Welcome to Guest !
 
       IUP Publications
              (Since 1994)
Home About IUP Journals Books Archives Publication Ethics
     
  Subscriber Services   |   Feedback   |   Subscription Form
 
 
Login:
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - -
-
   
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
 

The IUP Journal of Life Sciences


February' 08
Focus

Stress physiology forms a critical part of all living systems, and plants also have an adaptive integrated system to adjust to stress. Exposure of plants to unfavorable adverse environmental conditions, such as extreme temperature

Articles
   
Price(INR)
Buy
Role of Superoxide Dismutase During Stress Signaling in Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal
Use of Low Calorific Fast Food from Fruit Pulp and Betel Leaf Extract in the Treatment of Diabetes Mellitus
Characterization of Chitinase from Serratia marcescens GG5
Relative Metabolic Activities in the Germinating Seeds of Lentil (Lens culinaris) Treated with 4-Cl-IAA
Effect of Pesticides on Rhizobium and Nodulation of Green GramVigna radita (L.) Wilczek
Decolorization of Azo Dye (Congored) by Pleurotus ostreatus and Laccaria fraterna
Contaminated Milk Production in the Villages of Dehradun District (Uttarakhand), India
Sub-Clinical Upper and Lower Airway Diseases Among Workers Exposed to Welding Operations
Expert System for the Management of the Pests and Diseases of Oil Palm
Select/Remove All    

Role of Superoxide Dismutase During Stress Signaling in Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal
-- Renu Sahu, Sabiha Naz and Modhumita Ghosh

Plants exposed to stress undergo changes in their metabolism in order to adapt to the changes in their environment. The present study deals with the effect of abscisic acid (ABA), poly ethylene glycol (PEG) mediated water stress and NaCl stress on superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity in leaves of Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal. Leaves of W. somnifera were incubated in vitro with different concentrations of ABA, NaCl and PEG with duration ranging from 0 to 8 hours. Both ABA and NaCl had a significant effect on the enzyme activity with maximum activity occurring during 4th and 6th hour in both stresses. However, the PEG mediated drought stress revealed no significant change in the SOD activity. The results in the present study highlights a probable occurrence of oxidative burst in Withania leaves during 4th and 6th hour of stress signaling.

Article Price : Rs.50

Use of Low Calorific Fast Food from Fruit Pulp and Betel Leaf Extract in the Treatment of Diabetes Mellitus
-- Arijit Nath, Saptarshi Sen, Chaiti Nath, Esheeta Ghosh, Prerana Agarwal and A K Mitra

The antioxidant fast food was prepared from papaya, guava, banana and betel leaf extract (20:60:15:5 by wt).The food contained low carbohydrate(13.78 g) and ash (0.64 g), while vitamin C(124.48 mg) and potassium(301 mg) contents were very high. Male albino rats were divided into four different groups. The first group was treated as control and administered with standard diet. The remaining three groups were administered with alloxan in divided doses (totalling to 450 mg/kg body wt). The dose of alloxan was finalized after conducting a pilot experiment. The second group was administered with antioxidant diet prepared from fruit pulp and betel leaf extract. The third group was administered with antioxidant and normal diet in the proportion of 1:1. The fourth group was given normal diet. The feeding trial was continued for a period of six weeks and only after seven days of inducing hyperglycemia, weekly monitoring of body weight was carried out. The blood sample was collected, the rats were dissected ,and selected organs (liver, spleen, pancreas, and kidney) were collected. The organs were weighed and histology was performed. Blood sugar level was determined. The alloxan induced hepatic damage and pancreatic disorganization were greatly reduced by the treatment of antioxidant food. The maximum increase in body weight was observed in the fourth group while minimum in the third group. The pancreas showed maximum increase in the alloxan treated group, which was minimized by the antioxidant almost close to normal.

Article Price : Rs.50

Characterization of Chitinase from Serratia marcescens GG5
-- Gursharan Singh and G S Hoondal

Chitinase from Serratia marcescens GG5 was optimally active at pH 6.5 and temperature 50 oC. The enzyme retained 90% activity at 50 oC for 30 minutes. Addition of EDTA , Glutathione, Cysteine-HCl and Sodium azide (1mm) enhanced chitinase activity by 30, 10, 9 and 12% respectively. Chitinase from this bacterium degraded the swollen chitin into N-acetyl-D-glucosamine as revealed by Thin Layer Chromatography.

