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Worldwide pressurized micro irrigation technologies have remarkably shown its effectiveness in water saving and increasing the crop yield with several other benefits. Although among the small land holder farmers, adoption of pressurized micro irrigation system is minimal mainly due to the small land holding and more system cost. Gravity micro irrigation is one of the best alternatives for the small land holder farmers with almost all benefits derived by the pressurized micro irrigation. Gravity fed drip irrigation has enormous capability for water and nutrient conservation. This review paper explains design, layout, features of gravity fed micro irrigation system, its suitability and benefits to the small farmers for achieving more yield per drop of water. The comprehensive attempt in the current review analysis is to enhance a most favourable methodology and technology to magnify and intensify the operation of gravity fed drip irrigation system in extensive cultivation and production. Further to accomplish the efficient utilization of available water resources for growing horticultural crops in hilly region of India, gravity-fed micro irrigation should be integrated with water harvesting system.

Garcinia indica popularly known as ‘Kokum’ or Murugalu”, is a medium-sized evergreen tree found in the western-ghats of India. This tree species is highly exploited to produce anti-obesity drugs and culinary purposes. Its population is threatened by overexploitation and loss of habitat. The development of microsatellite markers would help in understanding the genetic structure and further to develop appropriate conservation strategies. In this study, using next generation sequencing platform Illumina Hiseq 2000, we have sequenced the partial genome of G. indica and identified 3725 microsatellites. Forty-eight microsatellite markers were analyzed using 30 accessions. Polymorphism information content (PIC) values ranged from 0.718 to 0.968 with a mean value of 0.922. Allele per locus ranged from 3 to 33 per locus. The probability of identity values ranged from 0.00329 to 0.30489. Cross-species amplification SSR primers in the related species showed a moderate transferability from 12.5 % (for G. morella) to 18.7%(for G. gummigutta)

The realm Riboviria constitutes Coronaviruses, which led to the emergence of the pandemic COVID 19 in the twenty-first century affected millions of lives. At present, the management of COVID 19 largely depends on antiviral therapeutics along with the anti-inflammatory drug. The vaccine is under the final clinical phase, and emergency use is available. We aim at ACE2 and Nsp10/Nsp16 MTase as potential drug candidate in COVID 19 management in the present work. For drug designing, various computational simulation strategies have been employed like Swiss-Model, Hawk Dock, HDOCK, py Dock, and PockDrug for homology modeling, binding energies of the molecule with a target, simulate the conformation and binding poses, statistics of protein lock with target key and drug ability, respectively. The current in-silico screening depicts that the spike protein receptor is complementary to the target when bound to each other and forms a stable complex. The MMGBSA free energy binding property of receptor and ligand is critical. The intermolecular Statistics with the target Nsp10/Nsp16 MTase complex are plausible. We have also observed a high-affinity pocket binding site with the target. Therefore, the favorable intermolecular interactions and Physico-chemical properties emanate as a drug candidate treating COVID-19. This study has approached computational tools to analyze the conformation, binding affinity, and drug ability of receptor-ligand. Thus, the spike receptor with its ACE2 receptor with Nsp10/Nsp16 MTase complex would be a potent drug against SARS CoV-2 and can cure the infection as per consensus scoring.

The commercial demand for food products and dietary supplements has increased drastically in the last few decades. The packed food products and nutritional supplements have made a profound impact on the modern human lifestyle. Since ancient times, storage and long-term use of food products remain a significant challenge for humans. There are different parameters for the evaluation of food products and dietary supplements broadly categorized as quality control and quality assurance. On an average million tons of food, materials get spoiled daily worldwide due to lack of storage and transportation point out packaging systems inequalities. To ensure the quality of packed food products and nutritional supplements among available measures, packaging remained an important event and had been refined from time to time to provide a standard. Over a period, the packaging industry has evolved using modern technology from the conventional methods of new generation packaging, including glass, wood, and paper to most new biodegradable materials. The ancient pattern of packaging; manual packaging has been taken over by an automated system of packing, resulting in enhanced output with minimal chance of damage to valuable products for humanity. The article will emphasize new insights into current packaging system not only provide the quality of these products but also in aiming new heights beyond conventional technologies and consumer opinions. In the present study, we have given more emphasis on novel methods of packaging, the packaging materials, quality of packed products, and their impacts of food products on the environment.

