Browsing by Author "Pradeep Kumar"

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A coumarin derived turn ‘off–on-off’ probe for selective sequential monitoring of Al3+ and Cu2+ ions with bio-imaging application
(Elsevier B.V., 2024) Sarita Gond; Avanish Kumar Singh; Pranjalee Yadav; Pradeep Kumar; S. Srikrishna; Vinod P. Singh
Herein, a coumarin-based chemosensor (E)-N'-(1-(2-oxo-2H-chromen-3-yl)ethylidene) thiophene-2-carbohydrazide (ACT) has been synthesized and thoroughly characterized by using various spectroscopic techniques. The molecular structure of the probe has been confirmed by single crystal X-ray diffraction technique. Hirshfeld surface analysis has also been carried out to investigate weaker interactions in the probe molecule. ACT shows a highly selective enhanced fluorometric response towards Al3+ in ethanol among different competing cations. Upon interaction with Al3+, a new complex ACT-Al3+ is formed which displays a strong yellow fluorescence due to chelation enhanced fluorescence process (CHEF). Furthermore, in situ ACT-Al3+ complex is exploited for sequential recognition of Cu2+ with fluorescence turn-off via paramagnetic quenching mechanism among different competing cations. This study presents an exceptionally low detection limits of ACT for Al3+ and Cu2+ ions (2.33 × 10−11 and 1.96 × 10−11 M, respectively). Furthermore, the binding constants of ACT for Al3+ and Cu2+ were found to be 7.97 × 104 and 9.79 × 104 M−1, respectively. The binding mechanism has been verified by 1H NMR titration and DFT calculations. Sensing behaviour of ACT towards Al3+ and Cu2+ have also been exploited in the development of paper strip kit and intracellular application in 3rd instar larvae of Drosophila. © 2024 Elsevier B.V.
A Dual Therapeutic Approach to Diabetes Mellitus via Bioactive Phytochemicals Found in a Poly Herbal Extract by Restoration of Favorable Gut Flora and Related Short-Chain Fatty Acids
(Springer, 2024) Amit Kumar Singh; Pradeep Kumar; Sunil Kumar Mishra; Vishnu D. Rajput; Kavindra Nath Tiwari; Anand Kumar Singh; Tatiana Minkina; Ajay Kumar Pandey; Prabhat Upadhyay
Diabetes mellitus (DM), a metabolic and endocrine condition, poses a serious threat to human health and longevity. The emerging role of gut microbiome associated with bioactive compounds has recently created a new hope for DM treatment. UHPLC-HRMS methods were used to identify these compounds in a poly herbal ethanolic extract (PHE). The effects of PHE on body weight (BW), fasting blood glucose (FBG) level, gut microbiota, fecal short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) production, and the correlation between DM-related indices and gut microbes, in rats were investigated. Chebulic acid (0.368%), gallic acid (0.469%), andrographolide (1.304%), berberine (6.442%), and numerous polysaccharides were the most representative constituents in PHE. A more significant BW gain and a reduction in FBG level towards normal of PHE 600 mg/kg treated rats group were resulted at the end of 28th days of the study. Moreover, the composition of the gut microbiota corroborated the study’s hypothesis, as evidenced by an increased ratio of Bacteroidetes to Firmicutes and some beneficial microbial species, including Prevotella copri and Lactobacillus hamster. The relative abundance of Bifidobacterium pseudolongum, Ruminococcus bromii, and Blautia producta was found to decline in PHE treatment groups as compared to diabetic group. The abundance of beneficial bacteria in PHE 600 mg/kg treatment group was concurrently associated with increased SCFAs concentrations of acetate and propionate (7.26 nmol/g and 4.13 nmol/g). The findings of this study suggest a promising approach to prevent DM by demonstrating that these naturally occurring compounds decreased FBG levels by increasing SCFAs content and SCFAs producing gut microbiota. Graphical Abstract: Flow chart summarizing research on the dual therapeutic approach to diabetes mellitus via bioactive chemicals found in a poly herbal extract and the management of gut microbiota in relation to DM. (SCFAs, short chain fatty acids; SMB53, a genus of bacterial microbiota of small intestine; LPS, lipopolysaccharide) (Figure presented.) © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2024.
