Estimating Population Density of Leopards in Semi-Arid habitat, Western India

Randeep Singh,Puneet Pandey,Qamar Qureshi,Kalyanasundaram Sankar,Paul R. Krausman,Surendra Prakash Goyal National Institute of Ecology 2023 국립생태원회보(PNIE) Vol.4 No.2

The leopard (Panthera pardus) is one of the most widespread felids worldwide. Despite their wide distribution, reliable data on leopard population densities are still inadequate for conservation and management strategies in different landscapes. In the present study, we estimated leopard density using camera traps in the Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve (RTR), Rajasthan, India, between December 2010 and February 2011, where leopards coexist alongside a high density of tigers (Panthera tigris), a larger predator (RTR). A sampling effort of 4,450 trap days was made from 178 camera trapping stations over 75 days, resulting in 46 suitable photo captures (25 right flanks and 21 left flanks). In total, 18 individuals (7 males, 8 females, and 3 unknown sexes) were identified using the right flanks, and the estimated leopard density was 8.8 (standard error=2.8) individuals/100 km². Leopard density appeared to respond to small prey (<50 kg weight) richness. As this is the first systematic study to provide baseline information on leopard density in RTR, it could form a baseline for comparison in future investigations.

Temporal Variation in Tiger Population in a Semi-Arid Habitat in India

Singh, Randeep,Pandey, Puneet,Qureshi, Qamar,Sankar, Kalyanasundaram,Krausman, Paul R.,Goyal, Surendra Prakash National Institute of Ecology 2022 국립생태원회보(PNIE) Vol.3 No.3

Understanding temporal variations in wildlife populations is a prerequisite for conservation planning of wide-ranging species such as tigers (Panthera tigris). We determined the temporal variation in abundance, population growth, and sex ratios at different age and sex stages for a tiger population in Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve, India from November 2007 to February 2011 using motion-sensing cameras. We identified 19 male and 21 female tigers from stripe patterns during 16,110 trap nights within an area covering 233 km². The annual abundance of the population varied from 34.9 (mean)±3.8 (SE) to 23.9±1.5, with a declining trend in the mean annual change of abundance (-12%). The density of adult females remained stable across the study duration, but the densities of adult males and non-breeding tigers fluctuated. The sex ratio was female-biased (0.58 males/female) for breeding tigers and male-biased (1.74 males/female) for non-breeding tigers. Our results reinforce the importance of long-term studies for monitoring the naturally occurring processes in populations to develop population indicators and identify reliable baseline information for conservation and management planning of populations.

Modeling the Spatial Distribution of Black-Necked Cranes in Ladakh Using Maximum Entropy

Meenakshi Chauhan,Randeep Singh,Puneet Pandey National Institute of Ecology 2023 국립생태원회보(PNIE) Vol.4 No.2

The Tibetan Plateau is home to the only alpine crane species, the black-necked crane (Grus nigricollis). Conservation efforts are severely hampered by a lack of knowledge on the spatial distribution and breeding habitats of this species. The ecological niche modeling framework used to predict the spatial distribution of this species, based on the maximum entropy and occurrence record data, allowed us to generate a species-specific spatial distribution map in Ladakh, Trans-Himalaya, India. The model was created by assimilating species occurrence data from 486 geographical sites with 24 topographic and bioclimatic variables. Fourteen variables helped forecast the distribution of black-necked cranes by 96.2%. The area under the curve score for the model training data was high (0.98), indicating the accuracy and predictive performance of the model. Of the total study area, the areas with high and moderate habitat suitability for black-necked cranes were anticipated to be 8,156 km² and 6,759 km², respectively. The area with high habitat suitability within the protected areas was 5,335 km². The spatial distribution predicted using our model showed that the majority of speculated conservation areas bordered the existing protected areas of the Changthang Wildlife Sanctuary. Hence, we believe, that by increasing the current study area, we can account for these gaps in conservation areas, more effectively.

