scienceandmediaworkshops@gmail.com A. Anuradha scienceandmediaworkshops@gmail.com M. S. Shivakumar scienceandmediaworkshops@gmail.com M. S. Shivakumar scienceandmediaworkshops@gmail.com K. Yashkamal scienceandmediaworkshops@gmail.com K. Yashkamal scienceandmediaworkshops@gmail.com Ajesh K. Zachariah scienceandmediaworkshops@gmail.com Ajesh K. Zachariah scienceandmediaworkshops@gmail.com No Abstract. 2023-11-10T00:00:00+00:00 https://www.i-scholar.in/index.php/CURS/article/view/224103 Learning Botany in the Field: Can We Afford to Give it a Miss? 2024-02-22T05:31:22+00:00 Sunil Dutta Purohit sdp_1956@live.in No Abstract. 2023-11-10T00:00:00+00:00 https://www.i-scholar.in/index.php/CURS/article/view/224104 Camera-Trapping Records of Indian Pangolin (<i>Manis crassicaudata</i>) from Shergarh Wildlife Sanctuary in the Semi-Arid Western Indian Landscape 2024-02-21T12:54:11+00:00 Prayas Auddy Kaushik Koli Ayan Sadhu sadhuayan@gmail.com Sedu Ram Yadav Alok Nath Gupta Qamar Qureshi Yadvendradev V. Jhala No Abstract. 2023-11-10T00:00:00+00:00 https://www.i-scholar.in/index.php/CURS/article/view/224105 SERB-SURE Scheme in India: Early Indicators and Recommendations 2024-02-21T12:54:11+00:00 Perminder Jit Kaur Monika Agarwal monika@serb.gov.in Akhilesh Gupta State-level institutes have an important role in strengthening the national STI ecosystem. SERB-SURE scheme was launched in 2022 to support research at state-level institutes to strengthen the national STI ecosystem. The scheme also promotes researchers with no ongoing/completed project proposals under SERB and thus is a platform to appraise the upcoming talent pool of the country. The details of proposals submitted and recommended have been gathered from the PRISM website and SERB online portal. The present article quantitatively analyses the trend of project proposal submission and approval based on parameters such as gender, state, institute type and subject area between the financial year 2022–23. Based on these early indicators, some recommendations for promoting research at state-level institutes are provided here. 2023-11-10T00:00:00+00:00 https://www.i-scholar.in/index.php/CURS/article/view/224106 Maintaining Agricultural Sustainability through Carbon Footprint Management 2024-02-21T12:54:11+00:00 Sumit Sow Shivani Ranjan ranjanshivani54@gmail.com Biswaranjan Behera Mainak Ghosh Sanjay Kumar Swaraj Kumar Dutta Global awareness of climate change issues, particularly changes in air temperature, has increased dramatically over the last half a century. Concerns regarding ecosystem sustainability and human existence on Earth arise due to population expansion, rising surface temperatures and increased greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Agriculture accounts for approximately 18% of the total GHG emissions, largely in the form of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide. As a result, limiting GHG emissions is critical to alleviating the consequences of climate change, which is attainable if the concept of carbon footprint is understood. Cereal production produces more GHG emissions than other farming methods, including vegetables and fruits. ‘Carbon footprint’ is a popular term in agriculture and environmental research due to its involvement in environmental impact assessments and global climate change. GHG emissions are influenced by changes in land use, soil type and agricultural management approaches. Therefore, it is important to consider how agricultural management practices, particularly those involving the soil and related systems, affect the relationships between photosynthesis and GHG emissions. This study deals with the concept of carbon footprint in agriculture and various mitigation measures for its management. 2023-11-10T00:00:00+00:00 https://www.i-scholar.in/index.php/CURS/article/view/224107 Preliminary Insights into the Impact between Photovoltaic Installations and Climate Change 2024-02-21T12:54:11+00:00 Roshan R. Rao Monto Mani monto@iisc.ac.in Solar photovoltaic (PV) installations are growing exponentially globally, with a rising fraction of solar PVs in the renewable energy mix. Climate change is also expected to influence PV installations worldwide. Understanding the climate change impact on PV installations has been the scope of many recent studies. This article reviews recent studies on climate change impacts on PV installations based on the present scenario, and examines the effect of rising temperatures on the performance and service life of PV installations. On the contrary, PV installations may also cause an increase in the local ambient temperature. The impact of PV installations on the local and global climate is yet to be established. Comprehensive studies need to be undertaken to examine the impact between climate change and the performance of PV installations. 