Current Science

P. K. Singh ¹, Sanjeev Kumar ¹, J. Singh ¹

Affiliations
1 Indian Institute of Sugarcane Research, Dilkusha P.O., Lucknow 226 002, IN

Abstract

No Abstract.

Full Text

   

Manju Mary Paul ¹, Anil Rai ¹, Sanjeev Kumar ¹

Affiliations
1 Centre for Agricultural Bioinformatics, Indian Agricultural Statistics Research Institute, Library Avenue, Pusa, New Delhi 110 012, IN

Abstract

Abiotic stress factors severely limit plant growth and development as well as crop yield. There is a great need to develop understanding of plant physiological responses to abiotic stresses in order to improve crop productivity through crop improvement programmes. Proteins play a central role in plant adaptations under stress and hence their identification is important to the biologist. Identification of such proteins by wet lab experimentation is sometimes expensive and timeconsuming. In such a situation, in silico approaches can be used to narrow down this search. In this study, classification of cereal proteins subjected to four different stresses, namely, extreme temperature, drought, salt and abscisic acid (ABA) was undertaken. Classification models were built using support vector machine (SVM) to predict the function of proteins under these abiotic stresses on the basis of 34 physicochemical features extracted from the protein sequence. Specific features of the protein sequence that are highly correlated with certain protein functions were selected by stepwise logistic regression, a feature selection method. SVM was trained using different kernel functions and cross-validated using 10-fold crossvalidation technique. Prediction precision was assessed through different measures such as sensitivity, specificity and accuracy. The accuracy of protein function prediction using SVM with different kernel functions ranges from 60% to 100%.

Keywords

Abiotic Stress, Cross-validation, Physicochemical Properties, Proteins, Support Vector Machine.

Full Text

   

P. S. Bhavya ¹, Sanjeev Kumar ¹, G. V. M. Gupta ², K. V. Sudharma ², V. Sudheesh ², K. R. Dhanya ²

Affiliations
1 Physical Research Laboratory, Navrangpura, Ahmedabad 380 009, IN
2 Centre for Marine Living Resources and Ecology, Ministry of Earth Sciences, Kendriya Bhavan, Cochin 682 037, IN

Abstract

Detailed measurements of carbon (C) isotopic composition in dissolved inorganic (δ ¹³C_DIC) and particulate organic (δ ¹³C_POC) fractions were conducted at 18 stations in the Cochin estuary during the post-monsoon season. In general, C biogeochemistry of different regions of the Cochin estuary appears to be regulated by different sources and processes. The northern zone of the estuary appears to be influenced primarily by mixing of sea water enriched in ¹³C_POC and ¹³C_DIC, and river run-off depleted in the same. In contrast, the southern zone of the estuary was found to be greatly influenced by local terrestrial sources. Relatively depleted ¹³C_POC in the freshwater Vembanad lake compared to the main estuary suggests inputs from terrestrial sources along with in situ productivity.

Keywords

Carbon Isotopic Composition, Estuary, Particulate Organic Matter, Terrestrial Sources.

Full Text

   

Neha ¹, Dhananjay Kumar ¹, Preeti Shukla ¹, Sanjeev Kumar ¹, Kuldeep Bauddh ², Jaya Tiwari ¹, Neetu Dwivedi ¹, S. C. Barman ³, D. P. Singh ¹, Narendra Kumar ¹

Affiliations
1 Department of Environmental Science, Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University, Lucknow 226 025, IN
2 Centre for Environmental Sciences, Central University of Jharkhand, Ranchi 835 205, IN
3 Environmental Monitoring Division, Indian Institute of Toxicology Research, Lucknow 226 001, IN

Abstract

River Gomti receives treated/untreated industrial as well as municipal wastes from various drains of Lucknow city, India. In order to study heavy metal pollution (Cd, As, Pb and Cu) in the river, water and sediment samples were collected from 10 sampling stations along a 9 km stretch in the city of Lucknow. Results revealed that the concentrations of heavy metals in water samples were in the range: As: 0.035-0.061, Cd: 0.016-0.068, Cu: 0.029-0.062 and Pb: 0.031-0.065 mg l^-1 whereas in sediments metal concentrations were found to be As: 3.72-14.98, Cd: 1.91-8.39, Cu: 8.97-95.35 and 35.82-90.92 μg g^-1. Bioaccumulation of these metals was assessed in four aquatic macrophytes, viz. Pistia stratiotes, Eichhornia crassipes, Polygonum coccineum and Marsilea quadrifolia. Pistia stratiotes and Polygonum coccineum accumulated maximum amount of Pb followed by Cu, Cd and As, whereas in the case of Eichhornia crassipes and Marsilea quadrifolia the relative metal accumulation pattern was found as Cu > Cd > Pb > As and Cu > Pb > Cd > As respectively. The present study suggests that though the concentrations of toxic metals were lower in water, chronic exposure could result in bioaccumulation to a degree many-fold higher than in growing medium. It was also concluded that the water and sediment of the river should be regularly monitored for heavy metal contamination and care should be taken while using river water in agriculture/ aquaculture.