Immunity is the rule. It is often incomplete and takes many years to develop and fade away quickly. Immunity is concerned with resistance to infection. Human life is a battlefield in which we are like soldiers attacked from all sides by bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites. Our body is bestowed with a defence mechanism in the form of an immune system It has long been recognized that infections with parasites, such as intestinal worms, are often accompanied by blood eosinophilia, and this is due to an immunological process. Conditions in which blood eosinophilia is common include intestinal infections with Ancylostoma duodenale, Ascaris lumbricoides, Trichuristrichiura, various forms of Wuchereria bancroft, Brugiamalayi, loaloa, Dracunculus medinensis, mite infection of the lungs (including at least some cases of tropical eosinophilia);and hydrated disease is due to Echinococcus granulosus. Eosinophilia, in large numbers invades tissues in which antigen-antibody reaction has taken place. They appear to be attracted by some product of the antigen-antibody reaction and it has been shown that if tissues from sensitized guinea -pigs mixed with antigen in vitro, or tissues from guinea-pigs which have died from anaphylaxis, are transferred to the peritoneal cavity of normal guinea-pigs, the recipient develops very marked eosinophilia within 24 hours. The active agent has not been infected, but it is probably not histamine. The eosinophils of rodents are very actively phagocytic, and ingest cellular debris, mast cell granules, etc, but it is not certain whether this is true of eosinophils from other species, nor it is known what functions the eosinophils serve in these reactions. A multitude of defensive mechanisms are involved in parasitic infection. A humoral response develops when parasites invade blood stream (Malaria, Trypanosoma), whereas cell-mediated immunity is elicited by parasites that grow within the tissues (Eg: Cutaneous leishmaniasis). Humoral immunity is a function of B cells, memory cells and antibodies. In protozoal infections, IgG, and IgM are produced. In Addition, IgA also produced in intestinal infection. With helminthic infections, IgG, IgM and IgE antibodies are produced.

Polyhouse cultivation enables year-round production of bell pepper (Capsicum annuum L.). Maintaining a favorable micro-climate inside a polyhouse is mostly through manual operation of environmental...

Highly oriented Cr-substituted Ni55Mn34Sn11 Heusler thin films having thickness ~ 400 nm were deposited by Ultrahigh vacuum dc magnetron sputtering on MgO (100) substrates. At room temperature, the films exhibit a mixture of dominant L21 cubic austenite phase, as revealed by the intense (002) and (004) peaks, along with small fraction of the orthorhombic–martensitic phase. Surface morphology of the thin films showed distribution of Cr-rich and Cr-deficit regions together with patterned and aligned magnetic domains, thus bringing out the inherent room temperature ferromagnetism of the film. At temperatures above the Curie temperature, TC ~ 321 K, the magnetic behaviour of the films is seen to follow the Curie law rather than the Curie–Weiss law. Ferromagnetic to antiferromagnetic transition appears at TN ~ 247 K, which gives rise to exchange bias at low temperatures due to the coexistence of the two magnetic orders. This phase coexistence also leads to the formation of a spin glass state deep into the martensitic region. The film exhibits metal-like nature at high temperature and semiconductor-like behaviour with the lowering of temperature. A reentrant metallic state is observed at T ≤ 38 K during cooling that persists up to ≤ 62 K in warming cycle. The hysteresis in the ρ–T curve spread over a very wide temperature range confirms the magnetic phase coexistence in the martensitic state in the present thin films. The magnetoresistance (MR) first increases (2.4% at 300 K and H = 50 kOe) with temperature and maximizes to around ~ 3.25% at T = 150 K and then starts decreasing. Its value in the glassy state is very small. This shows that a magnetic liquid like state is more conducive to larger MR.

A 27 years old non diabetic, normotensive, female had undergone lower segment caesarean section (LSCS) with tubular ligation. She complained discharge at left side of stitch line after about 5 weeks of operation, and was treated with broad spectrum antibiotics. As she did not improve, first and second debridement was done in January and February 2017 and pyogenic cultures sent were sterile. Later she was advised for Multiple detector computed tomography (MDCT) in March 2017, which revealed accumulations in pre-peritoneal space of urinary bladder posteriorly and reached to anterior wall of uterus. This pus was from multiple sinuses and were sent for mycobacterial cultures which showed growth of MOTT- M.mageritense further identified by MALDI-TOF and supported by molecular technologies. After identification of this Non-tuberculosis mycobacteria (NTM). She was treated for the same and recovered completely after seven months of anti-NTM treatment. This is the first reported case of M. mageritense in skin and soft tissue in India. Literature also reports a few cases around the globe.