A multifunctional coumarin-based probe for distinguishable detection of Cu2+ and Zn2+: its piezochromic, viscochromic and AIE behavior with real sample analysis and bio-imaging applications
(Royal Society of Chemistry, 2023) Aayoosh Singh; Pranjalee Yadav; Saumya Singh; Pradeep Kumar; S. Srikrishna; Vinod P. Singh
A multifunctional coumarin based organic luminophore, CTH, has been synthesized and its fluorescence properties are investigated. The probe displays the properties of aggregation-induced emission (AIE), viscochromism, piezochromism and distinguishable flourometric sensing of Cu2+ and Zn2+ ions. The molecular structure of the probe has been determined by FT-IR, UV-Vis, NMR, and HRMS spectral studies. Powder XRD, dynamic light scattering (DLS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and density functional theory (DFT) calculations have been carried out to explore the photo-physical properties of the synthesized probe. CTH is non-emissive in ethanol, but upon adding water its emission intensity increases by 8-fold and fluorescence quantum yield increases from Φ = 1.19 × 10−3 (fw = 70%) to Φ= 8.50 × 10−3 (fw = 99%), indicating typical AIE behaviour. The probe demonstrates excellent viscochromism with increasing glycerol fraction in EtOH. Upon grinding, the probe exhibits piezochromic properties and shows an emissive color change from blue to bright green along with a bathochromic shift of 83 nm. In addition to the aforementioned properties, the probe selectively discriminates Cu2+ and Zn2+ from a pool of different metal ions in DMF : H2O (3 : 7, v/v, pH 7.4) HEPES buffer. CTH detects Cu2+ and Zn2+ ions via paramagnetic fluorescence quenching and CHEF induced fluorescence enhancement, respectively. Job's plots suggest 1 : 1 binding stoichiometry for both CTH-Cu2+ and CTH-Zn2+ complexes. Significant low detection limits (LODs) of 6.75 nM for Cu2+ and 2.97 nM for Zn2+ have been observed and molecular logic gates have also been constructed. The probe has been effectively utilized in the bio-imaging of Cu2+ and Zn2+ in the gut tissue of Drosophila and in the quantification of Cu2+ and Zn2+ in real water samples. © 2023 The Royal Society of Chemistry.
A network pharmacology approach with experimental validation to discover protective mechanism of poly herbal extract on diabetes mellitus
(Elsevier B.V., 2024) Amit Kumar Singh; Pradeep Kumar; Sunil Kumar Mishra; KavindraNath Tiwari; Anand Kumar Singh; Ajay Kumar Pandey; Ali A. Shati; Mohammad Y. Alfaifi; SeragEldin I. Elbehairi; R.Z. Sayyed
Objective: Polyherbal extracts (PHE) contain six traditional medicinal plants, and the efficacy of the medicinal plants used in the preparation of this PHE has been confirmed for the treatment of diseases like diabetes mellitus (DM). The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and therapeutic mechanism of PHE through a network pharmacology approach to reveal the protective mechanism of Alpha-Tocospiro A (ATA) present in PHE on DM with experimental validation. Methods: In this study, Lipinski's rule (Swiss ADME) and drug-likeness score (MolSoft's) web pages were used to confirm the drug-likeness of identified constituents in PHE. Swiss Target Prediction (STP) genes were found for ATA-related genes. The DisGeNet database was used to screen genes associated with DM. String created a network diagram of the interactions between the ATA and DM genes. Top-scoring genes from the string network through CytoNCA plugged into Cytoscape 3.8.2 were selected as hub genes. In addition, the ShinyGO database is used to predict GO and KEGG pathway enrichment analyses. Results: A total of 675 and 105 therapeutic genes (STP) were associated with all bioactive compounds and ATA in the PHE screen, respectively. Additionally, a maximum of 2,803 DM-related genes (DisGeNet) were observed. Further, in the analysis, 331, 57 potential (intersecting) genes were identified in the correlation between the target genes of all compounds and ATA, respectively, of PHE and the target