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Nitric Oxide (NO) is a bioactive signaling molecule that mediates a variety of biotic and abiotic stresses. The present study investigated the role of NO (as SNP [sodium nitroprusside]) in ameliorating lead (Pb)-toxicity in Triticum aestivum (wheat) roots. Pb (50 and 250 μM) alone and in combination with SNP (100 μM) was given to hydroponically grown wheat roots for a period of 0–8 h. NO supplementation reduced the accumulation of oxidative stress markers (malondialdehyde, conjugated dienes, hydroxyl ions and superoxide anion) and decreased the antioxidant enzyme activity in wheat roots particularly up to 6 h, thereby suggesting its role as an antioxidant. NO ameliorated Pb-induced membrane damage in wheat roots as evidenced by decreased ion-leakage and in situ histochemical localization. Pb-exposure significantly decreased in vivo NO level. The study concludes that exogenous NO partially ameliorates Pb-toxicity, but could not restore the plant growth on prolonged Pb-exposure.

KEYWORDS India; Social networkingSummary Besides highlighting the uses and problems related to social networking, the paper reveals its impact on the linguistically and culturally rich India. It also describes some of the top Indian social networking sites and pinpoints some instances where people have used such sites to raise their voice against the bad elements harming their culture.

The present study investigated the effect of Arsenic (As; 5, 10, 50 μM) on protein and sugar metabolism vis-à-vis oxidative damage during early germination process and radicle emergence (at 12, 24 and 48 h stage) in Phaseolus aureus. As-exposure (50 μM) significantly enhanced protein content (by 40-60%), whereas carbohydrate content declined (by 31-44%) over that in the control. It was associated with a decline in the activities of proteases (47-53%), and increase in the activities of α- and β-amylases, starch phosphorylases, and acid invertases by 3.0, 2.6, 4.8, and 1.7 times after 48 h exposure to 50 μM As. The alteration in protein and carbohydrate metabolic machinery was also accompanied by As-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS)-mediated oxidative damage. As treatment enhanced malondialdehyde and hydrogen peroxide content by 46-252% and 23-216%, and hydroxyl and superoxide ion generation by 15-104% and 17-278%, respectively. As-induced lipid peroxidation and membrane disruption was confirmed by enhanced electrolyte leakage (by 49%) and reduced cell viability (by 43%). Furthermore, in response to 50 μM As, the activities of superoxide dismutases, catalases, ascorbate peroxidases, guaiacol peroxidases, and glutathione reductases increased by 77%, 70%, 116%, 43% and 120%, respectively, in radicles at 48 h stage over that in the control. The study concludes that As inhibits radicle emergence and elongation in germinating P. aureus seeds by altering biochemical processes related to sugar metabolism and inducing an ROS-mediated oxidative damage.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is twofold. First, the study aims to investigate the relationship between the altmetric indicators from ResearchGate (RG) and the bibliometric indicators from the Scopus database. Second, the study seeks to examine the relationship amongst the RG altmetric indicators themselves. RG is a rich source of altmetric indicators such as Citations, RGScore, Impact Points, Profile Views, Publication Views, etc. Design/methodology/approach – For establishing whether RG metrics showed the same results as the established sources of metrics, Pearson’s correlation coefficients were calculated between the metrics provided by RG and the metrics obtained from Scopus. Pearson’s correlation coefficients were also calculated for the metrics provided by RG. The data were collected by visiting the profile pages of all the members who had an account in RG under the Department of Physics, Panjab University, Chandigarh (India). Findings – The study showed that most of the RG metrics showed strong positive correlation with the Scopus metrics, except for RGScore (RG) and Citations (Scopus), which showed moderate positive correlation. It was also found that the RG metrics showed moderate to strong positive correlation amongst each other. Research limitations/implications – The limitation of this study is that more and more scientists and researchers may join RG in the future, therefore the data may change. The study focuses on the members who had an account in RG under the Department of Physics, Panjab University, Chandigarh (India). Perhaps further studies can be conducted by increasing the sample size and by taking a different sample size having different characteristics. Originality/value – Being an emerging field, not much has been conducted in the area of altmetrics. Very few studies have been conducted on the reach of academic social networks like RG and their validity as sources of altmetric indicators like RGScore, Impact Points, etc. The findings offer insights to the question whether RG can be used as an alternative to traditional sources of bibliometric indicators, especially with reference to a rapidly developing country such as India.