Additional file 1: Table S1. Primer sequences used for genotyping along with melting temperature and amplicon base pairs. Table S2. List of suggestive significant SNPs chosen from a review of 10 year study for re-testing in the present study. Table S3. Distribution of genotypes, allele frequencies and HW test of significance among cases and controls of the 16 selected SNPs in the present study. Table S4. Network pathway percentage contribution of different default parameters of the figure S1. Figure S1. Pathway network analysis of 6 significant genes of the present study along with candidate genes of different known pathways of suicide behaviour. Default settings used for creation of network are as described in Table S4.

The present study examines the process of how tropospheric air enters the stratosphere, particularly in association with tropical mesoscale convective systems (TMCS) which are considered to be one of the causative mechanisms for the observation of extremely low tropopause temperature over the tropics. The association between the phenomena of convection and the observation of extreme low tropopause temperature events is, therefore, examined over the Asian monsoon region using data from multiple platforms. Satellite observations show that the area of low outgoing long wave radiation (OLR), which is a proxy for the enhanced convection, is embedded with high altitude clouds top temperatures (≤193 K). A detailed analysis of OLR and 100 hPa temperature shows that both are modulated by westward propagating Rossby waves with a period of ~15 days, indicating a close linkage between them. The process by which the tropospheric air enters the stratosphere may, in turn, be determined by how the areas of convection and low tropopause temperature (LTT) i.e. T≤191 K are spatially located. In this context, the relative spatial distribution of low OLR and LTT areas is examined. Though, the locations of low OLR and LTT are noticed in the same broad area, the two do not always overlap, except for partial overlap in some cases. When there are multiple low OLR areas, the LTT area generally appears in between the low OLR areas. Implications of these observations are also discussed. The present analysis also shows that the horizontal mean winds have a role in the spatial distribution of low OLR and LTT.

Aim: The aim was to study the effect of Aloe vera and clove powder supplementation on carcass characteristics, composition and serum enzymes of Japanese quails. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted on 120-day-old Japanese quails, which were randomly divided into four treatment groups viz. T1-control, T2-0.5% A. vera, T3-0.5% clove, and T4-(0.25% A. vera + 0.25% clove) powder, each having three replications consisting of ten Japanese quails. The birds in control group (T1) were fed no supplement whereas in treatments T2-T4 birds were supplemented with A. vera leaf powder, clove, and mixture of both (powdered form) at 0.5, 0.5, and 0.25+0.25% of feed, respectively. After 7 days of brooding, a feeding trial of 35 days was conducted. On 35th day of trial birds were sacrificed and dressing percentage, cut up parts, organ weight, processing losses and carcass meat composition of the breast, thigh, and drumstick were recorded. Blood samples were collected on the same day and serum was separated to evaluate serum enzymes alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST). Results: It showed significantly (p0.05) differences were observed in giblet weight, other cut up parts and composition of the breast, thigh, and drumstick muscles in all the treatment groups. Serum ALT and AST did not vary significantly among different treatment groups. Conclusion: A. vera and clove supplementation improved the dressing percentage and breast weight without adversely affecting the meat composition and serum enzymes. Thus, these can be used as a growth promoter in Japanese quails.

Introduction Suicide is a spectrum of behavior including suicide ideation and suicidal attempt and is undoubtedly the outcome of the interaction of several factors. The role of two main constructs of human nature, aggression and impulsivity, has been discussed broadly in relation to suicide, as endophenotypes or traits of personality, in research and in clinical practice across diagnoses. The objective of our study was to assess impulsive and aggressive behaviors among primitive people of the Idu Mishmi tribe, who are known for high suicide completer and attempter rates. Methods The study group was comprised of 177 unrelated Idu Mishmi participants divided into two sets: 39 suicide attempters and 138 non-attempters. Data on demographic factors and details of suicide attempts were collected. Participants completed a set of instruments for assessment of aggression and impulsivity traits. Results In the Idu Mishimi population we screened (n = 177), 22.03% of the individuals had attempted suicide, a high percentage. The suicide attempters also showed a significant sex difference: 35.9% were male and 64.10% were female (p = .002*). The suicide attempters (A) scored significantly higher than non-attempters (NA) on aggression (A = 23.93,NA = 18.46) and impulsivity (A = 75.53,NA = 71.59, with p value = 0.05). The trait impulsiveness showed a significantly higher difference (F (1, 117) = 7.274) in comparison to aggression (F (1, 117) = 2.647), suggesting a profound role of impulsiveness in suicide attempts in the Idu Mishmi population. Analysis of sub-traits of aggression and impulsivity revealed significant correlations between them. Using different models, multivariate logistic regression implied roles of gender (OR = 1.079 (0.05)) and impulsiveness (OR = 3.355 (0.013)) in suicide attempts. Conclusion Results demonstrate that gender and impulsivity are strong risk factors for suicide attempts in the Idu Mishmi population.

