Showing papers in "Current Science in 2009"

The Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M 3 ) on Chandrayaan-1

Abstract: 3 is an imaging spectrometer that operates from the visible into the near-infrared (0.42-3.0 μm) where highly diagnostic mineral absorption bands occur. Over the course of the mission M 3 will provide low resolution spectro- scopic data for the entire lunar surface at 140 m/pixel (86 spectral channels) to be used as a base-map and high spectral resolution science data (80 m/pixel; 260 spectral channels) for 25-50% of the surface. The de- tailed mineral assessment of different lunar terrains provided by M 3 is principal information needed for understanding the geologic evolution of the lunar crust and lays the foundation for focused future in-depth exploration of the Moon.

A high resolution daily gridded rainfall dataset (1971―2005) for mesoscale meteorological studies

Abstract: In this communication, we discuss the development of a very high resolution (0.5° x 0.5°) daily rainfall dataset for mesoscale meteorological studies over the Indian region. The dataset was developed using quality-controlled rainfall data from more than 3000 rain gauge stations over India. The analysis consists of daily rainfall data for all the seasons for the period 1971― 2005. A well-tested interpolation method (Shepard's method) was used to interpolate the station data into regular grids of 0.5° x 0.5° lat. × long. After proper validation, it has been found that the present dataset is better compared to other available datasets. A few case studies have been shown to demonstrate the utility of the dataset for different mesoscale meteorological analyses. However, since the data density is not kept uniform, there is a possibility of temporal inhomogeneity and therefore, the present dataset cannot be used for trend analysis. The dataset is freely available from the India Meteorological Department, Pune.

A green protocol for room temperature synthesis of silver nanoparticles in seconds

Abstract: We describe here a rapid, energy-efficient, green and economically scalable room temperature protocol for the synthesis of silver nanoparticles. Tannic acid, a polyphenolic compound derived from plant extracts is used as the reducing agent. Silver nanoparticles of mean size ranging from 3.3 to 22.1 nm were synthesized at room temperature by the addition of silver nitrate to tannic acid solution maintained at an alkaline pH. The mean size was tuned by varying the molar ratio of tannic acid to silver nitrate. We also present proof of concept results demonstrating its suitability for room temperature continuous flow processing.

Some anticancer medicinal plants of foreign origin

Abstract: An attempt has been made to review some medicinal plants used for the prevention and treatment of cancer in foreign countries. Information on the botanical names of plants with family names, parts used and their main active components, and original/native place of these plants have been collected from the literature. This article considers 62 medicinal plants of foreign origin. These plants belong to 40 families, and their different parts (root, stem, bark, corm, bulb, leaf, fruit and seed) or the whole plants/herbs are used. The extracts or decoctions of these are generally used. The medicinal plants contain several phytochemicals such as vitamins (A, C, E, K), carotenoids, terpenoids, flavonoids, polyphenols, alkaloids, tannins, saponins, enzymes, minerals, etc. These phytochemicals possess antioxidant activities, which prevent or can be used in the treatment of many diseases, including cancer. Herbal drugs are also known to have good immunomodulatory properties. These act by stimulating both non-specific and specific immunity.

Observed changes in water mass properties in the Indian Sundarbans (northwestern Bay of Bengal) during 1980-2007.

Abstract: We present evidence that the Indian Sundarbans is experiencing the effects of climate change over the last three decades. Observations of selected variables, such as the surface water temperature, salinity, pH, dissolved oxygen, and transparency show significant long-term variation over a period of 27 years (1980-2007). Specifically, the temperature in these waters has risen at the rate of 0.5°C per decade, much higher than that observed globally or for the Indian Ocean. Increasing melting of Himalayan ice might have decreased the salinity at the mouth of the Ganges River, at the western end of this deltaic complex. At the same time, salinity has increased on the eastern sector, where the connections to the meltwater sources have become extinct due to heavy siltation of the Bidyadhari Channel. The long-term changes in dissolved oxygen, pH level, transparency and water quality are also examined. The ecological impact of such changes warrants future study.

