Aerial Radiometric Survey of Parts of North Wales in July 1989

This report summarises the experience, results and initial conclusions of a brief aerial radiometric survey commissioned by HTV, Cardiff of selected parts of North Wales in 1989. The aim of the work was to demonstrate the use of aerial gamma ray spectrometry in mapping 137Cs and other nuclides in and around parts of the areas subject to livestock movement restrictions since the 1986 nuclear disaster at Chernobyl

Spatial Point Pattern Analysis of the Unidentified Aerial Phenomena in France

We model the unidentified aerial phenomena observed in France during the last 60 years as a spatial point pattern. We use some public information such as population density, rate of moisture or presence of airports to model the intensity of the unidentified aerial phenomena. Spatial exploratory data analysis is a first approach to appreciate the link between the intensity of the unidentified aerial phenomena and the covariates. We then fit an inhomogeneous spatial Poisson process model with covariates. We find that the significant variables are the population density, the presence of the factories with a nuclear risk and contaminated land, and the rate of moisture. The analysis of the residuals shows that some parts of France (the Belgian border, the tip of Britany, some parts in the SouthEast , the Picardie and Haute-Normandie regions, the Loiret and Corr eze departments) present a high value of local intensity which are not explained by our model

Using image-based modelling (SfM-MVS) to produce a 1935 ortho-mosaic of the Ethiopian highlands

Approximately 34,000 aerial photographs covering large parts of Ethiopia and dating back to 1935-1941 have been recently recovered. These allow investigating environmental dynamics for a past period that until now is only accessible from terrestrial photographs or narratives. As the archive consists of both oblique and vertical aerial photographs that cover rather small areas, methods of image-based modelling were used to orthorectify the images. In this study, 9 vertical and 18 low oblique aerial photographs were processed as an ortho-mosaic, covering an area of 25 km(2), west of Wukro town in northern Ethiopia. Using 15 control points (derived from Google Earth), a Root Means Square Error of 28.5 m in X 35.4 m in Y were achieved. These values can be viewed as optimal, given the relatively low resolution and poor quality of the imagery, the lack of metadata, the geometric quality of the Google Earth imagery and the recording characteristics. Land use remained largely similar since 1936, with large parts of the land being used as cropland or extensive grazing areas. Most remarkable changes are the strong expansion of the settlements as well as land management improvements. In a larger effort, ortho-mosaics covering large parts of Ethiopia in 1935-1941 will be produced

PHYTOCHEMICAL AND PHARMACOLOGICAL STUDIES OF ABUTILON BIDENTATUM HOCHST

Objective: The present study deals with the phytochemical and Biological investigation of ethanolic extract of aerial parts of Abutilon bitentatum Hochst.Methods: Ethanolic extract of aerial parts of A. bitentatum was chromatographed over a silica gel column for phytochemical analysis and Pharmacological studies includes the anti-microbial, anti-viral and anti-tumor activity of ethanolic extract of aerial parts of A. bidentatum.Results: Phytochemical analysis of aerial parts of A. bitentatum revealed the presence of n-tetracosane, cetyl stearate, tetracosyl alcohol, cycloartenone, β-amyrin, β-sitisterol, alantolactone, isoalantolactone and a new cholestane derivative. The ethanolic extract of aerial parts of this plant showed trace activity for test bacteria and viruses but it is quite active against test fungi.Conclusion: The extract exhibited significant fungicidal activity

Antioxidant Activity of the Bulb and Aerial Parts of Ornithogalum sintenisii L (Liliaceae) at Flowering Stage

Purpose: Ornithogalum sintenisii is an Iranian species with little known about its pharmacological effects. The purpose of the present study was to investigate some antioxidant properties of the plant.                    Methods: The antioxidant potency of the freeze-dried methanol extract of O. sintenisii bulbs and aerial parts were investigated by evaluating the following parameters: linoleic acid peroxidation, 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl hydrazyl radical (DPPH), scavenging of nitric oxide and hydrogen peroxide as well as reducing power and Fe2+ chelating activity, using standard methods. Phenol and flavonoid contents were determined as gallic acid and quercetin equivalents, respectively.Results: The aerial parts contained higher phenol and flavonoid contents than the bulbs. IC50 for DPPH radical-scavenging activity was 368 ± 15 and 669 ± 25 μg ml-1 for aerial parts and bulbs, respectively. The reducing power of the extracts was less than that of vitamin C (p < 0.01) with the aerial parts showing stronger activity than the bulbs (p < 0.01). The extracts did not show any activity in the peroxidation test but displayed good H2O2 radical scavenging activity compared with quercetin (IC50= 52.0± 3.1 μg ml-1) which was used as positive control.Conclusion: The bulb and aerial parts of O. sintenisii aerial parts (at flowering stage) exhibited good but varying levels of antioxidant activities in nearly all the models studied.Keywords: Ornithogalum sintenisii ; Bulbs; Aerial parts; Antioxidant activity; Flavoniods; Phenol

Atriplex mollis desf. Aerial parts: extraction procedures, secondary metabolites and color analysis