Field experiments were conducted during kharif 2010 to 2011 for sustaining productivity of soybean through mole drainage technology in temporary waterlogged vertisols at farmer’s fields in Hoshangabad district of Madhya Pradesh.The mole drain spacing selected includes 2, 4, 6 and 8 m and these drains were formed at an average depth of 0.4, 0.5 and 0.6 m from ground surface under a split plot designed experiment with 3 replications.Under various treatment combinations, the plant height, number of branches per plant, root nodules per plant, dry weight of root nodules per plant and yield of soybean crop are highest in 2 m drain spacing followed by 4m, 6m, 8m and control plot in all selected depths.The highest B: C ratio was recorded under S2D1 followed by S3D1, while the lowest net return was recorded under S 4 D 3 in the year 2010-11. In 2011-12 and in pooled data analysis the B:C ratio was recorded higher under S1D1 followed by S1D2 respectively. The lowest B: C ratio under mole drain treatment was found under control plot.Pipe less drainage (mole) technology for vertisols of Madhya Pradesh is found better in view of soybean productivity.

The superconducting and ground state samples of PrFeAsO0.8F0.2 and PrFeAsO have been synthesised via the easy and versatile single step solid state reaction route. X-ray and Reitveld refine parameters of the synthesised samples are in good agreement to the earlier reported value of the structure. The ground state of the pristine compound (PrFeAsO) exhibited a metallic-like step in resistivity below 150 K followed by another step at 12 K. The former is associated with the spin density wave (SDW)-like ordering of Fe spins and later to the anomalous magnetic ordering for Pr moments. Both the resistivity anomalies are absent in case of the superconducting PrFeAsO0.8F0.2 sample. Detailed high field (up to 12 Tesla) electrical and magnetization measurements are carried out for the superconducting PrFeAsO0.8F0.2 sample. The PrFeAsO0.8F0.2 exhibited superconducting onset ( $T_{c}^{\mathrm{onset}}$ ) at around 47 K with T c (ρ=0) at 38 K. Though the $T_{c}^{\mathrm{onset}}$ remains nearly invariant, the T c (ρ=0) is decreased with applied field, and the same is around 23 K under an applied field of 12 Tesla. The upper critical field (H c2) is estimated from the Ginzburg–Landau equation (GL) fitting, which is found to be ∼182 Tesla. Critical current density (J c ), being calculated from high field isothermal magnetization (MH) loops with the help of Beans critical state model, is found to be of the order of 103 A/cm2. Summarily, the superconductivity characterization of the single step synthesised PrFeAsO0.8F0.2 superconductor is presented.

This paper deals with the determination of thermal conductivity of water based TiO2 nanofluids as a function of temperature in the range of 30°C to 70°C with different volume concentration of TiO2 nanoparticles. In the present experimental investigation, nanofluids are prepared with TiO2 nanoparticles of average size of 21 nm and measurements are made using test setup, specifically designed by namely PA Hilton, UK [17]. Nanofluids with different volume concentrations in the range of 0.2% to 1.0 % (by weight) of TiO2 are used. Based on the experimental results it is found that the thermal conductivity of nanofluids increases with the percentage of volume concentration and temperature. Experimental results are compared with the models available in the open literature. The experimental results of thermal conductivity of nanofluids of the present investigation closely compare with the predictions of the model proposed by Murshed et al [8]. All other models have under-predicted the thermal conductivity of TiO2...