Chandrayaan-1: India's first planetary science mission to the moon

Abstract: Chandrayaan-1, the first Indian planetary exploration mission, will carry out high resolution remote sensing studies of the moon to further our understanding about its origin and evolution. Hyper-spectral imaging in the UV-VIS-NIR region using three imaging spectrometers, along with a low energy X-ray spectrometer will provide mineralogical and chemical composition of the lunar surface at high spatial resolution. A terrain mapping camera will provide high resolution three-dimensional images of the lunar surface and will be complemented by a laser ranging instrument that will provide lunar altimetry. Three payloads ― a high energy X-γ ray spectrometer, a sub-keV atom reflecting analyser, and miniature imaging radar ― will be used for the first time for remote sensing exploration of a planetary body. They will investigate transport of volatiles on the lunar surface, presence of localized lunar mini-magnetosphere and possible presence of water ice in the permanently shadowed lunar polar region respectively. A radiation dose monitor will provide information on energetic particle flux en route to the moon and in lunar orbit. An impact probe carrying an imaging system, a radar altimeter and a mass spectrometer will be released from the spacecraft to land at a predestinated lunar site. The design of the one tonne-class spacecraft is primarily adapted from flight proven Indian Remote Sensing satellite bus with several modifications that are specific to the lunar mission. The spacecraft was launched by using a variant of the indigenous Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-XL) and placed in a 100 km circular polar orbit around the moon with a planned mission life of two years. An Indian Deep Space Network and an Indian Space Science Data Center have been established as a part of Chandrayaan-1 mission and will cater to the need of future Indian space science and planetary missions.

Fluoride contamination in groundwaters of Sonbhadra District, Uttar Pradesh, India.

Abstract: Fluoride (F-) concentration over and above the permissible limits (1.5 mg/l) in drinking water leads to human health hazards, such as dental and skeletal fluorosis affecting millions of people in many parts of India. Preliminary investigations indicate that severe health disorders have been identified in parts of the Kachnarwa region, which is in the upper Panda river basin, Sonbhadra District, Uttar Pradesh, due to excess intake of fluoride through drinking water. The lithological units of the study area mainly consist of granite and gneissic complex rocks of the Chota-Nagpur Plateau. In order to understand the probable source of fluoride and its concentration, 17 groundwater samples mostly from granite and phyllite regions were collected for fluoride estimation during May 2006. The concentration of fluoride in the groundwater of the study area varies from 0.483 to 6.7 mg/l. Among the 17 samples analysed, 8 exceeded the maximum permissible limits of fluoride in the study area. The source of fluoride in the groundwater of the study area is mainly from geological occurrence (i.e. fluoride-bearing minerals, viz. apatite and biotitic mica). Microscopic analysis of the rock samples showed 5-10% apatite and 20-25% biotite, but other fluoride-bearing minerals like fluorite and hornblende were characteristically absent. X-ray diffraction studies showed that apatite mineral peak profile of the rock samples corroborated with the fluorapatite of the standard set by the JCPDS. The worst fluoride-affected villages are Rohiniyadamar, Madhuri, Neruiyadamar, Gobardaha and Kunrwa. Most people in these villages suffer from dental and skeletal fluorosis such as mottling of teeth, deformation of ligaments, bending of spinal column and ageing problem. An urgent need is to educate the people on the causes of fluorosis, encouraging rainwater harvesting and providing fluoride-free drinking water in the study area.

The Great avulsion of Kosi on 18 August 2008

Abstract: The 18 August 2008 avulsion of the Kosi River draining the parts of north Bihar in eastern India may well be regarded as one of the greatest avulsions in a large river in recent years. The Kosi River shifted by ~120 km eastward, triggered by the breach of the eastern afflux bund at Kusaha in Nepal at a location 12 km upstream of the Kosi barrage. This event was widely perceived as a major flood in the media and scientific circles. Although a large area was indeed inundated after this event, it is important to appreciate that this inundation was different from a regular flooding event.