2023-11-10T00:00:00+00:00 https://www.i-scholar.in/index.php/CURS/article/view/224108 Tectonic Restoration of the Achankovil Suture Zone, South India: Correlation with Ranotsara Shear Zone, Madagascar 2024-02-21T12:54:11+00:00 Mallipeddi Prasanthi Lakshmi prasanti_mp@ngri.res.in Thadikonda Sambasivarao Shaik Parveen Begum The total magnetic intensity (TMI) image of the southernmost part of the Indian peninsular shield exhibits a conspicuous NW–SE trending mega lineament of 200 km, associated with Achankovil Suture Zone (AKSZ) across the Southern Granulite Terrain (SGT) that evolved during East African Orogeny. This crustal scale anomaly of 200 nT amplitude, is significant to understand the regional tectonics and the possible linkage between AKSZ and Ranotsara Shear Zone (RSZ) of Madagascar. The structural trends are inferred from magnetic data surrounding AKSZ and RSZ to reconstruct the Gondwana fragments of the SGT and south Madagascar. The aeromagnetic images of conjugate rifted fragments of this part of India and Madagascar are connected well on both sides: the Madurai block with Antananarivo domain and Trivandrum block with Anosyan domain, north and south of AKSZ–RSZ respectively. Magnetic modelling across AKSZ reveals a hidden subsurface basic body suggesting a deep geofracture. We infer the sequence of tectonic development of the AKSZ as: (i) the subduction–accretion process in amalgamation of continental fragments to form Gondwana supercontinent during the Late Neoproterozoic and (ii) Pan-African exhumation of anomalous sub-crustal material. 2023-11-10T00:00:00+00:00 https://www.i-scholar.in/index.php/CURS/article/view/224109 Technique for Breast Cancer Classification Using Semi-supervised Deep Convolutional Neural Networks with Transfer Learning Models 2024-02-22T05:43:18+00:00 R. K. Chandana Mani J. Kamalakannan jkamalakannan@vit.ac.in Breast cancer affects several women worldwide every year. The survival rate of breast cancer depends on numerous factors. Early diagnosis and treatment are the most practical approaches to managing this disease. Deep learning-assisted cancer diagnosis is an effective technology for doctors to detect breast cancer quickly. Here, we propose a novel deep convolutional neural network-based transfer learning model for the accurate and most effective classification of breast cancer among women. This model is built using the pre-trained model. Inception-V3Net. First, the model is built with binary classification and then utilized to classify breast cancer histopathological images on a multi-class basis. The highest average accuracy attained by the proposed model is 94.8% when assessed under various magnifying factors. The final outcome of the proposed approach proves it to be more reliable and robust than the existing models. The proposed semi-supervised model of breast cancer classification is validated using the BreakHis public dataset. The result of the proposed CNN-built deep transfer learning approach is found to be better than the existing methods. 2023-11-10T00:00:00+00:00 https://www.i-scholar.in/index.php/CURS/article/view/224110 Factors Hindering the Adoption of Innovations in the Arid Agro-Ecosystems of India 2024-02-21T12:54:11+00:00 Shirish Sharma shirishwm@gmail.com N. P. Singh P. C. Ranjith This study deals with the factors hindering the adoption of innovations in the arid agro-ecosystems of India. Adoption of agricultural technologies helps increase agricultural output, which can impact poverty levels and environmental degradation. The present study was conducted in Rajasthan, India, to identify the technology adoption of agricultural households and various socio-economic and socio-personal factors affecting the same. Among several coping strategies for climate vulnerability, other than a shift towards rainfed crops, reducing the number of irrigations, deepening existing wells and advancing or delaying irrigation were common in the arid ecosystems. Some important policy measures have been drawn from this study. First, the sustainable development of groundwater resources, particularly in the low-productive eastern region, would go a long way in improving agricultural productivity in the country. Agricultural productivity can also be improved by increasing fertilizer use. Second, it proves cost-reducing technologies and creates awareness of better resource-saving options for better returns. Finally, advisory services and the availability of extension personnel are important in rural development. 2023-11-10T00:00:00+00:00 https://www.i-scholar.in/index.php/CURS/article/view/224111 Predicting Potential Distribution, Range Change and Niche Dynamics for <i>Saraca asoca</i> (Roxb.) De Wilde: A Threatened Medicinal Plant under Climatic Change 2024-02-21T12:54:11+00:00 Monalisa Jena Manas Ranjan Mohanta Bipin Charles N. A. Aravind G. Ravikanth Sudam Charan Sahu sudamsahu.bdk@gmail.com In the Anthropocene era, understanding the impact of climate change on niche shift, species distribution, and habitat change is increasingly important for the conservation of biodiversity. In this respect, species distribution models have been considered an important tool over the last decade. The present study illustrates distributional change, niche dynamics and climatic shifts of <em>Saraca asoca</em> (Roxb.) De Wilde in India, a proven