Spatial and temporal variation of water vapor mixing ratio (WVMR) is examined for its association with the convective activity in upper troposphere and lower stratosphere over tropical region particularly Asian monsoon region (AMR) and Indonesian–Australian West Pacific region (IAWPR) using WVMR obtained from MLS satellite with simultaneous daily mean OLR from NOAA and daily mean wind from NCEP reanalysis. An examination of WVMR at various pressure levels during high water vapor regime (moist Phase) indicates that water vapor (WV) transport, in troposphere, is rather fast up to a level of ~ 147 hPa. Seasonal variation of WVMR over tropical lower stratosphere (TLS) is noted to be closely associated with seasonal northward movement of intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ). Convection activity over AMR appears to be a prominent contributor to the moist phase of WVMR seasonal cycle in TLS. However, other tropical regions may also be contributing to the seasonal variability of WVMR. Low WV (dry) phase of the WVMR seasonal cycle in TLS observed during NH winter and early spring months may be caused by the appearance of extreme cold temperatures (≤ 191 K) close to tropopause heights over IAWPR. Mechanisms that could cause such low temperatures over IAWPR are discussed. Intraseasonal oscillations with period of 30–40 days are observed in WVMR at various pressure levels. At 100 hPa level such oscillations are noted to be closely associated with similar oscillation in OLR and temperature. These observations suggest that variations in OLR (proxy of convection activity) produce such oscillation in WVMR. Present analysis thus report signature of convection in upward transport of WV, seasonal and intraseasonal oscillation in WVMR in upper troposphere and lower stratosphere (UTLS).

KEYWORDS Breast Cancer. Genetics. BRCA1. North Coastal Andhra Pradesh ABSTRACT Owing to its high incidence coupled with relatively good prognosis, breast cancer is the most prevalent cancer in the world today. Germ line mutations in the susceptibility gene BRCA1 in hereditary breast/ovarian cancer, though low in prevalence, are highly penetrant and show geographical variations. Most cancer-associated BRCA1 mutations identified to date result in the premature translational termination of the protein. However , the molecular and genetic effects of missense mutations remain largely unknown. There have been only a few reports from India on mutations in BRCA1 and none from North Coastal Andhra Pradesh. We have analyzed 114 breast cancer patients with (N = 9) and without (N = 105) a family history of breast cancer , 22 at risk relatives from familial (n=1 1), sporadic (n=11) cases and 97control subjects for mutations in exons 2 and 1 1 and their intron-exon boundaries of BRCA1 gene by direct sequencing. Sequence alignment was carried by CLUST AL W and PSI-BLAST. Out of eight sequence variants found, one novel deleterious frame-shift mutation (c.2717insA), one novel polymorphism (c.1400A>G), five previously reported common polymorphisms in exon 11 and one intronic (intron 1) variant (base1822C>T) were observed. All the identified polymorphisms in exon 11 fall in DNA binding domain of BRCA1 protein.

To investigate the effect of hydrophobicity, charge and size of photosensitizers (PS) on their encapsulation efficiency in organically modified silica nanoparticles (ORMOSIL), a series of alkyl ether analogs of 2-(1′-hexyloxyethyl)-2-devinyl pyropheophorbide-a (HPPH) containing varied number of carbon units, HPPH with anionic and cationic functionalities, and HPPH analogs with molecular weight ranging from ~630 to 6000 Daltons were synthesized. Our preliminary results suggest that these factors play a significant role in encapsulation of the photosensitizers and their release from ORMOSIL nanoparticles. The synthesis and characterization of PS-encapsulated ORMOSIL and a comparative study on the effect of PS size, lipophilicity and charge on encapsulation efficiency, photophysical characteristics and release kinetics are discussed.

Introduction: The paper reviews progress in addressing the HIV epidemic and questions whether at the midway mark to the conclusion of the Millennium Development Goal set for 2015, the goal number 6 of halting and reversing the HIV epidemic will be reached. Methods: Fourteen 2008 United Nations General Assembly Special Session on HIV/ AIDS country progress reports and 18 country reports on Universal Access 2009 were analyzed. Data on national HIV strategic plans was also provided by 18 countries that participated in the regional training on costed national strategic plans 15―16 September, in Bangkok in 2008. Results: Four countries with substantial populations in Asia are on track to achieve Millennium Development Goal 6. Elsewhere, elements of a potentially effective response are being introduced, but the degree of urgency and scale needed to curb the epidemics are not yet evident. Most national programmes still lack key planning components for the operation and financing of the response. Only 13 national strategic plans explicitly address the three key populations at higher risk for HIV. One third of the countries that have designed plans for effective interventions have not costed them. Discussion: Early successes in controlling HIV epidemics in Asia may not be sustainable in the future. There is an urgent need to make prevention scale-up as robust as treatment scale-up and to focus programmes on high impact prevention, which directly contributes to reduction of new HIV infection. A necessary objective is to convince policy makers that the emergency posed by HIV continues.