Arsenic groundwater contamination in parts of middle Ganga plain, Bihar

Abstract: Arsenic contamination of groundwater in low-lying Bhagarathi–Ganga deltaic plain is known for more than two decades. The problem was recognized in 1984 (ref. 1) in West Bengal, when 16 patients from a village of 24 Parganas district reported arsenicosis. Subsequent investigations revealed extensive arsenic contamination in groundwater in the Bengal Basin affecting the eastern part of West Bengal and a major part of Bangladesh. About 40 million inhabitants of this densely populated part of the world are residing in the risk-zone having groundwater arsenic level >0.5 mg/l (ref. 4). If the guideline value of 0.01 mg/l of World Health Organisation is to be considered, the affected population would be much more. In the Asian countries, contamination has been recorded from Hanoi city and the upper end of the Red River delta. In addition, the reported high load from flood and delta plains of the Mekong valley in Cambodia and Vietnam, Irrawaddi delta in Mynamar and in the Indus basin, indicated that the lower flood plains and delta regions of southeastern Asia are prone to arsenic groundwater contamination. The middle Ganga plain covering about 89% geographical area of Bihar (~94,000 km) holds potential alluvial aquifers. The tract is known for surplus food production and intensive groundwater extraction for drinking, irrigation, and industrial uses. The middle and upper Ganga plains covering the upstream part from Rajmahal Hills, were earlier considered to be free from arsenic groundwater contamination. Initially, the contamination (>0.05 mg/l) was reported in 2002 from two villages, Bariswan and Simaria Ojhapatti of Bhojpur district of Bihar. The area is located in the middle Ganga plain, amid the flood-prone belt of Sone-Ganga interfluve region. Studies by the Central Ground Water Board and the Public Health Engineering Department, Government of Bihar have indicated the contamination as high as 0.178 mg/l in the surrounding villages, affecting the hand pumps which are generally of 20– 40 m depth. The dug wells (depth 8– 12 m) have been marked with low arsenic (max 0.008 mg/l). Arsenic in groundwater exhibited a wide spatial variation, even more than 90 times within a distance of 150 m. The area is underlain by a multi-layer sequence of sand (aquifer) alternating with aquitards like sandy-clay and clay, down to depth of 300 m. In an affected village Bariswan, an aquiferspecific groundwater analysis revealed a rapid decline in arsenic load with depth, from 0.095 mg/l at 19 m to 0.006 mg/l at 194 m below ground. Hydrostratigraphic analysis based on drill cutting samples at four locations (Shahpur, Paharpur, Karnamipurpur and Bharauli) in arsenic affected areas in Son–Ganga interfluve, reveals that the Quaternary deposits within 300 m below ground can be divided into two-tier aquifer system. The shallow aquifer system is confined within 120–130 m depth, followed by a laterally continuous 20–30 m thick clay/sandy-clay zone forming the aquitard. The deeper aquifer system exists below this aquitard, which continues down to 240–260 m below ground. The upper part of the shallow aquifer (within ~50 m below ground) is affected by groundwater arsenic contamination. The lowland Terai belt in Nepal, where groundwater is an important source for agriculture and drinking, recorded high load of arsenic (0.02–2.6 mg/l) in shallow tube wells, where cases of arsenicosis have also been reported. Arseniccontaminated areas are reported from the areas close to the debouching zones of Himalayan rivers, like Jamuna River flood plain, in northern parts of Bangladesh. In nine districts of north Bihar bordering Nepal, an extensive arsenic testing (total sample analysed ≈3100) by UNICEF has revealed arsenic contamination below 0.05 mg/l (ref. 9). In districtwise sum-up, the highest number of samples exceeding 0.01 mg/l were in east Champaran district (8.3% of total samples). Initial detection of high arsenic in Bhojpur district has entailed apprehension that a major part of the Ganga Alluvial Plain in Bihar may be polluted by arsenic, whereas Acharya had pointed out that the contamination may not be widespread. Detailed hydrogeochemical study in Bhojpur district reveals that in the southern part of the Ganga River, arsenic contamination is confined in the post-Holocene deposits in the oscillation zone of the river Ganga and in the older flood plain of the newer alluvium. The older alluvium (Upper Holocene to Lower Pleistocene) aquifers recorded concentration in the range of 0.001–

Forecasting groundwater level using artificial neural networks.

