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A smart helmet is a type of protective headgear used by the rider which makes bike driving safer than before. The main purpose of this helmet is to provide safety for the rider. This can be implemented by using advanced features like alcohol detection, accident identification, location tracking, use as a hands free device, fall detection. This makes it not only a smart helmet but also a feature of a smart bike. It is compulsory to wear the helmet, without which the ignition switch cannot turn ON. An RF Module can be used as wireless link for communication between transmitter and receiver. If the rider is drunk the ignition gets automatically locked, and sends a message to the registered number with his current location. In case of an accident it will send a message through GSM along with location with the help of GPS module. The distinctive utility of project is fall detection; if the rider falls down from the bike it sends a message.

Induced biosynthesis of bioactive secondary metabolites constitutes one of the mechanisms of plant basal innate immunity to fungal infection. Metabolic changes were studied in rhizomes of Zingiber zerumbet, a wild congener of ginger, after infection with soft rot-causative necrotrophic phytopathogen, Pythium myriotylum, by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis. Infection triggered a considerable alteration in the relative content of zerumbone and α-caryophyllene (humulene) with enhancement in zerumbone content (81.59%) and that of α-caryophyllene (11.91%) compared to 9.97 and 1.11%, respectively, in uninfected rhizomes. While zerumbone is the principal secondary metabolite in Z. zerumbet, α-caryophyllene is its immediate precursor. Principal component analysis (PCA) identified the correlations between metabolite changes in Z. zerumbet rhizomes and P. myriotylum infection. Radial diffusion assay with zerumbone indicated a concentration-dependent P. myriotylum growth inhibition with 93.75% inhibition observed at 700 μg and 50% maximal effective concentration (EC50) value of 206 μg. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis revealed that the mechanistic basis of zerumbone's antagonistic action on P. myriotylum growth involved the induction of aberrant morphology including severe hyphal deformities and membrane disruption. Results are discussed highlighting the critical role played by sesquiterpenoid zerumbone in affording resistance in Z. zerumbet and could expedite the development of appropriate strategies for biocontrol of Pythium spp., thus reducing the usage of broad-spectrum fungicides.

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Zingiber zerumbet, a perennial rhizomatous herb exhibits remarkable disease resistance as well as a wide range of pharmacological activities. Towards characterizing the endophytic population of Z. zerumbet rhizomes, experiments were carried out during two different growing seasons viz., early-June of 2013 and late-July of 2014. A total of 34 endophytes were isolated and categorized into 11 morphologically distinct groups. Fungi were observed to predominate bacterial species with colonization frequency values ranging from 12.5 to 50%. Among the 11 endophyte groups isolated, molecular analyses based on ITS/16S rRNA gene sequences identified seven isolate groups as Fusarium solani, two as F. oxysporum and one as the bacterium Rhizobium spp. Phylogenetic tree clustered the ITS sequences from Z. zerumbet endophytes into distinct clades consistent with morphological and sequence analysis. Dual culture assays were carried out to determine antagonistic activity of the isolated endophytes against Pythium myriotylum, an economically significant soil-borne phytopathogen of cultivated ginger. Experiments revealed significant P. myriotylum growth inhibition by F. solani and F. oxysporum isolates with percentage of inhibition (PoI) ranging from 45.17 ± 0.29 to 62.2 ± 2.58 with F. oxysporum exhibiting higher PoI values against P. myriotylum. Using ZzEF8 metabolite extract, concentration-dependent P. myriotylum hyphal growth inhibition was observed following radial diffusion assays. These observations were confirmed by scanning electron microscopy analysis wherein exposure to ZzEF8 metabolite extract induced hyphal deformities. Results indicate Z. zerumbet endophytes as promising resources for biologically active compounds and as biocontrol agents for soft rot disease management caused by Pythium spp.

The data distribution for infotainment services at vehicular ad‐hoc networks (VANETs) has become a research hotspot in recent years. Non‐orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) is accepted as an enabling technology for 5G and beyond due to its improved spectral efficiency. In this work, we consider a VANET communication scenario where users have common data demands such as high‐density maps, local entertainment/shopping options or other popular media content. For such a scenario, we propose an efficient clustering scheme together with a hybrid NOMA‐OMA scheme for improved spectral and power efficiency. For this setup, we also develop an optimal bandwidth allocation strategy to improve the power efficiency further. We formulate a one dimensional nonlinear power minimization problem such that the bandwidth allocation for the system can be optimized. The complexity and optimality analysis of optimization algorithms used for power minimization are performed. The improved performance of the proposed scheme in terms of power efficiency, spectral efficiency and latency performance is showcased in comparison to conventional NOMA and OMA approaches.

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