Article Price : Rs.50

Relative Metabolic Activities in the Germinating Seeds of Lentil (Lens culinaris) Treated with 4-Cl-IAA
-- S A Hasan, B Ali, Q Fariduddin, S Hayat and A Ahmad

The effect of auxin (IAA or 4-Cl-IAA) on the process of germination in lentil (Lens culinaris) was studied. The surface sterilized seeds were soaked in IAA (10-6 M) or 4-Cl-IAA (10 - 10 M, 10 - 8 M or 10 - 6 M) for 12 hours. The treated seeds were allowed to germinate in sterilized petri plate at 25 ± 2 0C in an incubator. The germinating seeds were sampled at 24, 48 and 72 h after germination to study the relative water content, rate of water uptake, mean daily germination, final germination percentage, level of protein and carbohydrate and the activity of nitrate reductase. The seedlings exhibited a linear increase in all the above parameters as the germination progressed. However, the varied concentrations of auxin differed from each other with respect to the degree of response. At the earliest stage (24 h) 10 - 6 M of 4-Cl-IAA was the most effective treatment. Whereas from 48 h onwards, 10 - -8 M of 4-Cl-IAA excelled in its effect and generated the best response. Overall, 4-Cl-IAA was superior to IAA in its effect.

Article Price : Rs.50

Effect of Pesticides on Rhizobium and Nodulation of Green GramVigna radita (L.) Wilczek
-- T Srinivas, M Sridevi and K V Mallaiah

The effect of forty different pesticides on two Rhizobium isolates from green gram Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek were studied. Among the different pesticides tested, 10 have shown inhibitory activity. The pesticides which did not show any effect on Rhizobium isolates in zonal inhibition technique were tested for their stimulatory effect on Rhizobium isolates in broth. Dimethoate and monocrotophos were found to have stimulatory effect on both the isolates. Five pesticides which showed either inhibitory or stimulatory effect were tested for their effect on nodulation. Among these, captan severely affected the nodule number, size, leghaemoglobin and nitrogen content. Simultaneous application of Rhizobium and pesticides in the field was more toxic, and maximum reduction in nodule number was also observed. But when time gap between pesticide and Rhizobium application increases, the toxic effect reduces.

Article Price : Rs.50

Decolorization of Azo Dye (Congored) by Pleurotus ostreatus and Laccaria fraterna
-- K Balaraju, J Joel Gnanadoss, C Muthu and S Ignacimuthu

Fungi, Laccaria fraterna and Pleurotus ostreatus are potential microorganisms for the degradation of azodye (congored) in this study. Dye was demonstrated by their decolorization in the culture medium. Heat killed mycelium of Pleurotus ostreatus showed 35% dye absorption but treated mycelium degraded the congored up to 95% on 7th day itself. On the 14th day, except a small peak at UV region, the entire chromatophoric peak was removed due to fungi. Heat killed mycelium of L. fraterna exhibited 40% absorption, while treated mycelium showed 92% degradation on 7th day. On the 14th day and 21st day, 94-96% degradation was effected due to the fungal mycelium and their extracellular enzymes.

Article Price : Rs.50

Contaminated Milk Production in the Villages of Dehradun District (Uttarakhand), India
-- Harish Chandra, Jatin Srivastava, M K Tripathi, Nishant Rai, Sachin Chauhan and Ajay Singh

Escherichia coli and other microorganisms underscore the importance of milk and similar milk products as the causative agent for several infections in humans. The present study deals with the contamination of milk in the villages of Dehradun district. Seventy four percent milk samples have been found to be contaminated with E.coli. Though pasteurization most often kills a majority of bacteria in milk, some strains produce enzymes that survive the pasteurization treatment. Heat stabile enzymes have the capability of further degrading the processed product, especially long-life milk products. The present study reveals the infection potential and resistant microbes in Dehradun city.