Abstract: The performance of the artificial neural network (ANN) model, ie standard feed-forward neural network trained with Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm, was examined for forecasting groundwater level at Maheshwaram watershed, Hyderabad, India The model efficiency and accuracy were measured based on the root mean square error (RMSE) and regression coefficient (R 2 ) The model provided the best fit and the predicted trend followed the observed data closely (RMSE = 450 and R 2 = 093) Thus, for precise and accurate groundwater level forecasting, ANN appears to be a promising tool

Antibiotic resistance: an overview of mechanisms and a paradigm shift

Abstract: Antibiotic resistance is the biggest challenge to the medical profession in the treatment of infectious diseases. Resistance has been documented not only against antibiotics of natural and semi-synthetic origin, but also against purely synthetic compounds (such as the fluoroquinolones) or those which do not even enter the cells (such as vancomycin). The wide range of occurrence of antibiotic resistance suggests that, in principle, any organism could develop resistance to any antibiotic. The phenomenon of horizontal gene transfer compounds the problem by facilitating rapid spread of antibiotic resistance. Unfortunately, the discovery and development of newer antibiotics have not kept pace with the emergence of antibiotic resistance. In this article a broad overview of the various mechanisms of antibiotic resistance will be presented mainly to illustrate their variety, rather than to catalogue everything that is known. Of late, a paradigm shift in the traditional perception of antibiotics and antibiotic resistance is emerging. Antibiotics are beginning to be viewed as intermicrobial signalling agents and even as sources of nutrition to microorganisms, rather than as weapons in the hands of antibiotic producer organisms to fight against competitors which might cohabit with them. Likewise, mechanisms of antibiotic resistance are being believed to have evolved not as defence strategies which microbes use to thwart the action of antibiotics, but as integral components of processes involved in basic bacterial physiology. However, when these mechanisms get placed out of their natural context their resistance property alone gets highlighted. Many leading workers in the field call this emerging trend of thought as a Copernican turning point. Some of these trends will be discussed towards the end.

On the cytotoxicity of carbon nanotubes

Abstract: The cytotoxicity of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) is a major concern today well before its unusual physicochemical, mechanical, and electrical properties are fully exploited for commercial interests and subsequent mass production leading to greater possibilities for its exposure to humans and the environment. Contradictory reports on cytotoxicity of CNTs often appear in the literature and a mechanistic explanation of the reported toxicity remains obscure. We review here the conflicting results to focus categorically on an array of issues in CNT cytotoxicity. They include dispersion, aggregation status, coating or functionalization and immobilization, cellular uptake or internalization, purity in terms of metal catalyst contaminants, size and size distribution, surface area, surface chemistry and surface reactivity, cell types selected for experimentation as well as bioassay of nanotoxicity itself attesting as an issue in cytotoxicity. Recently a general agreement has emerged towards the potential toxicity of CNTs, although various paradigms explaining the mechanisms of CNT cytotoxicity continue to be elusive in the literature. A lack of synergy among various issues while studying cytotoxicity and most developed paradigms for the mechanism of CNT toxicity is highlighted.

Quality protein maize for nutritional security: rapid development of short duration hybrids through molecular marker assisted breeding.

Abstract: 2Present address: International Maize and Wheat Centre, CP 56130, Mexico Quality protein maize (QPM) originally developed in the late 1990s at CIMMYT, Mexico possesses roughly twice as much usable protein as normal maize grown in the tropics. The improved quality of the protein in QPM is due to enhancement in lysine and tryptophan – the two limiting amino acids that are known to be regulated by opaque2 gene and associated modifiers. QPM has widely been adopted for cultivation in the developing world to fight protein malnutrition. In India, QPM was released for commercial cultivation almost a decade ago by introducing QPM lines from CIMMYT. However, all these inbred lines are of longer duration and thus, give rise to QPM hybrids of full season maturity. Utilizing marker assisted selection we transferred opaque2, a recessive gene, to two early maturing Indian inbreds that were, in turn, crossed to give rise to an early duration QPM hybrid, Vivek QPM 9, with 30% higher lysine and 40% more tryptophan while retaining the same level of productivity. Vivek QPM 9 yielded at par with Vivek Maize Hybrid 9 in the multilocation yield trials. Vivek QPM 9 has further been found suitable for cultivation under organic farming.