genes of DM. The identified hub gene “TNF” for both ATA and PHE was found to be precisely strengthened in 49 pathways, along with 14 signaling pathways out of more than 100 enriched KEGG pathways. This study predicted that ATA activates PI3K/Akt and MAPK pathways enriched with TNF by phosphorylating the insulin receptor (IR) β-subunit. The anti-diabetic activity of PHE was found to be good and primarily confirmed by in vitro α-glucosidase enzyme inhibition activity. Conclusion: The anti-diabetic activity of PHE was found to be effective and was confirmed by the enzyme inhibition activity in the primary study. This study predicted that ATA is a novel drug molecule in PHE that has a targeted mechanism of action and therapeutic effect on DM. © 2024 The Author(s)
A statistical significance of differences in classification accuracy of crop types using different classification algorithms
(Taylor and Francis Ltd., 2017) Pradeep Kumar; Rajendra Prasad; Arti Choudhary; Varun Narayan Mishra; Dileep Kumar Gupta; Prashant K. Srivastava
Crop classification is needed to understand the physiological and climatic requirement of different crops. Kernel-based support vector machines, maximum likelihood and normalised difference vegetation index classification schemes are attempted to evaluate their performances towards crop classification. The linear imaging self-scanning (LISS-IV) multi-spectral sensor data was evaluated for the classification of crop types such as barley, wheat, lentil, mustard, pigeon pea, linseed, corn, pea, sugarcane and other crops and non-crop such as water, sand, built up, fallow land, sparse vegetation and dense vegetation. To determine the spectral separability among crop types, the M-statistic and Jeffries–Matusita (J–M) distance methods have been utilised. The results were statistically analysed and compared using Z-test and χ2-test. Statistical analysis showed that the accuracy results using SVMs with polynomial of degrees 5 and 6 were not significantly different and found better than the other classification algorithms. © 2016 Taylor & Francis.
A Stimuli Responsive Multifunctional Smart Luminophore with Aggregation-Induced Enhanced Emission
(John Wiley and Sons Inc, 2025) Aayoosh Singh; Amit Kumar Singh; Pranjalee Yadav; Avanish Kumar Singh; Pradeep Kumar; Saripella Srikrishna; Vinod Prasad Singh
The development of multifunctional luminophores with tunable and stimuli-responsive optical properties is critical for the advancement of sensing, bioimaging, and optoelectronic technologies. Herein, a novel coumarin-based smart luminogen, (E)-N'-(1-(7-(diethylamino)-2-oxo-2H-chromen-3-yl)ethylidene)thiophene-2-carbohydrazide (ETH) is developed that exhibits pronounced multistimuli responsive behavior including aggregation-induced enhanced emission (AIEE), solvatochromism, viscochromism, reversible mechanochromism, and acidochromism. ETH shows solid-state fluorescence modulation on applying mechanical stress and exposing in acid/base vapor, with reversible redshifted emission. The ETH coated paper enables its practical applications in pressure-sensitive devices and portable acid vapor detection kits. In a mixed CH3CN–H2O system, ETH functions as a solvent-controlled dual-mode fluorescent probe, showing a turn-on response to Zn2+ and a turn-off response to Cu2+ with high sensitivity. Job's plot revealed 2:1 ligand-to-metal stoichiometry for Zn2+ and 1:1 for Cu2+. The fluorescent aggregates of ETH enable selective detection of Cu2+ through a disaggregation-induced fluorescence quenching mechanism. A portable cotton-swab-based test kit is developed for practical and on-site detection of Cu2+. ETH demonstrates excellent biocompatibility, as predicted by in vivo fluorescence imaging in Drosophila larval gut tissues. The combination of reversible optical switching, high fluorescence quantum yield and structural adaptability establish ETH as a novel multifunctional material for sensing, live-cell imaging, and smart optoelectronic devices. © 2025 Wiley-VCH GmbH.