Article Price : Rs.50

Sub-Clinical Upper and Lower Airway Diseases Among Workers Exposed to Welding Operations
-- Kesavachandran C, Mathur N, Rastogi S K and Bihari V

Welding is a process of joining metals by melting and fusing. The trade of welding also involves cutting metal objects, grinding, brazing and in some applicators soldering. Welding is an indispensable trade in modern society and is ubiquitous in industry. According to the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) in 1988, there are at least 2,000,000 welders in the world . Welding itself consists of a number of complex operations that include exposure to toxic gases (particularly nitrogen dioxide and ozone), metal fumes (Zinc oxide, copper, chromium oxides, nickel), particles (iron), infra red irradiation, ultra violet irradiation, noise and extremes of temperature.

Article Price : Rs.50

Expert System for the Management of the Pests and Diseases of Oil Palm
-- Chong Swee Seen, Latifah abd Manaf and Nur Ilyana Mohd. Zukki

In Malaysia, the oil palm is a major element in agricultural diversification. Countries in Latin America are establishing oil palm plantations to meet the domestic oil requirements. Thus, it can be seen that oil palm has become a significant sector of the economies of many developing countries. With the rapid expansion of oil palm cultivation, the injurious pests of the oil palm include nematodes, mites, insects, birds and mammals. The Malayan wood rat is a major pest in plantations of oil palm in Malaysia, where it inflicts important economic losses, if population is not controlled. Rodents are also normally found in the plantation and might significantly affect crop production and livelihood of farmers in the plantations. The identification of diseases and application of suitable remedy are essential. For such guidance and advice the plantation owners have either to be expert of it or they will have to consult other experts or the agricultural institutions. However, in the developed world, the modern agriculture have evolved into a complex business. The process of decision making requires accumulation and integration of knowledge and information from many diverse sources. This has originated the concept of computer-based farm management and precision agriculture. The potency, scope and appropriates of expert system technology in the area of horticulture have been well-realized a decade back in the developed countries and several successful systems have been developed specially related with decision making, disease, disorder, pest diagnosis and others. Therefore, through expert system the process of decision making is the interplay of knowledge and information.

Article Price : Rs.50

Search
 

  www
  IUP

Search
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
 
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
 
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Click here to upload your Article

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Automated Teller Machines (ATMs): The Changing Face of Banking in India

Bank Management
Information and communication technology has changed the way in which banks provide services to its customers. These days the customers are able to perform their routine banking transactions without even entering the bank premises. ATM is one such development in recent years, which provides remote banking services all over the world, including India. This paper analyzes the development of this self-service banking in India based on the secondary data.

The Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is playing a very important role in the progress and advancement in almost all walks of life. The deregulated environment has provided an opportunity to restructure the means and methods of delivery of services in many areas, including the banking sector. The ICT has been a focused issue in the past two decades in Indian banking. In fact, ICTs are enabling the banks to change the way in which they are functioning. Improved customer service has become very important for the very survival and growth of banking sector in the reforms era. The technological advancements, deregulations, and intense competition due to the entry of private sector and foreign banks have altered the face of banking from one of mere intermediation to one of provider of quick, efficient and customer-friendly services. With the introduction and adoption of ICT in the banking sector, the customers are fast moving away from the traditional branch banking system to the convenient and comfort of virtual banking. The most important virtual banking services are phone banking, mobile banking, Internet banking and ATM banking. These electronic channels have enhanced the delivery of banking services accurately and efficiently to the customers. The ATMs are an important part of a bank’s alternative channel to reach the customers, to showcase products and services and to create brand awareness. This is reflected in the increase in the number of ATMs all over the world. ATM is one of the most widely used remote banking services all over the world, including India. This paper analyzes the growth of ATMs of different bank groups in India.
International Scenario

If ATMs are largely available over geographically dispersed areas, the benefit from using an ATM will increase as customers will be able to access their bank accounts from any geographic location. This would imply that the value of an ATM network increases with the number of available ATM locations, and the value of a bank network to a customer will be determined in part by the final network size of the banking system. The statistical information on the growth of branches and ATM network in select countries.

Indian Scenario

The financial services industry in India has witnessed a phenomenal growth, diversification and specialization since the initiation of financial sector reforms in 1991. Greater customer orientation is the only way to retain customer loyalty and withstand competition in the liberalized world. In a market-driven strategy of development, customer preference is of paramount importance in any economy. Gone are the days when customers used to come to the doorsteps of banks. Now the banks are required to chase the customers; only those banks which are customercentric and extremely focused on the needs of their clients can succeed in their business today.

more...

 
View Previous Issues
Life Sciences