medicinal plant and a listed threatened species by IUCN, under different climate change scenarios using MaxEnt. The robustness of the model was satisfactory (AUC = 0.936), indicating a good fit. There could be a significant gain in suitable habitat between the present and future scenarios, ranging from a minimum of 52,275.17 km<sup>2</sup> (RCP 2.6) to a maximum of 95,994.62 km<sup>2</sup> (RCP 4.5). In the future, the suitable habitat range would shift towards colder regions of India, where cultivation of <em>S. asoca</em> could be taken up, thus enabling effective management of the natural habitat and population of the species. This study will help understand the effects of climate change on <em>S. asoca</em> and its implications for conservation of the species. 2023-11-10T00:00:00+00:00 https://www.i-scholar.in/index.php/CURS/article/view/224112 <i>Nimbia</i>: The Discoid Organisms from Ediacaran Sonia Sandstone of Jodhpur Group, Marwar Supergroup, Western India 2024-02-21T12:54:11+00:00 Hukmaram Anshul Harsh Pawan Kumar V. S. Parihar geoparihar@gmail.com In this study, we report well-preserved fossil remains of <em>Nimbia</em> from the Ediacaran Sonia Sandstone of Jodhpur Group, Marwar Supergroup in the Sursagar area of Jodhpur district, Rajasthan, western India. Here, two species of <em>Nimbia</em>, namely <em>Nimbia occlusa</em> and <em>Nimbia dniesteri</em>, have been recorded on medium- to fine-grained sandstone bedding surfaces. The <em>N. occlusa</em> forms are circular to ovate and elliptical imprints with a smooth and flat central part and enclosed by a single thick, annular marginal rim, whereas the <em>N. dniesteri</em> remains are circular to sub-circular discoid impressions with a trapezoidal structure. Here, the recorded <em>N. occlusa</em> is common compared to the <em>N. dniesteri</em> fossil forms in the Ediacaran Sonia Sandstone. These <em>Nimbia</em> fossil forms are found in the Sonia Sandstone in terrestrial to marginal marine habitats with moderate hydrodynamic forces. 2023-11-10T00:00:00+00:00 https://www.i-scholar.in/index.php/CURS/article/view/224113 Transformative Impact of Various Groundwater Recharge and Water Conservation Measures on Different Aquifer Systems in India 2024-02-22T05:52:37+00:00 Subhra Satapathy subhra-cgwb@gov.in Mohanavelu Senthil Kumar Ranjan Kumar Ray Ratikanta Nayak Sunil Kumar Groundwater contributes to 9% of India’s GDP; 64% of irrigation, 85% of rural water supply and over 50% of urban water demand. Over the last decade, 54% of India’s shallow wells became defunct due to declining groundwater levels and thus deep wells have been constructed. This shift to deeper wells has led to more groundwater withdrawal than natural recharge resulting in over-extraction. Most of States and Central Govern­ment agencies focus on groundwater recharge and conservation to address sustainability through schemes like Jal Shakti Abhiyan and MGNREGA. these interve­ntions between 2017 and 2020 led to a notable 12.46 bcm increase in groundwater resources in hard-rock aquifers. This study’s findings would assist policymakers and administrators in evaluating the effectiveness of schemes for different aquifer, and drawing their attention to suggests design changes for more effective recharge of groundwater. 2023-11-10T00:00:00+00:00 https://www.i-scholar.in/index.php/CURS/article/view/224114 RNA Sequencing-Based Identification of Candidate Hypersensitive Transcripts in <i>Perna viridis</i> 2024-02-21T12:54:11+00:00 Srinivasa Raghavan Vasudevan vetvsr@gmail.com Vinaya Kumar Katneni Sudheesh K. Prabhudas Karthic Krishnan The Asian Green Lipped mussel, <em>Perna viridis</em> one of the widely distributed bivalves act as a source of low cost protein providing nutritious meal to the coastal population in the form of well balanced amino acids and micronutrients. The immune system produces antibodies to certain class of proteins present in shellfish meat thereby causing hypersensitive reactions in the body. The next generation integrated transcriptome sequencing approach identifies all the potential allergenic proteins expressed in an animal very effectively. The present study describes the transcriptome of <em>P. viridis</em> based on the sequence data generated using five tissues. Transcriptome level candidate allergens and epitopes were observed and identified that might play a role in hypersensitive reaction to shellfish proteins including certain novel candidate allergens like Ran protein and a filamin A like protein. The existence of epitope hotspots in an important protein, arginine kinase was also observed and the unigenes identified would be a valuable resource for conduct of functional studies. 2023-11-10T00:00:00+00:00 https://www.i-scholar.in/index.php/CURS/article/view/224115 Annual Review of Neuroscience, 2022 2024-02-21T12:54:12+00:00 Kaviraja Udupa kaviudupa@gmail.com No Abstract. 2023-11-10T00:00:00+00:00 https://www.i-scholar.in/index.php/CURS/article/view/224116 Threats to the Arctic 2024-02-21T12:54:12+00:00 Rahul Mohan rahulmohan@ncpor.res.in No Abstract. 2023-11-10T00:00:00+00:00