A Systematic Review on Emission, Accumulation, Mechanism, and Toxicity Perspective of Micro-Nanoplastics in the Soil–Plant Nexus
(John Wiley and Sons Ltd, 2025) Priyadarshani Rajput; Pradeep Kumar; Swarnendra Banerjee; Vishnu D. Rajput; Chao Qin; Hemant Kumar; Manjeet Kumar Sah Gond; Shivangee Dubey; Ritu Rani; Saglara Sergeevna Mandzhieva; Tatiana Mikhailovna Minkina; Yanzheng Gao
The ubiquitous occurrence of microplastics (MPs) in terrestrial ecosystems has been a significant environmental issue attributable to their recalcitrance and ecotoxicological effects. This review synthesizes the state of knowledge on the contamination of the soil environment by MPs, including sources, transportation processes, adsorption onto soil components, and effects on ecological and human health. It is derived from various human activities and penetrates agricultural soils, urban soils, and natural environments. MPs notably change soil physico-chemical properties by modifying pH and porosity (~88 mg/kg). It suppresses enzymatic activity (LDPE MPs at 0.50% [w/w] β-glucosidase [~31%], urease [~14%] as well as dehydrogenase [~41%]) through adsorption and altering the soil microenvironment and disturbs biological indices of soil (~1000 mg/kg), thereby impacting nutrient cycling, soil fertility, and crop yield (PS at 50 mg L−1 in faba beans). MPs also interact, adsorb (through electrostatic binding), and co-transport heavy metals and pollutants, which increases the toxicity risk in the soil–plant system. In plants, uptake and translocation of MPs (through apoplastic, symplastic, and crack-entry pathways) are dependent on particle size, charge, and plant species. It has been documented in the edible parts, raising concerns about food safety. MPs' vertical and horizontal transfer is facilitated by soil organisms such as earthworms and insects, affecting ecological processes. Research on MNPs has risen from 2009 to 2025, emphasizing their detection in human tissues and their links to endocrine malfunction, reproductive issues, neurotoxicity, and carcinogenesis. This study highlights the immediate necessity for multidisciplinary research, sustainable plastic alternatives, and efficient mitigation strategies to protect health and ecosystems. © 2025 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Acylation of primary amines by O-acyl oximes
(Georg Thieme Verlag, 1979) Pradeep Kumar; Arya K. Mukerjee
[No abstract available]
Advances in Membrane Technology Used in the Wastewater Treatment Process
(wiley, 2021) Naresh K. Sethy; Zeenat Arif; K.S. Sista; P.K. Mishra; Pradeep Kumar; Avinash K. Kushwaha
Water is the most precious and essential requirement for all living beings. Different types of pollutants such as organic and inorganic (heavy metals, dyes, etc.) discharges from industries, agriculture, and households result in high biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), total dissolved solids (TDS), and chemical oxygen demand (COD), degrading water quality and leading to contaminant growth above the permissible limits converting freshwater to wastewater. Conventional water treatment techniques like coagulation, flocculation, adsorption, and distillation are not very efficient because of more chemical usage, large energy consumption, sludge formation, and a huge footprint requirement, and these processes will also lead to the release of secondary pollutants into the environment. One such alternative method with added advantages overcoming the above-mentioned limitations is wastewater treatment using membrane technology. Pressure-driven membrane processes like microfiltration (MF), ultrafiltration (UF), nanofiltration (NF), and reverse osmosis (RO) are being widely used for wastewater treatment applications with high effectiveness and efficiency. Besides known advantages, these technologies also suffer from minor limitations like fouling, permeability, durability, etc., which causes a decline in flux and separation efficiency and reduces the life of the membrane. Modern-day research on membranes is inclined toward the synthesis and development of membranes and membrane-based technologies with superior antifouling, thermal resistance, chemical resistance, permeability, and durability, along with low energy and low cost. In this chapter, the focus is on elucidating pressure-driven membrane technologies being used for wastewater treatment and their recent advancement using various nanomaterials. © 2021 John Wiley & Sons Ltd. All rights reserved.