Estimation of replenishable groundwater resources of India and their status of utilization

Abstract: Dynamic groundwater resources of India have been estimated using groundwater resource estimation methodology-1997. The methodology uses the water-level fluctuation technique and empirical norms for recharge estimation. The groundwater utilization is also estimated. The stage of groundwater development is worked out and assessment units are categorized based on the stage of groundwater development and long-term water-level trend. The annual replenishable groundwater resources of India is 433 billion cubic metre (bcm) and net annual groundwater availability is 399 bcm. The annual groundwater draft for 2004 was 231 bcm. Thus the overall stage of groundwater development is 58%. Out of 5723 assessment units in the country, 4078 are 'safe' and 839 are 'over-exploited'. The rest fall under 'semi-critical' and 'critical' category. Over-exploitation is more prevalent in northwestern, western and Peninsular India. Eastern India has good potential for future groundwater development. Considering the changing groundwater scenario, re-assessment of groundwater resources needs to be carried out at regular intervals. This would require further strengthening of the available database.

Soils of the Indo-Gangetic Plains: their historical perspective and management

Abstract: The Indo-Gangetic Alluvial Plains (IGP) is among the most extensive fluvial plains of the world and cover several states of the northern, central and eastern parts of India. The IGP occupies a total area of approximately 43.7 m ha and represent eight agro-ecological regions (AER) and 14 agro-ecological subregions. The area of the IGP is nearly 13% of the total geographical area of the country, and it produces about 50% of the total foodgrains to feed 40% of the population of the country. Thus the sustainability of the present cropping system and also the health of the soils demand a review on the historical development of the soils and their management that remained associated with the tectonic, climatic and geomorphic history of the IGP since it came into existence due to collision of the Indian and Chinese plates during the Middle Miocene. This review provides a state-of-the-art information on the historical development of soils of the IGP, their tectonic-climate-linked natural degradation during the Holocene, and changes in the levels of carbon in soils under agriculture (mainly rice―wheat cropping system), practised over the years. In view of the vast area of the IGP, research initiatives on benchmark soils are, however, still needed to record the subtilities in pedogenesis, especially their polygenetic history due to climate change during the Holocene. This way a historical soil―climate-crop databank may be established to help in fine-tuning the existing management interventions of the national agricultural research system and also the system-modellers in predicting future projections on the sustainability issue of the rice―wheat cropping system in the IGP.

The tragedy of cognition: psychological biases and environmental inaction

Abstract: In an ideal world, people would tackle major crises such as global climate change as rational actors, weighing the costs, benefits and probabilities of success of alternative policies accurately and impartially. Unfortunately, human brains are far from accurate and impartial. Mounting research in experimental psychology reveals that we are all subject to systematic biases in judgement and decision-making. While such biases may have been adaptive heuristics that promoted survival and reproduction in the Pleistocene environment of our evolutionary past, in today's world of technological sophistication, industrial power and mass societies, psychological biases can lead to disasters on an unprecedented scale. Beyond the exploding ecological and socio-economic research on climate change and how to deal with the 'tragedy of the commons', it is a better understanding of human psychology - 'the tragedy of cognition' - that may ultimately tip the balance against the seeds of our own destruction.

A primer on problems and prospects of dark energy

Abstract: This review on dark energy is intended for a wider audience, beginners as well as experts. It contains important notes on various aspects of dark energy and its alternatives. The section on Newtonian cosmology followed by heuristic arguments to capture the pressure effects allows us to discuss the basic features of physics of cosmic acceleration without actually resorting to the framework of the general theory of relativity. The brief discussion on observational aspects of dark energy is followed by a detailed exposition of underlying features of scalar field dynamics relevant to cosmology. The review includes pedagogical presentation of generic features of models of dark energy and its possible alternatives.

How promising are endophytic fungi as alternative sources of plant secondary metabolites

Abstract: In this article the authors discusses the use of endophytic fungi as substitute of plant secondary metabolites It states that endophytic fungi exist internally in plants and enhance the plants' ability to tolerate abiotic and biotic stresses Endophytic fungi if cultured outside their host can produce secondary metabolites such as anti-cancer, anti-fungal, anti-diabetic and immunosuppressant compounds

Revisiting Kirkpatrick's model ― an evaluation of an academic training course

Abstract: In scientific and research organizations, the training needs facilitator roles and methods have undergone a change necessitated by rapid information and technology boom. There is ample evidence to show that evaluation and objective assessment of effectiveness and outcomes of training programmes being implemented by organizations are not given due importance as that of their planning and implementation. An attempt is made in this communication firstly to analyse the theories of training evaluation in general; the study also illustrates a case study of training evaluation of the academic training courses being carried out at the Indian Institute of Spices Research by revisiting the popular Kirkpatricks's model. The three-step evaluation model is a combination of formative and summative approaches using multiple methods which measure reactions, perceptions, learning and behavioural components of the trainees combining quantitative and qualitative tools and aims at assessing the usefulness of the course in providing an adequate learning climate.