Influence of repeated application of the nitrification inhibitor dicyandiamide (DCD), on CH(4) production and associated microflora in a flooded alluvial soil, was investigated in a laboratory incubation study. Application of DCD at the time of soil incubation resulted in a substantial reduction in CH(4) production (31% over that of untreated control). Second repeat application of DCD, on the contrary, annulled the inhibitory effect on CH(4) production, restoring it to the level of unamended soil. Application of the third dose of DCD maintained CH(4) production almost to the same extent as that of second application. The alleviation of the initial inhibitory effect of DCD on CH(4) production was linked to the enhanced degradation of DCD following its repeated application to the flooded soil. Admittedly, abatement of the initial inhibitory effect of DCD on CH(4) production in soil repeatedly amended with DCD was also related to the inhibition of CH(4)-oxidizing bacterial population and noticeable stimulation of heterotrophic bacterial population. Results suggest that repeat application of DCD with fertilizer-N to flooded rice soils might not be effective in controlling CH(4) production under field condition.

Retrospective study.We aimed to correlate the spinal cord changes as depicted by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with the neurological deficit and motor recovery of patients with acute cervical spinal cord injury (SCI).A total of 57 patients with acute cervical spine trauma who presented to the Department of Radio Diagnosis, Kasturba Medical College Manipal, Karnataka, India, over a period of 5 years (August 2002 to September 2007) were studied.The pattern and extent of spinal cord changes on MRI were compared with the American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) grade, motor index score (MIS) and the total number of useful muscles in the extremities on admission (ADM) and follow-up. The differences in the recovery rates (RR) among patients with cord edema (EDE), contusion and hemorrhage (HGE) were tested statistically.Spinal cord edema was associated with a better neurological outcome than contusion or hemorrhage, and its overall length showed a negative correlation with the recovery rate (P=0.001).MRI is invaluable in evaluating cervical SCI. Cord edema is associated with a better neurological outcome when compared with cord contusion or hemorrhage.

This paper reports a new concept of a 3-axis accelerometer design along with proposed fabrication steps and a circuit readout configuration. In order to achieve a better performance in terms of induced output, the study focuses on the optimization of the structure dimensions and the optimal piezoresistor's location. The proposed model will be analyzed using Finite Element Modeling (FEM) to fully investigate the stress field in the structure based on the seismic mass movement and dimensions of attachment arms. Using Finite Element Analysis results, the push-pull operation mode has been confirmed. Maximum stress magnitude with an appropriate profile has been studied in terms of various key geometric parameters. Under an acceleration of 100g, symmetric stress magnitude profile with an approximate value of 3MPa, has been detected. This paper also discusses the structure of the built-in network of the piezoresistive Wheatstone bridge circuit and its position. We also show a flip-chip process flow for the ongoing fabrication of a polymer based accelerometer prototype.

On the Estimation of the Dissociation Energy of BS

Bond Dissociation Energies and Bond Orders for Diatomic Molecules

Correlation between Bond Energies and Forbidden Gaps of Alkali Semiconductors

Identification of Chlorite in Indian Clays by X-Ray Diffraction Studies of their Orientated Aggregates

Lattice Energies and Optoelectronic Properties of some Ionic Crystals

Flooded paddy is considered to be one of the major anthropogenic sources of atmospheric methane (CH4), a potent greenhouse gas. Emission of CH4 from flooded rice soils is affected by a multitude of factors including crop management practices. In a field study, CH4 fluxes from a sub-humid tropical flooded field of Cuttack, eastern India, as affected by planting with 20 and 35-day old rice (Oryza sativa L.) seedlings on two sets of planting dates were measured with the closed chamber method in 2002–2003 encompassing wet (kharif) season, 2002 and dry (rabi) season, 2003. In the wet season of 2002, CH4 emission from staggered planting was measured with two varieties viz. Lalat and Gayatri, while during the dry season of 2003, the experiment was conducted with cv. Lalat. CH4 emission was low from plots planted to aged seedlings (35-day) as well as seedlings transplanted late in both sets of experiments that were transplanted to the main field with an interval of 15 days during the two growing seasons. Cumulative CH4 emission from early- and late-transplanted plots during wet season, 2002 was 408.77 and 308.58 kg ha−1 and during the dry season, 2003 was 431.35 and 328.66 kg ha−1, respectively. Early transplanted seedlings had higher number of tillers and exhibited low soil redox (Eh) potential thereby favouring higher CH4 emission. There was no statistically significant yield reduction due to transplanting of aged seedlings or planting late over that of young seedlings planted early. Our results suggest that in rainfed rice cultivation, as practiced in greater part of Asia and Africa, transplanting late with comparatively aged seedlings could lead to a considerable reduction in CH4 emission without being detrimental to the yield.