Authentication of PCSs with Cascaded Encryption Technique

Rajan Kaushal,Randeep Singh 한국디지털융합학회 2020 IJICTDC Vol.5 No.1

In this paper, a new algorithm is proposed using the technique of Cascaded Encryption (CE) for authentication of small handheld and Portable Communication Systems (PCSs). In the proposed method an 8-bit session key Ks is sent to the Mobile Station (MS) from the Authentication Center (AuC) as soon as the MS is switched on in the GSM network. The MS computes a cipher key for authentication KCA using the Recursive Positional Module-2 Substitution (RPMS) cryptographic technique. The technique of Cascaded Encryption (CE) considers the 128-bit International Mobile Subscribers’ Identification (IMSI) i.e. Ki as a stream. This stream is then divided into 16 groups each of which contains 8 bits. These groups are represented as G0 to G15. The corresponding bits of each group are put through repetitive Exclusive OR (XOR) operation with the adjacent bit until it generates a single bit number. Hence each group forms a triangular bit pattern. From these triangular bit patterns, the target block T is formed which consists of 16 bits, t0 to t15, which are generated from the groups G0 to G15. Further T is divided into two sub-blocks T0 and T1 consisting of bits t0...t7 and t8...t15 respectively. The bits of the blocks T0 and T1 are put through XOR operation with the corresponding bits of the session key Ks in two different steps to obtain C0 and C1 respectively. The bitstreams C0 and C1 are concatenated to form the 16 bits intermediate key Kim. Kim is put through the mechanism of the Rotor Machine where the direction of the bits depends on the cipher key for authentication KCA. The Rotor Machine generates the 16-bit SRES. Authentication Center (AuC) computes the SRES independently in a similar method and sends SRES and Ks to Home Location Register (HLR). HLR compares SRES obtained from AuC with SRES obtained from MS to confirm its identity.

Rice OsACDR1 (Oryza sativa Accelerated Cell Death and Resistance 1) Is a Potential Positive Regulator of Fungal Disease Resistance

김정아,조경원,Raksha Singh,Young-Ho Jung,Seung-Hee Jeong,So-Hee Kim,Jae-eun Lee,Yoon-Seong Cho,Ganesh K. Agrawal,Randeep Rakwal,Shigeru Tamogami,Birgit Kersten,전종성,Gynheung An,Nam-Soo Jwa 한국분자세포생물학회 2009 Molecules and cells Vol.28 No.5

Rice Oryza sativa accelerated cell death and resistance 1 (OsACDR1) encodes a putative Raf-like mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase kinase (MAPKKK). We had previously reported upregulation of the OsACDR1 transcript by a range of environmental stimuli involved in eliciting defense-related pathways. Here we apply biochemical, gain and loss-of-function approaches to characterize OsACDR1 function in rice. The OsACDR1 protein showed autophosphorylation and possessed kinase activity. Rice plants overexpressing OsACDR1 exhibited spontaneous hypersensitive response (HR)-like lesions on leaves, upregulation of defense-related marker genes and accumulation of phenolic compounds and secondary metabolites (phytoalexins). These transgenic plants also acquired enhanced resistance to a fungal patho-gen (Magnaporthe grisea) and showed inhibition of appres-sorial penetration on the leaf surface. In contrast, loss-of-function and RNA silenced OsACDR1 rice mutant plants showed downregulation of defense-related marker genes expressions and susceptibility to M. grisea. Furthermore, transient expression of an OsACDR1:GFP fusion protein in rice protoplast and onion epidermal cells revealed its local-ization to the nucleus. These results indicate that OsACDR1 plays an important role in the positive regulation of disease resistance in rice.

The effectiveness of Tiger Conservation Landscapes in decreasing deforestation in South Asia: a remote sensing-based study

Sabu Minu Merin,Pasha S. Vazeed,Reddy C. Sudhakar,Singh Randeep,Jaishanker R. 대한공간정보학회 2022 Spatial Information Research Vol.30 No.2