An approximate approach for nonlinear system response determination under evolutionary stochastic excitation

Abstract: A method based on the concepts of stochastic averag-ing and equivalent linearization is presented for deter-mining the response of a lightly damped nonlinear single-degree-of-freedom oscillator to a random exci-tation with an evolutionary broad-band power spe-ctrum. The nonlinearities could be either of the hysteretic or the ‘zero-memory’ kind. Approximate analytical relationships for evaluating the response variance are derived for a number of oscillators. The efficiency and accuracy of the approach is demon-strated by pertinent digital Monte Carlo simulations. The significant advantage of the proposed approach relates to the fact that it is readily applicable for exci-tations possessing even non-separable evolutionary power spectra circumventing ad hoc pre-filtering and pre-processing excitation treatments associated with existing alternative schemes of linearization. Keywords:

Desertification/land degradation status mapping of India.

Abstract: Desertification is the process of land degradation in arid, semi-arid and dry-subhumid areas. This communication describes the classification system, methodology and the results of desertification and land degradation status mapping carried out for the entire country on 1:500,000 scale using multi-temporal Resourcesat AWiFS data. The dominant processes of land degradation, viz. water erosion, vegetal degradation, wind erosion, salinization/alkalization, water logging, frost heaving, frost shattering, mass movement, etc. have been deciphered and mapped using satellite data. The study reveals that 105.48 mha area of the country is undergoing processes of land degradation (32.07% of the total geographic area of the country). Area undergoing desertification is 81.4 mha.

Hypertension epidemiology in India: lessons from Jaipur Heart Watch

Abstract: 2 ), central obesity (waist : hip ratio >0.95 men, >0.85 women), hypertension, dyslipidemias, metabolic syn- drome and diabetes was determined. Trends were analysed using least squares linear analyses. Results show that mean systolic BP increased with age in all the study cohorts, while there was no significant dif- ference in diastolic BP. Age-adjusted prevalence of hypertension in JHW-R, JHW-1, JHW-2, JHW-3 and JHW-4 studies in men was 21.6, 29.1, 29.6, 42.5 and 45.1% and in women it was 15.7, 21.7, 25.5, 35.2 and 38.2% (P for trend <0.05). There was a significant association of escalating hypertension with obesity and truncal obesity in both men (two-line regression analysis, unadjusted r 2 = 0.91 and 0.50 respectively) and women (r 2 = 0.88 and 0.57; P < 0.05). Increasing hypertension in India is related to increasing adiposity levels. Population and individual-based measures to prevent and control high BP should focus on measures to prevent obesity.

Investigation of the solar wind-Moon interaction onboard Chandrayaan-1 mission with the SARA experiment

Abstract: The SARA instrument (Sub-keV Atom Reflecting Ana-lyser) comprises a low energy neutral atom (LENA) sensor for the energy range 10 eV–3.3 keV and an ion mass spectrometer (10 eV–15 keV). It is the first ever experiment to study the solar wind–planetary surface interaction via measurements of the sputtered atoms and neutralized back-scattered solar wind hydrogen. The neutral atom sensor uses conversion of the incom-ing neutrals to positive ions, which are then analysed via surface interaction technique. The ion mass spec-trometer is based on the same principle. SARA per-forms LENA imaging of the Moon’s elemental surface composition including that of permanently shadowed areas, and imaging of the lunar surface magnetic anomalies. It will also investigate processes of space weathering and sputtered sources of the exospheric gases. Keywords:

Physico-chemical characteristics of the coastal water off Devi estuary, Orissa and evaluation of its seasonal changes using chemometric techniques