A cultura do amendoim é uma alternativa agrícola importante para os perímetros irrigados do Nordeste brasileiro, em especial aqueles localizados em áreas de solos de textura arenosa, por sua baixa exigência hídrica, ciclo curto e uma demanda não atendida no mercado regional. Realizou-se este trabalho buscando-se avaliar diferentes métodos que determinam as necessidades hídricas da cultura do amendoim. O consumo hídrico da cultura foi determinado através de medições em evapotranspirômetros de lençol freático constante. A evapotranspiração de referencia foi obtida através de diferentes métodos. Constatou-se que a demanda hídrica da cultura é da ordem de 650 mm e o coeficiente de cultura (kc) obtido pelos métodos do Tanque Classe A, Hargreaves e Thornthwaite, são os mais adequados para o manejo eficiente da irrigação.The peanut crop with its low water requirement, short growing period and a higher demand, which is not attended by the regional markets, is an important alternative crop to be grown in the irrigated areas of the Brazilian Northeast, especially in the sandy soils. This paper is concerned with the evaluation of different methods, which determine the water requirements of a peanut crop. The crop water consumption is determined from two evapotranspirometers with constant water table. The reference evapotranspiration is obtained by using different methods. The peanut crop water requirement is in the order of 650 mm and the crop coefficient obtained from the methods of Class A Pan evaporimeter, Hargreaves and Thornthwaite, is more adequate for efficient management of irrigation.

With the recognition of certain limitations of ex situ methods for conservation of plant genetic resources the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) at the 'Earth Summit' in 1992 highlighted the importance of traditional knowledge of indigenous and local communities that are relevant for the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity and gave considerable attention to on-farm and other forms of in situ conservation. Unlike semi-Static nature of ex situ conservation the in situ or on-farm conservation (OFC) is a dynamic evolutionary process. In developing countries like Republic of Korea, where there is a continuum between the use of traditional and modern cultivars, integration of OFC with already existing gene-bank activities in the country will be an effective approach for conservation and sustainable use of the country's crop genetic resources. However, very little efforts have been made so far in developing strategies for OFC, therefore, in this paper we describe the importance of OFC and strategies for its development in Republic of Korea. Surveys over the last 20 years have shown that the landraces of major crops have been almost replaced by newly bred varieties in the country. But some vegetatively propagated or minor crop species are still being maintained in the farmers' fields. We have identified crop landraces, which can be classified into four different categories from the OFC point of view. These are vegetatively propagated landraces, sexually reproduced landraces, landraces with improved varieties and landraces cultivated for the reasons of personal preference. The related issues on OFC including implementation methods from the point of national cooperative system in designated specific condition are also discussed to ensure the genetic diversity in the fast changing agro-ecosystem of the country.

The present study deals with the ontogeny, structure and development of Cardiospermum halicacabum fruit and the mode of its dehiscence. The trigonous, pyriform and bladdery capsular fruit of C. halicacabum develops from a 3-celled ovary with one ovule in each cell. The ovary wall is 5 to 7 cell layers thick. The outer epidermis of the ovary wall develops into a single-layered epicarp. The isodiametric cells of developing epicarp contain abundant tanniniferous contents. The 3 or 4 layers thick ground parenchyma of ovary wall constitutes the mesocarp. The thin walled cells of developing mesocarp are found to get apart from each other, as their elongation is meagre, to keep pace with the increment in the circumference of fruit. The tangentially elongated cells of inner epidermis of ovary wall form a single layered endocarp. The endocarpic cells of developing fruit do not exhibit much structural changes, except vacuolation. Due to the disintegration of thin walled parenchyma cells situated throughout the leng...