A method using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with a photodiode array detector was proposed for the rapid characterization of different phenolic constituents from the extracts of Atriplex mollis aerial parts. Atriplex species are known for their multiple biological activities, but no information is available in the literature about A. mollis. With the aim to firstly characterize the main secondary metabolites of this plant, so as to orient better the biological evaluation, we applied three different extraction procedures and compared the chromatographic results. Microwave-assisted extraction gave the best yield and recovery of important compounds such as gallic acid, catechin, chlorogenic acid, p-OH benzoic acid, rutin, sinapinic acid, t-ferulic acid, naringenin and benzoic acid. These constituents belong to three important chemical classes: phenolic acids, flavonoids and monoterpenes. Color evaluation and analysis of chlorophylls (a and b) and carotenoids complete the preliminary profile of this plant. From these analyses, Atriplex mollis is a source of bioactive compounds (especially rutin, t-ferulic acid and gallic acid) and could be recommended as a plant of phyto-pharmaceutical relevance, opening new perspectives on this salt-tolerant plant

Qualitative and quantitative phytochemical analysis of different extracts from Thymus algeriensis aerial parts

This study was performed to evaluate the metabolite recovery from different extraction methods applied to Thymus algeriensis aerial parts. A high-performance liquid chromatographic method using photodiode array detector with gradient elution has been developed and validated for the simultaneous estimation of different phenolic compounds in the extracts and in their corresponding purified fractions. The experimental results show that microwave-assisted aqueous extraction for 15 min at 100 C gave the most phenolics-enriched extract, reducing extraction time without degradation effects on bioactives. Sixteen compounds were identified in this extract, 11 phenolic compounds and five flavonoids, all known for their biological activities. Color analysis and determination of chlorophylls and carotenoids implemented the knowledge of the chemical profile of this plant

Determination Proximate Composition of the Wild Abyssinian Thyme Herb (Thyme Schimperi L.) Grown in High Lands of Southern Tigray, North Ethiopia

A study was conducted at southern zone of Tigray, North Ethiopia, with the objective of knowing the nutritive value of the wild Abyssinian thyme herb aerial parts. Different aerial parts of the plant were considered for the experiments and consisted in a completed randomized design of comparison test. The proximate composition and gross energy value of the plant parts were analyzed using AACC (2000) and the data were analyzed by SAS software version 9.1. The results revealed that Abyssinian thyme herb aerial parts the Flower, Leaf and  Whole plant contained  ash (11.32, 11.0 and 10.2%), crude protein (11.08,  9.97, and 9.6%), crude fat (6.1, 2.75 and 6.14%), crude fiber (15.1, 15.5 and 18.7%), moisture (11.13, 11.13 and 10.6%) and total carbohydrate (56.38, 60.75and 55.33%), respectively. Among the proximate composition of Abyssinian thyme herb found in this work has a high carbohydrate content and it was low in fat and protein levels. From  the three aerial parts of the Abyssinian thyme herb found in this work, the flower has a high protein and ash content and leaf aerial part has the lowest crude fat content. Among the three Abyssinian thyme herb aerial parts, the whole plant shows the lowest content of ash and protein. Keywords: Thyme, protein, flower, leaf, proximat

Three approaches to the classification of inland wetlands

In the Dismal Swamp project, seasonal, color-infrared aerial photographs and LANDSAT digital data were interpreted for a detailed analysis of the vegetative communities in a large, highly altered wetland. In Western Tennessee, seasonal high altitude color-infrared aerial photographs provided the hydrologic and vegetative information needed to map inland wetlands, using a classification system developed for the Tennessee Valley Region. In Florida, color-infrared aerial photographs were analyzed to produce wetland maps using three existing classification systems to evaluate the information content and mappability of each system. The methods used in each of the three projects can be extended or modified for use in the mapping of inland wetlands in other parts of the United States

Study on the Essential Oil of Aerial and Sub-Aerial Parts of Cymbopogon Flexuosus (Nees Ex Steud) Wats.

Cymbopogon flexuosus (Nees ex Steud) Wats commonly known as, East Indian lemongrass a widely grown essential oil plant in the world belongs to the family Poaceae and comprise of 140 species worldwide, found abundantly in tropics and sub-tropic regions of Asia, Africa and America. In India, 45 species are recorded of which the economic importance is C.winterianus, C.flexuosus, C.martinii, C.nardus, C.citratus, C.pendulus, C.jwarancusa and C.khasianus. Aerial and sub-aerial parts of C. flexuosus collected from Himavath Gopala hills, Karnataka, India, were subjected to hydrodistillation for extraction of essential oil. GC and GC-MS analysis were performed to know the chemical composition of the oil. Among the 39 compounds identified in aerial parts of the plant the major compounds were citral (64.98%), 1,7-octadien-3-ol (10.97%), dimethyl oxatricyclo nonanone (9.44%), nerol (2.85%), verbenol (1.77%) and caryophyllene oxide (0.71%). In sub-aerial parts of the plant 33 compounds were identified. The analysis of sub-aerial parts showed a different chemical profile compared to aerial part and possessed citral as the major compound of upto 30.47%. Other compounds in sub-aerial part are Eudesmol (17.82%), Elemol (14.16%), dihydro isopropyl methyl azulene (11.08%), .-cadinene (1.88%), junipene (1.36%), hydroxyalloaromadendrene, juniper camphor (1.12%) and elemene (1.04%)