Abstract: Devi estuary is one of the major tributaries of the Mahanadi riverine system in Orissa. Modernization and industrialization in its neighbourhood in the north in the recent past have greatly influenced many tributaries of the Mahanadi and the adjacent coastal environments. To trace the influence of this modernization activity further down south off Devi estuary and to understand the quality of the Devi estuarine water reaching the coastal region, investigations on physicochemical parameters (temperature, pH, salinity, dissolved oxygen), including dissolved nutrients (PO 4 -P, NO 3 -N, NO 2 -N, SiO 4 -Si) were carried out in the water off the mouth of the Devi estuary, during different months of the summer and winter seasons in 2006―07. The multivariate statistics and principal component analysis applied to the datasets, indicated three factors each during the summer and winter seasons influencing the water to the extent of 77 and 80 % respectively. Principal axis factoring and alpha factoring have been used to observe the mode of association of parameters and their interrelationships, for evaluating water quality during the summer and winter seasons. The results indicated the addition of phosphates and silicates to the coastal water by the Devi estuary from natural sources during both the seasons. The anthropogenic nitrogenous species, as a fallout from modernization activities in the north, are more clearly observed off the mouth of the Devi estuary during the winter season. The study indicated that the Devi estuary adds sufficiently well-oxygenated, nutrient-rich water to the coastal region.

Trace gases and CO2 isotope records from Cabo de Rama, India

Abstract: Concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), methane (CH 4 ), carbon monoxide (CO), nitrous oxide (N 2 O) and hydrogen (H 2 ), and the stable carbon (δ 13 C-CO 2 ) and oxygen (δ 18 O-CO 2 ) isotopic composition of CO 2 have been measured in air samples collected from Cabo de Rama (CRI), India, for the period 1993-2002. The observations show clear signatures of Northern and Southern Hemispheric (NH and SH) air masses, mixed with their regional fluxes and chemical loss mechanisms, resulting in complex seasonal variation of these gases. The CRI measurements are compared with remote marine sites at Seychelles and Mauna Loa. Simulations of two major anthropogenic greenhouse gases (CO 2 and CH 4 ) concentrations using a chemistry-transport model for the CRI site suggest that globally optimized fluxes can produce results comparable to the observations. We discuss that CRI observations have provided critical guidance in optimizing the fluxes to constrain the regional source/ sinks balance.

Natural product antifoulants

Abstract: Natural Product Antifoulants (NPAs) have been proposed as one of the best replacement options for the most successful antifouling agent, tri-n-butyl tin (TBT), which, due to its ecological incompatibility, is currently facing total global ban imposed by International Maritime Organization (IMO). Realizing the importance, commercial and industrial, of immediately finding a suitable replacement for TBT, the research on NPAs has gathered considerable momentum during the last two decades, as evidenced from the sudden spurt in the number of publications and the number of NPAs being reported. Although commendable effort has been expended, more challenges remain ahead before realizing their applications at an industrial scale.

Detection of antibiotics in hospital effluents in India.

Abstract: Occurrence of antibiotics was investigated in water associated with two hospitals in Ujjain district, India. Samples of hospital associated water were subjected to solid phase extraction combined with high pressure liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), to estimate antibiotics in incoming safe water, hospital wastewater and groundwater. The incoming safe water and groundwater were free of antibiotics ; however, metronidazole, norfloxacin, sulphamethoxazole, ceftriaxone, ofloxacin, ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin and tinidazole were detected in the range of 1.4-236.6 μg -1 in hospital effluents. Contamination of aquatic environment by antibiotic usage in hospitals has serious implications on public health and environment.

Hybrid progenies in Jatropha ― a new development

Abstract: The existing Jatropha curcas in the country exhibit varying degrees of success in terms of seed oil yield and susceptiblity to pest and diseases. Hence, an intensive hybridization programme has been attempted between Jatropha curcas and other Jatropha species to develop new hybrids with higher yield potential and resistance to diseases. Among the interspecific crosses, the cross between J. curcas and J. integerrima produced successful hybrids with more seed set, while the other crosses failed to produce seeds due to existence of crossability barriers. The Fl hybrids exhibited vigorous growth, but the fruit was small in size indicating J. integerrima characters. Hence backcross was attempted and the progenies showed unique characteristics of fruit, seed and oil yield.