Aerosol-PM2.5 Dynamics: In-situ and satellite observations under the influence of regional crop residue burning in post-monsoon over Delhi-NCR, India
(Academic Press Inc., 2024) Ram Pravesh Kumar; Ranjit Singh; Pradeep Kumar; Ritesh Kumar; Shadman Nahid; Sudhir Kumar Singh; Charanjeet Singh Nijjar
The increasing air pollution in the urban atmosphere is adversely impacts the environment, climate and human health. The alarming degradation of air quality, atmospheric conditions, economy and human life due to air pollution needs significant in-depth studies to ascertain causes, contributions and impacts for developing and implementing an effective policy to combat these issues. This work lies in its multifaceted approach towards comprehensive understanding and mitigating severe pollution episodes in Delhi and its surrounding areas. We investigated the aerosol dynamics in the post-monsoon season (PMS) from 2019 to 2022 under the influence of both crop residue burning and meteorological conditions. The study involves a broad spectrum of factors, including PM2.5 concentrations, active fire events, and meteorological parameters, shedding light on previously unexplored studies. The average AOD550 (0.79) and PM2.5 concentration (140.12 μg/m³) were the highest in 2019. PM2.5 was higher from mid-October to mid-November each year, exceeding the WHO guideline of 15 μg/m³ (24 h) by 27–34 times, signifying a public health emergency. A moderate to strong correlation between PM2.5 and AOD was found (r = 0.65) in 2021. The hotspot region accounts for almost 50% (2019), 47.51% (2020), 57.91% (2021) and 36.61% (2022) of the total fire events. A statistically significant negative non-linear correlation (r) was observed between wind speed (WS) and both AOD and PM2.5 concentration, influencing air quality over the region. HYSPLIT model and Windrose result show the movement of air masses predominated from the North and North-West direction during PMS. This study suggest to promotes strategies such as alternative waste management, encouraging modern agricultural practices in hot-spot regions, and enforcing strict emission norms for industries and vehicles to reducing air pollution and its detrimental effects on public health in the region and also highlights the need for future possibilities of research to attract the global attention. © 2024 Elsevier Inc.
Aflatoxins in Cereals and Cereal-Based Products: Occurrence, Toxicity, Impact on Human Health, and Their Detoxification and Management Strategies
(MDPI, 2022) Pradeep Kumar; Akansha Gupta; Dipendra Kumar Mahato; Shikha Pandhi; Arun Kumar Pandey; Raveena Kargwal; Sadhna Mishra; Rajat Suhag; Nitya Sharma; Vivek Saurabh; Veena Paul; Manoj Kumar; Raman Selvakumar; Shirani Gamlath; Madhu Kamle; Hesham Ali El Enshasy; Jawahir A. Mokhtar; Steve Harakeh
Cereals and cereal-based products are primary sources of nutrition across the world. However, contamination of these foods with aflatoxins (AFs), secondary metabolites produced by several fungal species, has raised serious concerns. AF generation in innate substrates is influenced by several parameters, including the substrate type, fungus species, moisture content, minerals, humidity, temperature, and physical injury to the kernels. Consumption of AF-contaminated cereals and cereal-based products can lead to both acute and chronic health issues related to physical and mental maturity, reproduction, and the nervous system. Therefore, the precise detection methods, detoxification, and management strategies of AFs in cereal and cereal-based products are crucial for food safety as well as consumer health. Hence, this review provides a brief overview of the occurrence, chemical characteristics, biosynthetic processes, health hazards, and detection techniques of AFs, along with a focus on detoxification and management strategies that could be implemented for food safety and security. © 2022 by the authors.
Ameliorative activity of ethanolic flower extract of Nyctanthes arbor-tristis (L.) against scopolamine-induced amnestic effect and profiling of active compounds using gas chromatography-Mass spectrometry and ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry
(Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications, 2018) Awadhesh Kumar Mishra; Prabhat Upadhyay; Jyoti Dixit; Pradeep Kumar; Kavindra Nath Tiwari; Sunil Kumar Mishra; Raghunath More; Jasmeet Singh
Background: Amnesia state damages the hippocampus and leads to the loss of short-term memory. Nyctanthes arbor-tristis (L.) is used in traditional medicines to treat various ailments. Objective: In the present investigation, we evaluated the efficacy of ethanolic extract of flowers of N. arbor-tristis against scopolamine-induced amnestic effect in male Wister rats and intended to identify the major compounds present in the extract. Materials and Methods: The anti-amnestic profile of flower extract was screened by elevated plus maze (EPM), passive avoidance (PA), and Morris water maze (MWM) tests. Results: EPM test confirmed the anxiolytic effect of the extract in rats and decreased the transfer latency in the protected arm of the EPM. During PA test, the extract resulted significant increase in step-down latencies during both the acquisition and retention sessions. In MWM task, the scopolamine injection significantly prolonged the escape latency time, whereas this time was shortened in flower extract-treated group. For the confirmation of anti-amnestic effect of extract, acetylcholine (Ach) content, acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity, superoxide dismutase (SOD), reduced glutathione (GSH), and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels in hippocampus brain were evaluated. The extract significantly increased ACh content and decreased the activity of AChE in the hippocampus of the brain. Similarly, the extract declined the MDA and increased the GSH and SOD levels in brain tissues. The phytol (RT 19.69) and loliolide (RT 23.50) were identified in the extract through gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis. The four major compounds such as 4-coumaric acid, chlorogenic acid hemihydrate, chalcone, and melatonin were identified using ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Conclusion: The anti-amnestic effect of ethanolic extract of the flower was confirmed. It contains several compounds which might be useful in the treatment and to control several neurodegenerative diseases. © 2019 Pharmacognosy Magazine Published by Wolters Kluwer - Medknow.
