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Application of remote sensing makes the assessment and monitoring of mangroves both time and cost-effective. In this study, the capacity of AVIRIS-NG data in discriminating different mangrove species of Lothian Island of Indian Sundarbans has been evaluated and compared with hyperspectral (Hyperion) and multispectral dataset (Landsat 8 OLI and Sentinel-2). Spectral signatures of mangrove species were retrieved, and spectral libraries were created. With the corrected images and spectral libraries, mangroves were classified using appropriate classification techniques. For multispectral datasets (Landsat 8 OLI and Sentinel-2) and hyperspectral coarser-resolution Hyperion datasets, K-means classification followed by knowledge-based classification was adopted. For fine resolution hyperspectral AVIRIS-NG dataset, classification was accomplished using Support Vector Machine (SVM). The overall accuracy for the classification is significantly high in case of AVIRIS-NG data (87.61%) compared to the Landsat 8 OLI (76.42%), Sentinel-2 (79.81%), and Hyperion data (81.98%). The results showed that AVIRIS-NG hyperspectral dataset has the potential to classify not only the genus level but also species-level with satisfactory accuracy in a complex mangrove forest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives Brown adipose tissue (BAT) controls triglyceride-rich lipoprotein (TRL) catabolism. This process is mediated by the lipoprotein lipase (LPL), an enzyme that catalyzed the hydrolysis of triglyceride (TAG) in glycerol and fatty acids (FA), which are burned to generate heat. LPL activity is regulated by angiopoietin-like 4 (ANGPTL4), a secretory protein produced in adipose tissues (AT), liver, kidney, and muscle. While the role of ANGPTL4 in regulating lipoprotein metabolism is well established, the specific contribution of BAT derived ANGPTL4 in controlling lipid and glucose homeostasis is not well understood. Methods and results We generated a novel mouse model lacking ANGPTL4 specifically in brown adipose tissue ( BAT-KO ). Here, we report that specific deletion of ANGPTL4 in BAT results in enhanced LPL activity, circulating TAG clearance and thermogenesis. Absence of ANGPTL4 in BAT increased FA oxidation and reduced FA synthesis. Importantly, we observed that absence of ANGPTL4 in BAT leads to a remarkable improvement in glucose tolerance in short-term HFD feeding. Conclusion Our findings demonstrate an important role of BAT derived ANGPTL4 in regulating lipoprotein metabolism, whole-body lipid and glucose metabolism, and thermogenesis during acute cold exposure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Household Air Pollution (HAP) from biomass cooking fuels is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in low-income settings worldwide. In Nepal the use of open stoves with solid biomass fuels is the primary method of domestic cooking. To assess patterns of domestic air pollution we performed continuous measurement of carbon monoxide (CO) and particulate Matter (PM 2.5 ) in 12 biomass fuel households in Janakpur, Nepal. We measured kitchen PM 2.5 and CO concentrations at one-minute intervals for an approximately 48-h period using the TSI DustTrak II 8530/SidePak AM510 (TSI Inc, St. Paul MN, USA) or EL-USB-CO data logger (Lascar Electronics, Erie PA, USA) respectively. We also obtained information regarding fuel, stove and kitchen characteristics and cooking activity patterns. Household cooking was performed in two daily sessions (median total duration 4 h) with diurnal variability in pollutant concentrations reflecting morning and evening cooking sessions and peak concentrations associated with fire-lighting. We observed a strong linear relationship between PM 2.5 measurements obtained by co-located photometric and gravimetric monitoring devices, providing local calibration factors of 4.9 (DustTrak) and 2.7 (SidePak). Overall 48-h average CO and PM 2.5 concentrations were 5.4 (SD 4.3) ppm (12 households) and 417.6 (SD 686.4) μg/m 3 (8 households), respectively, with higher average concentrations associated with cooking and heating activities. Overall average PM 2.5 concentrations and peak 1-h CO concentrations exceeded WHO Indoor Air Quality Guidelines. Average hourly PM 2.5 and CO concentrations were moderately correlated (r = 0.52), suggesting that CO has limited utility as a proxy measure for PM 2.5 exposure assessment in this setting. Domestic indoor air quality levels associated with biomass fuel combustion in this region exceed WHO Indoor Air Quality standards and are in the hazardous range for human health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Continuous trend of miniaturization of engineering components has emphasized on the requirement of high quality meso-gears. The processes for manufacturing of these gears need to be highly precise and accurate. This paper reports on exploring the wire electric discharge machining (WEDM) process for manufacturing the high quality meso-gears made of brass through preliminary experimental investigations. The objective was to identify the feasible range of the four important WEDM parameters (i.e. voltage, pulse-on time, pulse-off time and wire feed rate) from the entire working range available on the WEDM machine so as to minimize wire breakage frequency and surface roughness, and maximize the machining rate. The gears manufactured within the bracketed ranges of WEDM parameters were inspected for micro-geometry (profile and pitch) and surface integrity. Better quality (up-to DIN standard 6) and surface integrity aspects of the WEDMed gears proved the capability and superiority of WEDM for manufacturing the high quality meso-gears. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]