Soil Chemical Analysis

Shallow groundwater affects terrestrial ecosystems by sustaining river base-flow and root-zone soil water in the absence of rain, but little is known about the global patterns of water table depth and where it provides vital support for land ecosystems We present global observations of water table depth compiled from government archives and literature, and fill in data gaps and infer patterns and processes using a groundwater model forced by modern climate, terrain, and sea level Patterns in water table depth explain patterns in wetlands at the global scale and vegetation gradients at regional and local scales Overall, shallow groundwater influences 22 to 32% of global land area, including ~15% as groundwater-fed surface water features and 7 to 17% with the water table or its capillary fringe within plant rooting depths

http://science.sciencemag.org/content/sci/339/6122/940.full.pdf

Global patterns of groundwater table depth.

Although cadavers constitute the gold standard for teaching anatomy to medical and health science students, there are substantial financial, ethical, and supervisory constraints on their use. In addition, although anatomy remains one of the fundamental areas of medical education, universities have decreased the hours allocated to teaching gross anatomy in favor of applied clinical work. The release of virtual (VR) and augmented reality (AR) devices allows learning to occur through hands-on immersive experiences. The aim of this research was to assess whether learning structural anatomy utilizing VR or AR is as effective as tablet-based (TB) applications, and whether these modes allowed enhanced student learning, engagement and performance. Participants (n = 59) were randomly allocated to one of the three learning modes: VR, AR, or TB and completed a lesson on skull anatomy, after which they completed an anatomical knowledge assessment. Student perceptions of each learning mode and any adverse effects experienced were recorded. No significant differences were found between mean assessment scores in VR, AR, or TB. During the lessons however, VR participants were more likely to exhibit adverse effects such as headaches (25% in VR P < 0.05), dizziness (40% in VR, P < 0.001), or blurred vision (35% in VR, P < 0.01). Both VR and AR are as valuable for teaching anatomy as tablet devices, but also promote intrinsic benefits such as increased learner immersion and engagement. These outcomes show great promise for the effective use of virtual and augmented reality as means to supplement lesson content in anatomical education. Anat Sci Educ 10: 549-559. © 2017 American Association of Anatomists.

/pdf/the-effectiveness-of-virtual-and-augmented-reality-in-health-3r4g1nh7ts.pdf

The effectiveness of virtual and augmented reality in health sciences and medical anatomy.

Developing a Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) based model for predicting water table depth in agricultural areas.

Agricultural land use suitability analysis using GIS and AHP technique

Performance evaluation of AquaCrop model for maize crop in a semi-arid environment

Land evaluation procedure given by FAO for soil site suitability for various land utilization types has been used to assess the land suitability for different crops and for generating cropping pattern for kharif (summer) and rabi (winter) seasons in Kheragarah tehsil of Agra. Kheragarah tehsil suffers from many types of land degradation such as such as salinity, watelogging, ravines, degraded hills and rock quarries (AIS & LUS, 2000). The database on soil, land use/land cover was generated from data derived from IRS -P6 remote sensing satellite and soil survey to perform an integrated analysis in the geographic information system environment. Agricultural and non-agricultural lands were delineated using the Decision Tree Classifier (DTC) and non-agricultural areas were masked for removal from future analysis. Different soil chemical parameters and physical parameters were evaluated for different crops. Subsequently all of them were integrated using a multi criteria decision making and GIS to generate the land suitability maps for various crops. Kharif and rabi season cropping patterns maps were developed by integrating crop suitability maps for the winter and summer seasons separately. Results indicated that about 55 % is highly suitable (S1) for sugarcane and 60%, 54% and 48 % of the area are moderately suitable (S2) for cultivation pearl millet, mustard and rice respectively. 50 % of the area is found to be marginally suitable (S3) for growing maize. It was also found that better land use options could be implemented in different land units as the conventional land evaluation methods suffer from limitation of spatial analysis for the suitability of various crops.

Land Suitability Analysis for Different Crops: A Multi Criteria Decision Making Approach using Remote Sensing and GIS

Himachal Pradesh, in the Indian Himalaya, has a rich diversity of medicinal plants, which are widely used. This paper brings together existing information with the results from recent field surveys. A total of 643 species of medicinal plants are identified; many different plant parts are used for the treatment of various ailments. The number of medicinal plant species decreased with increasing altitude. The plants are classified according to nativeness, endemism, and rarity, and prioritized for cultivation. Existing strategies for in-situ and ex-situ conservation, cultivation and propagation are reviewed and a range of actions for cooperative implementation by all stakeholders are suggested.

Medicinal plants in Himachal Pradesh, north western Himalaya, India

Purpose
The continuous decrease in teaching time, the artificially created scarcity of competent anatomical faculties and a reduced allocation of resources have brought about the decline of anatomy in medical education. As a result of this, anatomical knowledge and the standard of medical education have fallen with consequences including safety in clinical practice. The aim of the present study is to analyze this declining phase of anatomy and its impact on medical education and to consider corrective measures.

Is the decline of human anatomy hazardous to medical education/profession?--A review.

DNA barcoding is a promising technique for species identification using a short mitochondrial DNA sequence of cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) gene. In the present study, DNA barcodes were generated from 72 species of freshwater fish covering the Orders Cypriniformes, Siluriformes, Perciformes, Synbranchiformes, and Osteoglossiformes representing 50 genera and 19 families. All the samples were collected from diverse sites except the species endemic to a particular location. Species were represented by multiple specimens in the great majority of the barcoded species. A total of 284 COI sequences were generated. After amplification and sequencing of 700 base pair fragment of COI, primers were trimmed which invariably generated a 655 base pair barcode sequence. The average Kimura two-parameter (K2P) distances within-species, genera, families, and orders were 0.40%, 9.60%, 13.10%, and 17.16%, respectively. DNA barcode discriminated congeneric species without any confusion. The study strongly validated the efficiency of COI as an ideal marker for DNA barcoding of Indian freshwater fishes.

Man Singh

Papers

Performance evaluation of AquaCrop model for maize crop in a semi-arid environment

Land Suitability Analysis for Different Crops: A Multi Criteria Decision Making Approach using Remote Sensing and GIS

Medicinal plants in Himachal Pradesh, north western Himalaya, India

Is the decline of human anatomy hazardous to medical education/profession?--A review.

DNA barcoding Indian freshwater fishes.