An introduction to nanopriming for sustainable agriculture
(IGI Global, 2023) Shreni Agrawal; Richa Das; Shivangee Solanki; Simran Choudhury; Indrani Bhattacharya; Pradeep Kumar; Amit Kumar Singh; Sunil Kumar Mishra; Kavindra Nath Tiwari
Plant seeds are of paramount importance in the agricultural sector as well as plant life cycle, and are being severely threatened by environmental changes such as biotic and abiotic stress, resource deficiency, climate fluctuation, etc. Cue, nano¬priming, a nascent yet innovative approach to seed technology, combining versatility of nanoparticles and engineered nanomaterials with 'seed-priming' to induce adaptive physiological changes, thus, improving seed quality and crop yield. This study reported mechanisms by which nano-priming synchronizes seed germination, breaks seed dormancy, boosts seed vigor, increases tolerance to periodic stress conditions, assists phyto-microbiota to thrive under environmental uncertainties, creates nanopores in shoots along with upregulation of aquaporin genes for better water uptake, and other reported changes at molecular, biochemical level. Withal, this study offers insight on the future of nano-priming when blended with cutting- edge technologies like cold plasma, artificial intelligence, and digital analysis to revolutionize the agrarian sector. © 2023, IGI Global. All rights reserved.
Appraisal on accumulation of nanoenabled agrochemicals in plants with subsequent morphophysiological implications
(Elsevier, 2024) Pradeep Kumar; Kajal Singh; Amit Kumar Singh; Nancy Singh; Sakshi Singh; Vishnu D. Rajput; Tatiana Minkina; Sunil Kumar Mishra; Kavindra Nath Tiwari
The use of agricultural goods that are nanoenabled with nanotechnology, including nanoemulsions, nanoherbicides, nanofertilizers, and nanopesticides, to enhance the efficacy of agrochemical distribution to crop plants has become a more practical option. Many experiments have shown that the use of nanoagrochemicals has the efficacy of lowering the negative effects of chemical-derived fertilizer on the natural environment, in addition to significantly boosting crop yield. Still, new evidence suggests that goods made using nanotechnology not only have the ability to boost agricultural productivity but also bring about changes to the condition of the crop. There have been reports of variations in the amount of carbohydrates, amino acids, and starch present, in addition to the necessary metals. The levels of verbi gratia, albumin, globulin, and prolamin have dramatically increased in rice that has been subjected to CeO2-engineered nanoparticles (ENPs), whereas the levels of calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus have risen in different crops that received treatments treated with CeO2, CuO, and ZnO ENPs. On the other hand, researchers found that Mo and Ni levels dropped in both cucumbers and kidney beans after they were treated with synthetic nanoparticles made of CeO2 and ZnO, respectively. However, brief studies on the particular effects of nanoenabled agrochemical in agricultural area have been disscussed. © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Artificial neural network with different learning parameters for crop classification using multispectral datasets
(Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc., 2016) Pradeep Kumar; Rajendra Prasad; Varun Narayan Mishra; Dileep Kumar Gupta; Arti Choudhary; Prashant K. Srivastava
Present study evaluated the performance of artificial neural network (ANN) algorithm using different learning parameters for various crop classification in Varanasi, India. Satellite images such as Linear Imaging Self Scanning (LISS) IV and Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager (OLI) were used for crop classification and comparative analysis study. The following crop such as barley, wheat, lentil, mustard, pigeon pea, linseed, corn, pea, sugarcane and other crops and non-crop such as water, sand, built up, fallow land, sparse vegetation and dense vegetation were identified in the area and classified. Results indicated a better classification accuracy of ANN algorithm for crop classification study when used with LISS-IV data in the comparison to Landsat 8-OLI multispectral satellite data. The larger values of the learning rates resulted high fluctuations and less classification accuracy using LISS-IV data, while less but nearly uniform results were found using the Landsat 8-OLI data. © 2015 IEEE.