The alarming loss of tiger (Panthera tigris) populations due to degrading habitat called for an international commitment to double the wild tiger population by 2022 (‘‘Tx2’’ goal). In the present study, eighteen Priority Tiger Conservation Landscapes (PTCLs) distributed in India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal and Myanmar were identified to investigate the trends in deforestation and fragmentation in core forest area. We used multi-decadal remote sensingbased maps to assess the rate of deforestation from 1975 to 2016. The time-series analysis revealed that there is a low to moderate level of deforestation reported in PTCLs from1975 to 2016. The Northern Forest Complex-Namdapha-Royal Manas and Tenasserims are the geographically larger landscapes of the eighteen PTCLs that show the relatively high annual rate of deforestation from 2005 to 2016 due to the practice of shifting cultivation. The Mann Kendall trend test has indicated a statistically significant decreasing trend in deforestation across the 18 PTCLs. Overall, a low level of forest fragmentation was found in core forest habitat in the landscapes from 1995 to 2016. The results indicate management has been effective in minimizing habitat loss. The study outcomes would lead to a holistic understanding at the landscape level for long-term conservation planning in PTCLs.

The effectiveness of Tiger Conservation Landscapes in decreasing deforestation in South Asia: a remote sensing-based study

Sabu Minu Merin,Pasha S. Vazeed,Reddy C. Sudhakar,Singh Randeep,Jaishanker R. 대한공간정보학회 2022 Spatial Information Research Vol.30 No.1

The alarming loss of tiger (Panthera tigris) populations due to degrading habitat called for an international commitment to double the wild tiger population by 2022 (‘‘Tx2’’ goal). In the present study, eighteen Priority Tiger Conservation Landscapes (PTCLs) distributed in India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal and Myanmar were identified to investigate the trends in deforestation and fragmentation in core forest area. We used multi-decadal remote sensingbased maps to assess the rate of deforestation from 1975 to 2016. The time-series analysis revealed that there is a low to moderate level of deforestation reported in PTCLs from1975 to 2016. The Northern Forest Complex-Namdapha-Royal Manas and Tenasserims are the geographically larger landscapes of the eighteen PTCLs that show the relatively high annual rate of deforestation from 2005 to 2016 due to the practice of shifting cultivation. The Mann Kendall trend test has indicated a statistically significant decreasing trend in deforestation across the 18 PTCLs. Overall, a low level of forest fragmentation was found in core forest habitat in the landscapes from 1995 to 2016. The results indicate management has been effective in minimizing habitat loss. The study outcomes would lead to a holistic understanding at the landscape level for long-term conservation planning in PTCLs.

Early pharmacokinetic evaluation of anti-tubercular treatment as a good indicator of treatment success in pulmonary tuberculosis patients on a retreatment regimen

Mohan Anant,Bhatnagar Anuj,Gupta Tarang,Ujjalkumar Das,Kanswal Sunita,Velpandian Thirumurthy,Guleria Randeep,Singh Urvashi B. 한국약제학회 2022 Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation Vol.52 No.4

Purpose Patients with pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) who fail therapy or develop a relapse are initiated on a retreatment regimen. These patients are at high risk for adverse outcomes. This study aimed to assess the relationship between plasma levels of anti-tubercular drugs and therapy outcome in patients on retreatment. Methods Pharmacokinetics of retreatment regimen drugs [isoniazid (INH), rifampicin (RIF), pyrazinamide (PZA), ethambutol (EMB), and streptomycin (STM)] were compared between cured and not-cured patients using liquid chromatographytandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) in 134 patients with PTB on a retreatment regimen. Results Of 134 patients, 108 were cured, 17 developed multi-drug resistant TB (MDR-TB), and 9 remained smear-positive after completion of the retreatment (8 months). Two-hour plasma levels ( C2hr) at Day 0 were lower in ‘not cured’ subjects than ‘cured’ subjects and reflected the drug levels achieved later in the duration of retreatment. Notably, in the 26 ‘not cured’ subjects, C2hr plasma levels after the first dose at Day 0 were significantly low (INH: 0.86 vs. 2.94 mg/L, p ≤ 0.002, RIF: 0.56 vs. 2.55 mg/L, p ≤ 0.003, PZA: 1.85 vs. 26.58 mg/L, p ≤ 0.001 and EMB: 0.72 vs. 1.53 mg/L, p ≤ 0.010). Conclusion Therapeutic failure in patients with PTB on a retreatment regimen is associated with lower plasma drug levels. Therapeutic drug monitoring would prove useful for obtaining a favorable clinical outcome. C2hr levels on Day 0 reflected drug levels achieved later and could be a good predictor of patient outcome.