North Eastern Regional Institute of Science and Technology

About: North Eastern Regional Institute of Science and Technology is a education organization based out in Itanagar, India. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Raman spectroscopy. The organization has 813 authors who have published 1429 publications receiving 16122 citations.

Microgrid Based Hybrid Energy Co-Operative for Grid-Isolated Remote Rural Village Power Supply for East Coast Zone of India

Abstract: The rural villages situated in the east coast zone of India are facing acute shortage of electrical power which considerably affects the overall development of the region. Major sources of energy poverty in this locality are from low voltage and intermittent power supply from the existing utility systems. Mismatch between the demand and supply for the long transmission and distribution systems is the major cause of such situations. In this paper, an attempt has been made to solve this long standing problem economically, using a feasible energy co-operative based wind–solar hybrid generation system. This generated power will be distributed among co-operative registered designated loads through a standalone hybrid microgrid system within the scope of the regulations in the national deregulated electricity market. Besides, both technical and nontechnical power losses associated with the existing utility systems can be significantly curbed through the proposed energy co-operative scheme. The scheme has been satisfactorily implemented using MATLAB/Simulink and HOMER Pro-3.2 simulation tool and validated through a prototype experimental setup. The laboratory testing is carried out through a 10 kW generation and utilization system, which can be customized further for the wide-area rural power supply.

Current perspectives on genetically modified crops and detection methods

Abstract: Genetically modified (GM) crops are the fastest adopted commodities in the agribiotech industry. This market penetration should provide a sustainable basis for ensuring food supply for growing global populations. The successful completion of two decades of commercial GM crop production (1996-2015) is underscored by the increasing rate of adoption of genetic engineering technology by farmers worldwide. With the advent of introduction of multiple traits stacked together in GM crops for combined herbicide tolerance, insect resistance, drought tolerance or disease resistance, the requirement of reliable and sensitive detection methods for tracing and labeling genetically modified organisms in the food/feed chain has become increasingly important. In addition, several countries have established threshold levels for GM content which trigger legally binding labeling schemes. The labeling of GM crops is mandatory in many countries (such as China, EU, Russia, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Korea, Chile, Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand), whereas in Canada, Hong Kong, USA, South Africa, and Argentina voluntary labeling schemes operate. The rapid adoption of GM crops has increased controversies, and mitigating these issues pertaining to the implementation of effective regulatory measures for the detection of GM crops is essential. DNA-based detection methods have been successfully employed, while the whole genome sequencing using next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies provides an advanced means for detecting genetically modified organisms and foods/feeds in GM crops. This review article describes the current status of GM crop commercialization and discusses the benefits and shortcomings of common and advanced detection systems for GMs in foods and animal feeds.

Influence of soil properties on microbial populations, activity and biomass in humid subtropical mountainous ecosystems of India

Abstract: Microbial populations, biomass, soil respiration and enzyme activities were determined in slightly acid organic soils of major mountainous humid subtropical terrestrial ecosystems, along a soil fertility gradient, in order to evaluate the influence of soil properties on microbial populations, activity and biomass and to understand the dynamics of the microbial biomass in degraded ecosystems and mature forest. Although the population of fungi was highest in the undisturbed forest (Sacred Grove), soil respiration was lowest in the 7-year-old regrowth and in natural grassland (approximately 373 μg g–1 h–1). Dehydrogenase and urease activities were high in "jhum" fallow, and among the forest stands they were highest in the 7-year-old regrowth. Microbial biomass C (MBC) depended mainly on the organic C status of the soil. The MBC values were generally higher in mature forest than in natural grassland, 1-year-old jhum fallow and the 4-year-old alder plantation. The MBC values obtained by the chloroform-fumigation-incubation technique (330–1656 μg g–1) did not vary significantly from those obtained by the chloroform-fumigation-extraction technique (408–1684 μg g–1), however, the values correlated positively (P<0.001). The enzyme activities, soil respiration, bacterial and fungal populations and microbial biomass was greatly influenced by several soil properties, particularly the levels of nutrients. The soil nutrient status, microbial populations, soil respiration and dehydrogenase activity were greater in Sacred Grove, while urease activity was greater in grassland.