Ascent and descent of composition operators on lp spaces
(Walter de Gruyter GmbH, 2010) Harish Chandra; Pradeep Kumar
Let lp (1 ≤ p ≤ ∞) be the Banach space of all p-summable sequences (bounded sequences for p - ∞) of complex numbers under the standard p-norm on it and Cφ be a composition operator on V induced by a function φ on ℕ into itself. In this paper we give a characterization of composition operators whose ascent and descent are infinite. © 2010 Warsaw University. All rights reserved.
Assessment of atmospheric aerosols over Varanasi: Physical, optical and chemical properties and meteorological implications
(Elsevier Ltd, 2020) Pradeep Kumar; Vineet Pratap; Akhilesh Kumar; Arti Choudhary; Rajendra Prasad; Anuradha Shukla; R.P. Singh; Abhay Kumar Singh
The present paper reports the results derived from PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations during October 2016–May 2018 using MICROTOPS-II Sunphotometer and high volume samplers at Varanasi. Observed data were categorized and analyzed in order to understand the nature, source of origin and variability with seasons. Observations showed aerosol mass loading during the post-monsoon 2016 and winter 2017 as compared to the pre-monsoon 2018 values, which typically exceed national standard. The close relationships between PM2.5 and PM10 during post-monsoon (r = 0.571) and winter (r = 0.799) suggested that both type of particulates might have originated from the same source. Further, the PM2.5/PM10 indicated that the fine particles were dominantly present during the post-monsoon and winter season where as coarse particles were found dominant in the pre-monsoon season. The measured high values of aerosol optical depth (AOD) and angstrom exponent (AE) during post-monsoon and winter attributed to the accumulation of aerosols from sources and biomass/crop residue burning in the surrounding region and low dispersal due to shallow boundary layer and lower wind velocity. In contrast during pre-monsoon months the aerosols were accumulated as a mixture of transported from deserts and other far away regions including mineral from earth crust. The effect of meteorological parameters (temperature, wind speed and relative humidity) was also studied. Temperature did not show any relation during the pre monsoon when it was quite high, whereas during the winter months it showed negative trend with concentration. Wind showed negative correlation during the whole observation period. Relative humidity showed weak positive correlation during winter months for PM2.5 and PM10 where as PM2.5 did not show any relation during pre and post monsoon. PM10 showed weak negative relation during pre monsoon months. In order to understand elemental and ionic composition Scanning electron microscope (SEM) coupled with energy dispersive X-ray microanalyzer (EDX) analysis were done which showed dominant presence of C, F, O, Si, N, Na, K, Al, Ca and S. The following trend SO42− > NO3− > Na+> Ca2+> K+> Cl− > F− > Mg2+> Li+ was observed from the Ion chromatograph (IC) analysis. The source for these elements may have been different industrial activities, biomass burning and vehicular emissions. The results are useful for further planning of city developments and climate studies. © 2020 Elsevier Ltd
Assessment of hydrologic impact on flow regime due to dam inception using IHA framework
(Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH, 2023) Ashish Kumar; Vinod Kumar Tripathi; Pradeep Kumar; Amitava Rakshit
In the last century, thousands of dams and diversions have been built to regulate the streamflow, resulting in water impoundment in the upstream and frequent drought conditions in the downstream. It has pressured researchers to study flow regime change and its complication on the downstream biota. The present study planned to develop a framework for trend analyzing of river flow and detecting flow regime change after the inception of Isapur and Arunavati dams, situated on the upstream side of Penganga bridge. Mann–Kendall (MK) and Sen’s slope estimator for trend analysis and Indicators of Hydrologic Alteration (IHA) for flow regime alteration analysis were utilized. A total 26 parameters showed negatively altered flow regime with a magnitude varying from − 5.56 to − 100%. Fourteen altered parameters were modified drastically (more than 50% decrease) with the highest modification in 30-day maximum (100%) post-single dam inception. a total of 13 parameters were negatively altered with alteration value − 9.09 to − 86.36% post-double dam inception, out of which, three parameters were severely altered, with the highest alteration in the month of June. The period (1983–1994) was more altered than 1995–2016. This shows that Isapur dam has higher impact on flow regime change than Arunavati dam. Information about alteration of hydrological parameters will be helpful to improve the water flow regulation at Isapur and Arunavati dams for restoring river ecology on the downstream side. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.