Keywords

Bioaccumulation, Gomti River, Heavy Metals, Macrophytes, Sediments.

Full Text

   

Sanjeev Kumar ¹, Krishna Kumar Dhote ¹

Affiliations
1 Department of Architecture and Planning, Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology, Bhopal 462 003, IN

Abstract

Neighbourhood is a spatial self-contained residential colony maintaining effective socio-economic control within a city. The study presumes that people’s preference for residential location and choice of facilities might be a robust predictor of their neighbourhood demand. Their preferences reflect in terms of land value. GIS-based spatial contour model was used to examine whether the effect of residential preferences varied in terms of residential land value. The study found significant variations in residents’ preferences for accessible facilities in a city. The finding reveals that preferences for residential choice depend on many factors. Residents are willing to pay for easily accessible facilities which could be observed in the residential land value contour model of GIS.

Keywords

Accessible Facilities, Contour Model, Neighbourhood Preferences, Residential Land Value.

Full Text

   

K. Rajan ¹, P. Raja ¹, D. Dinesh ², Sanjeev Kumar ³, B. P. Bhatt ³, U. Surendran ⁴, Deo Karan ⁵, B. P. Bhaskar ⁶

Affiliations
1 ICAR-Indian Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Research Centre, Udhagamandalam 643 004, IN
2 ICAR-Indian Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Research Centre, Vasad 388 306, IN
3 ICAR Research Complex for the Eastern Region, PO: Bihar Veterinary College, Patna 800 013, IN
4 Centre for Water Resources Development and Management, Calicut 673 571, IN
5 Krishi Vigyan Kendra, ICAR Research Complex for Eastern Region, Buxar 802 103, IN
6 ICAR-National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Regional Centre, Bengaluru 560 024, IN

Abstract

Soil potential to store organic carbon was assessed in the hot sub-humid dry Agro-Ecological Region (AER) of the Indo-Gangetic Plains under Recent alluvium of southern Bihar, India. The study was carried out in four prevailing cropping systems, viz. Rice–Wheat– Fallow (R–W–F), Pearl millet–Wheat–Fallow (P–W– F), pigeon pea (monoculture) and vegetable cultivation. Two different recovery factors were used to estimate Total Organic Carbon (TOC), which yielded similar results. The Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) was found highest in pigeon pea-grown soils (69.2 tonnes ha^–1) followed by R–W–F (56.2 tonnes ha^–1) and vegetable cultivation (55.8 tonnes ha^–1). The lowest SOC stock was found with P–W–F (19.2 tonnes ha^–1). The differences in SOC stock between pigeon pea and that of rice–wheat, vegetables and pearl millet–wheat are 13.0, 13.4 and 50.0 t ha^–1 respectively, that are the quantity of organic carbon can be sequestered further in these three land uses from 47.71, 49.12 and 183.50 tonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere respectively. Highly significant positive correlation of soil qualities parameters such as available nitrogen (r² = 0.25), copper (r² = 0.45), zinc (r² = 0.31) and dehydrogenase activity (r² = 0.44) was found with SOC stock under the hot, sub-humid, dry, AER of southern Bihar. Similar assessment can be done in any AER and the potential of soils can be identified to increase carbon sequestration from the atmosphere.

Keywords

Agro-Ecological Region, Cropping Systems, Organic Carbon Stock, Recent Alluvium, Soil Quality.

