6,510 research outputs found
Antifungal acetylinic thiophenes from Tagetes minuta: potential biopesticide
Apart from thiophenes, which possess wide range of biocidal activity, aerial parts of Tagetes sp. contain essential oil. Oil components were reported to have antifungal activity, thus making whole plant of Tagetes very useful for exploiting as natural fungistatic agent. In the present study, Tagetes minuta grown in north western Himalayan condition were evaluated for its potential for use as antifungal agent. Flower essential oil showed minimal antifungal activity. Whereas, leaf essential oil was found signifi cant antifungal activity against three phytopathogenic fungi out of eight tested fungi. ED50 values were 165, 175 and 110 μg mL-1 against Rhizoctonia solani, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum and Sclerotium rolfsii, respectively. Thiophene rich extract of Tagetes minuta was found comparatively lesser active (ED50: 233-484 μg mL-1) than leaf essential oil against the same fungi. The present study shows that essential oil from leaves and thiophene rich extracts from marigold roots have signifi cantly good antifungal activity against a number of soil borne and foliar plant pathogens. The easy availability of these plants makes it an attractive potential candidate for development of natural fungicide
Identification of 13 Cepheids and 333 Other Variables in M31
We present Cousins and band photometry of variable stars in a
region in the disk of M31 galaxy, obtained during 141
nights. Of the 26 Cepheid variables present in the region, two are newly
discovered, 11 are classified as Cepheids for the first time and 13 are
confirmed as Cepheids. The extensive photometry of these Cepheids enabled us to
determine precise phase and amplitude of pulsation which ranges from 0.11 to
0.48 mag in band. The period of variability ranges from 7.5 to 56
days. The period-luminosity diagram is used to derive a distance modulus of
24.490.11 mag for M31 galaxy. We also report variability in 333 other
stars, of them, 115 stars appear to be long period variables, 2 suspected
eclipsing binaries and remaining 216 are irregular variables.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A, 9 figures, the paper and figures
with better resolution can be downloaded from
http://cdfinfo.in2p3.fr/Downloads/cosmobs/yogesh/paper
Fusion cross sections for 6,7Li + 24Mg reactions at energies below and above the barrier
Measurement of fusion cross sections for the 6,7Li + 24Mg reactions by the
characteristic gamma-ray method has been done at energies from below to well
above the respective Coulomb barriers. The fusion cross sections obtained from
these gamma-ray cross sections for the two systems are found to agree well with
the total reaction cross sections at low energies. The decrease of fusion cross
sections with increase of energy is consistent with the fact that other
channels, in particular breakup open up with increase of bombarding energy.
This shows that there is neither inhibition nor enhancement of fusion cross
sections for these systems at above or below the barrier. The critical angular
momenta (lcr) deduced from the fusion cross sections are found to have an
energy dependence similar to other Li - induced reactions.Comment: 1 .pdf fil
Small Quadrupole Deformation for the Dipole Bands in 112In
High spin states in In were investigated using Mo(O,
p3n) reaction at 80 MeV. The excited level have been observed up to 5.6 MeV
excitation energy and spin 20 with the level scheme showing three
dipole bands. The polarization and lifetime measurements were carried out for
the dipole bands. Tilted axis cranking model calculations were performed for
different quasi-particle configurations of this doubly odd nucleus. Comparison
of the calculations of the model with the B(M1) transition strengths of the
positive and negative parity bands firmly established their configurations.Comment: 10 pages, 11 figures, 2 table
Baseline status and effect of genotype, environment and genotype × environment interactions on iron and zinc content in Indian chickpeas (Cicer arietinum L.)
Genetic biofortification is a cost-effective
strategy to address iron (Fe) and zinc (Zn) deficiencies
prevalent worldwide. Being a rich and cheap protein
source, chickpea, a food legume grown and consumed
across the globe, is a good target for biofortification.
Nineteen popular commercial cultivars of India were
analysed for Fe and Zn content at four locations
representing different agro-climatic zones to study the
genotypic and genotype 9 environment interactions
on Fe and Zn. Distribution of phytic acid (PA), an
important anti-nutrient that chelates and reduces the
mineral bioavailability, was also analysed. Influence
of other agronomic traits like days to flowering, plant height and 100 seed weight on Fe and Zn content was
also studied. All the traits showed significant G and
G 9 E interactions; however, the magnitude of variance
of GXE was lesser than that of G alone.
Genotype ? genotype-by-environment and genotype-
by-trait biplots were used to assess the relations
between different environments, genotypes and traits.
Iron and zinc content showed positive correlation
between them indicating a possibility of their coselection
in breeding. A negative correlation between
Zn and PA was observed. However, there was very
low variability for PA content in the cultivars under
study, indicating that moderate PA is naturally
selected in these cultivars during breeding. Despite
significant GXE interactions, cultivars with high Fe
([70 lg/g) and Zn content ([40 lg/g) at three out of
four test locations were identified. Such genotypes will be useful in breeding programs for enhancing mineral
micronutrient content and understanding the molecular
mechanisms governing their differential uptake
Massive stars as thermonuclear reactors and their explosions following core collapse
Nuclear reactions transform atomic nuclei inside stars. This is the process
of stellar nucleosynthesis. The basic concepts of determining nuclear reaction
rates inside stars are reviewed. How stars manage to burn their fuel so slowly
most of the time are also considered. Stellar thermonuclear reactions involving
protons in hydrostatic burning are discussed first. Then I discuss triple alpha
reactions in the helium burning stage. Carbon and oxygen survive in red giant
stars because of the nuclear structure of oxygen and neon. Further nuclear
burning of carbon, neon, oxygen and silicon in quiescent conditions are
discussed next. In the subsequent core-collapse phase, neutronization due to
electron capture from the top of the Fermi sea in a degenerate core takes
place. The expected signal of neutrinos from a nearby supernova is calculated.
The supernova often explodes inside a dense circumstellar medium, which is
established due to the progenitor star losing its outermost envelope in a
stellar wind or mass transfer in a binary system. The nature of the
circumstellar medium and the ejecta of the supernova and their dynamics are
revealed by observations in the optical, IR, radio, and X-ray bands, and I
discuss some of these observations and their interpretations.Comment: To be published in " Principles and Perspectives in Cosmochemistry"
Lecture Notes on Kodai School on Synthesis of Elements in Stars; ed. by Aruna
Goswami & Eswar Reddy, Springer Verlag, 2009. Contains 21 figure
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