Augmenting progress on the elimination of vertical transmissions of HIV in India: Insights from Spectrum-based HIV burden estimations
(Public Library of Science, 2023) Pradeep Kumar; Chinmoyee Das; Udayabhanu Das; Arvind Kumar; Nidhi Priyam; Varsha Ranjan; Damodar Sahu; Sanjay K. Rai; Sheela V. Godbole; Elangovan Arumugam; P.V.M. Lakshmi; Shanta Dutta; H. Sanayaima Devi; Arvind Pandey; Dandu Chandra Sekhar Reddy; Sanjay Mehendale; Shobini Rajan
The government of India has adopted the elimination of vertical transmission of HIV as one of the five high-level goals under phase V of the National AIDS and STD Control Programme (NACP). In this paper, we present the data from HIV estimations 2021 for India and select States detailing the progress as well as the attributable causes for vertical transmissions. The NACP spearheads work on mathematical modelling to estimate HIV burden based on the periodically conducted sentinel surveillance for guiding program implementation and pol-icymaking. Using the results of the latest round of HIV Estimations in 2021, we analysed the mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) during the perinatal and postnatal (breastfeeding) period. In 2021, overall, around 5,000 [3,000–7,800] vertical transmissions were estimated nationally with 58% being perinatal infections and remaining during breastfeeding. MTCT at 6 weeks was around 12.95% [9.45–16.02] with the final transmission rate at 24.25% [18.50–29.50]. Overall, 57% of vertical transmissions were among HIV-positive mothers who did not receive ART during pregnancy or breastfeeding, 19% among mothers who dropped off ART during pregnancy or delivery, and 18% among mothers who were infected during pregnancy or breastfeeding. There were significant variations between States. Depending upon the States, the programme needs to focus on the intervention domains of timely engagement in antenatal care-HIV testing-ART initiation as well as programme retention and adherence support. Equally important would be strengthening the strategic information to generate related evidence for inputting India and State-specific parameters improving the MTCT-related modelled estimates. © 2023 Kumar et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Bacillus thuringiensis as microbial biopesticide: uses and application for sustainable agriculture
(Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH, 2021) Pradeep Kumar; Madhu Kamle; Rituraj Borah; Dipendra Kumar Mahato; Bharti Sharma
Background: Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) has been used in agriculture for a long time because of its insecticidal proteins which make it a valuable environment-friendly biopesticide. However, its use is not only limited to insecticidal properties. Current and previous studies indicate its potential as a biofertilizer for promoting plant growth, the development of transgenic plants, and others. It is the presence of δ-endotoxins, especially cry protein, which attributes the insecticidal property to the bacteria. Besides, there are some vegetative and secreted insecticidal proteins that exert their toxic activity towards specific species. Main body of abstract: The present review briefly provides an overview of the Bt uses and application as a biocontrol agent against insect pest for sustainable agriculture. Historical development of Bt as biocontrol, classification of various cry proteins, their mechanisms of actions against different insect-pest, and incorporation of cry genes in the plant for developing transgenic Bt plants such as Bt cotton, potato, and maize. Applications of Bt as biofertilizer and the various bioformulations as biopesticide are also described. Short conclusion: Uses of harmful pesticides and chemical cause various health issues and environmental problem; therefore, the Bt served as the best alternative to overcome the above issue. Also, we aim to explore the potential as plant growth-promoting potential and solubilization of minerals and the uses as a biofertilizer, keeping the high specificity and environmental safety of Bt. Its various formulations are commercially available and considered an efficient alternative to chemical pesticides. © 2021, The Author(s).