1-(beta-D-ribofuranosyl)-1,2-dihydropyrimidin-2-one (zebularine) is structurally 4-deamino cytidine. The increased electrophilic character of this simple aglycon endows the molecule with unique chemical and biological properties, making zebularine a versatile starting material for the synthesis of complex nucleosides and an effective inhibitor of cytidine deaminase and DNA cytosine methyltransferase. Zebularine is a stable, antitumor agent that preferentially targets cancer cells and shows activity both in vitro and in experimental animals, even after oral administration.

Rice-straw amendment increased methane production by 3-fold over that of unamended control. Application of P as single superphosphate at 100 μg (g soil)-1 inhibited methane (CH 4 ) production distinctly in flooded alluvial rice soil, in the absence more than in the presence of rice straw. CH 4 emission from rice plants (cv. IR72) from alluvial soil treated with single superphosphate as basal application, in the presence and absence of rice straw, and held under non-flooded and flooded conditions showed distinct variations. CH 4 emission from non-flooded soil amended with rice straw was high and almost similar to that of flooded soil without rice-straw amendment. The cumulative CH 4 efflux was highest (1041 mg pot -1 ) in rice-straw-amended flooded soil. Appreciable methanogenic reactions in rice-straw-amended soils were evident under both flooded and non-flooded conditions. Rice-straw application substantially altered the balance between total aerobic and anaerobic microorganisms even in non-flooded soil. The mitigating effects of single-superphosphate application or low-moisture regime on CH 4 production and emission were almost nullified due to enhanced activities of methanogenic archaea in the presence of rice straw.

We investigate the electronic structures of hole-doped, La0.7Ca0.3MnO3, and electron-doped, La0.7Ce0.3MnO3, manganites by x-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy at the O and Mn K-edges. While, the O K-edge XANES results indicate that Ca and Ce doping induce holes in O 2p derived states, the Mn K-edge XANES do not give any evidence for creation of the Mn4+ (or Mn2+) ions by Ca (or Ce) dopants. Such results further questions the validity of double exchange mechanism in understanding the anomalous properties of manganites.

We present the results of PL measurements on Ni6+ heavy ions irradiated ruby samples of Indian origin at different fluence. PL spectra taken for pristine ruby and its two irradiated samples at room temperature show R1, R2, N lines and a broad band in spectra. The increase in intensities of these features in irradiated rubies with increase of Ni6+ ions fluence is discussed. Observed structural changes and modifications on surface of pre- and post-irradiated rubies with Ni6+ ion by atomic force microscopic technique are reported.

The electronic structures of hole-doped La0.7Ca0.3MnO3 and electron-doped La0.7Ce0.3MnO3 manganites are investigated by x-ray absorption near-edge structure spectroscopy at the O and Mn K-, and Mn L3,2-edges. The Mn K- and L3,2-edge results show that Ce dopants increase the occupation of the Mn 4p and majority-spin eg orbitals and reduce the positive effective charge of some Mn ions. However, Ce doping also induces holes in O 2p derived states. As for La0.7Ca0.3MnO3, in contrast to previous understanding that Ca doping converts some Mn ions into the Mn4+ state, we find that Ca dopants actually increase the number of majority-spin eg electrons. We find instead that the holes created by Ca dopants are in the O 2p derived states.

The microstructure characterization by X-ray line profile analysis is possible for determination of dislocation density, micro-strain within grains due to dislocation and average cohe rent domain size (sub- grain) within the grain. This study presents the X -ray diffraction peaks shape analysis and their broadening with different thermal treatments in Zr -2·5% Nb pressure tube material. The peak shape is analysed using Fourier transformation and information about coherent domain size, micro-strain and dislocation density could be obtained from the Fourier coefficients of the peak. Analysis of broadening of the peaks by integral breadth method also gives the coherent domain size, dislocation density and micro -strain present in the mate- rial. The results from the X-ray techniques are comparable to those obtained from direct observation of transmission electron microscopy. The measured yield strength increases with dislocation density. An empir i- cal relationship is obtained for the yield strength from the dislocation density of the material. The measured strength is in agreement with the one calculated from dislocation density.

We have made the PL measurements on ruby at room temperature and 4.2 K. The characteristic R1 and R2 lines of chromium in ruby are found to be absent in the spectra recorded at 4.2 K. Instead of these characteristic lines a band centered on 1.6 eV is observed. A possible explanation has been discussed in terms of co-existence of the two electronic states due to presence of Cr3+ and Cr4+ ions in the ruby lattice.