Full Text

   

Sanjeev Kumar ¹, Krishna Kumar Dhote ¹

Affiliations
1 Department of Architecture and Planning, Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology, Bhopal 462 003, IN

Abstract

Urbanization in India has led to the development of new urban centres and an increase in the number of million-plus cities. The planning principles keep on evolving with time. In India, these principles are implemented through development plans. This study examines the extent to which Indian urban planning policies address contemporary urban planning principles in the perspective of rapidly evolving global urban policies. Development plans of 13 million-plus state capital cities across India have been analysed following grounded theory. The study reveals that Indian cities are not completely embracing global contemporary urban planning principles in their development plans, and the provision of these principles also differs among cities. The study proposes suggestive planning measures which might be incorporated in the urban planning process to address the challenges arising out of complexities of urbanization. The study explores how development plans endorse and implement particular urban development strategies and more generally, contributes to enforcement of contemporary urban planning principles. The goal of the study is to establish a link between contemporary urban development principles articulated through the development plans.

Keywords

Development Plans, Grounded Theory, Million-Plus Cities, Urban Planning Principles.

Full Text

   

Y. P. Sharma ¹, S. A. J. Hashmi ¹, Roshi Sharma ¹, Sanjeev Kumar ¹, R. K. Manhas ²

Affiliations
1 Department of Botany, University of Jammu, Jammu 180 006, IN
2 Department of Botany, Government Degree College, Basohli 184 201, IN

Abstract

The present study was conducted at 10 sites in Kishtwar High Altitude National Park (KHANP), Jammu and Kashmir, India, with the objective to analyse the diver­sity and distribution of macrofungal communities. A total of 40 permanent plots (four plots in each site) were established and macrofungal fruiting bodies were recorded monthly from each plot between July 2015 and October 2017. Diversity indices and canonical correspondence analysis were applied to determine the composition and environmental factors responsible for structuring the macrofungal communities in the study area. In total, 83 wild macrofungal species were identified belonging to 35 genera, 24 families and 9 orders. Humicolous fungi were the most dominant group of macrofungi contributing 71.8% of the total dominance, followed by lignicolous fungi (11.8%). The distribution of fruiting bodies of macrofungal species was mainly in groups, i.e. aggregated pattern (75.9%). The diversity indices varied from 20 to 37 (richness), 2.04 to 3.16 (Menhinick), 4.14 to 7.25 (Margalef ), 0.03 to 0.06 (Simpson’s dominance), 2.91 to 3.49 (Shannon–Wiener’s diversity), 0.86 to 0.95 (evenness), 7.69 to 16.29 (Fisher’s alpha) and 0.05 to 0.12 (Berger–Parker diversity). Canonical correspondence analysis revea­led that Scleroderma verrucosum, Boletus granulatus and Ramaria formosa were the most important species, and that mean temperature and rainfall were the key environmental factors responsible for the diversity and distribution of macrofungi in the present study.

Keywords

Agaricomycetes, Diversity and Distribution, Environmental Factors, Macrofungal Communities, National Park

Full Text

   

Shantanu Singh ¹, Krishna Kumar Dhote ¹, Sanjeev Kumar ¹

Affiliations
1 Department of Architecture and Planning, Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology, Bhopal 462 003, IN

Abstract

Urban areas of the present and future can be sustainably transformed by involving community participation in decision-making because of their local knowledge. Most of0 the Indian cities have water management problems like accessibility, availability, quality, adequate infrastructure and user charges. Urban water management is one of the prime responsibilities of urban local bodies in India, but there is no provision to assess public satisfaction. This study focuses on the assessment of the satisfaction level of the public on urban water management in Central India to improve the efficiency of urban water. The methodology and proposed framework will help in distinguishing the poor functioning among water attributes that need to be strengthened to maximize the efficiency of the water management system.

Keywords

Assessment Framework, City-Planners, Community Participation, Public Satisfaction, Urban Water Management.

Full Text

   

Shantanu Singh ¹, Krishna Kumar Dhote ², Sanjeev Kumar ²

Affiliations
1 Department of Architecture and Planning, Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology, Bhopal 462 003, India., IN
2 Department of Architecture and Planning, Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology, Bhopal 462 003, India., IN

Abstract

The implementation of global, modern urban planning principles has influenced India’s new urban planning and development schemes, which are outlined in statutory development plans. This study assesses the level of preparedness of Indian cities to implement these schemes by evaluating the extent to which their development plan policies address global, modern urban principles. The policies were graded for each principle, and the cities were ranked based on their total grade. The study reveals that Indian cities have not fully adopted modern urban principles in their development plan policies, and there are significant variations in the implementation of these principles across different cities.

Keywords

City Rank, Development Plan, Modern Principles, Scheme Implementation, Urban Planning.

Full Text