Multi-proxy evidence for an arid shift in the climate and vegetation of the Banni grasslands of western India during the mid- to late-Holocene

Tropical semi-arid grasslands are a widespread and ecologically and economically important terrestrial biome. Here, we use paleoecology to understand woodland–grassland transitions across the mid- to late-Holocene period in the Banni grassland, western India. Multi proxy analyses involving palynology, phytoliths and elemental geochemistry were carried out on two sediment cores retrieved from wetlands (Chachi and Luna), to understand temporal fluctuations in vegetation, moisture availability and other environmental parameters. Based on the results, the Chachi core was divided into two major climatic phases. Phase 1 (4600–2500 cal. yr BP) was characterised by high precipitation and abundance of pollen types and phytolith morphotypes that indicate the presence of woody savanna, and mesic herbaceous taxa. Phase 2 (2500 cal. yr BP to the present) was characterised by lower precipitation, lower abundance of mesic taxa and an increase in grass phytolith abundance. However, the period from ~1000 cal. yr BP to the present was characterised by the increased abundance of leguminous taxa, dryland herbs/shrubs and a decline in grass phytolith abundance. The Luna core (~1000 cal. yr BP to the present) also showed results matching with the Chachi core for this latter period. Overall, moisture availability in the ecosystem appears to have declined since 4600 cal. yr BP, and the vegetation has responded to this. Although the balance between tree, shrub and grass elements has fluctuated, overall, the region has remained as an open ‘grass and shrub savanna’ with sparse woody vegetation throughout this period. Our study provides insights into the vegetation dynamics and environmental settings in a poorly understood tropical arid-grassland ecosystem from Asia during the mid-late-Holocene

Open source software based information services at CSIR-NAL

R&D library and information centers play important role in fulfilling information needs of its scientists and technologists. With the advent of ICT, roles and services of Information centers and information seeking behaviors among its patrons shifted dramatically towards e- environment. Cost of the software tools available to implement web based information services is not affordable for libraries and information centers in developing countries. Best possible solution for this problem will be adopting open source based software tools in libraries. This paper highlights various electronic information services implemented using open source software at CSIR-NAL

Microwave-induced synthesis of schiff bases of aminothiazolyl bromocoumarins as antibacterials

A fast and highly efficient method for the synthesis of some of the schiff bases of aminothiazolylbromocoumarin (4a-m) has been performed by microwave irradiation of 2′-amino-4′-(6-bromo-3-coumarinyl) thiazole (3) and substituted aromatic aldehydes (a-m). Microwave assisted reactions have resulted in better yields of the desired products than when prepared under conventional conditions. The resulting products were evaluated for their qualitative and quantitative antibacterial activity

3-(2-Anilino-1,3-thiazol-4-yl)-2H-chromen-2-one

The crystal structure of the title compound,$C_{19}H_{13}BrN_{2}O_{2}S$,contains two molecules (A and B) in the asymmetric unit. The planar coumarin systems make dihedral angles of 5.47 (1) and $6.42 (1){^o}$ with the thiazole rings in the two unique molecules.The structure is stabilized by intermolecular N—H...N, N—H...O, C—H...O and C—H... hydrogen bonds andaromatic stacking interactions; intramolecular C—H...Ohydrogen bonds also influence the molecular conformation

Concomitant Polymorphism in 3-Acetylcoumarin: Role of Weak C-H \cdot\cdot\cdot O and C-H \cdot\cdot\cdot \pi Interactions

An analysis of structural features associated with polymorphism in 3-acetylcoumarin has been made in terms of morphology, infrared spectroscopy, crystal structure, powder X-ray diffraction, and differential scanning calorimetric measurements. The appearance of concomitant polymorphs is found to depend on the crystallization temperature in the 1:1 chloroform/hexane solvent system. C-H \cdot\cdot\cdot O and C-H\cdot\cdot\cdot \pi interactions stabilize one form in a head to head configuration, while only C-H\cdot\cdot\cdot O interactions stabilize the other in a head to tail configuration of the molecules in the crystal lattice

The effect of autonomy, training opportunities, age and salaries on job satisfaction in the South East Asian retail petroleum industry

South East Asian petroleum retailers are under considerable pressure to improve service quality by reducing turnover. An empirical methodology from this industry determined the extent to which job characteristics, training opportunities, age and salary influenced the level of job satisfaction, an indicator of turnover. Responses are reported on a random sample of 165 site employees (a 68% response rate) of a Singaporean retail petroleum firm. A restricted multivariate regression model of autonomy and training opportunities explained the majority (35.4%) of the variability of job satisfaction. Age did not moderate these relationships, except for employees > 21 years of age, who reported enhanced job satisfaction with additional salary. Human Capital theory, Life Cycle theory and Job Enrichment theory are invoked and explored in the context of these findings in the South East Asian retail petroleum industry. In the South East Asian retail petroleum industry, jobs providing employees with the opportunity to undertake a variety of tasks that enhanced the experienced meaningfulness of work are likely to promote job satisfaction, reduce turnover and increase the quality of service. © 2013 Taylor & Francis

Targets in anticancer research—A review

489-507Cancer is a complex disease characterized by a loss in the normal cell regulatory mechanisms that govern cell survival, proliferation, and differentiation. Current chemotherapeutics, as anticancer agents, are developing resistance to single drug and also to treatment therapies involving multiple drugs. Cross resistance associated with the specificity and selectivity of existing drugs has restricted the application of chemotherapy. Alternatively, these limitations have given better insight in understanding the underlying molecular mechanisms responsible for the development of various stages in cancer. In the light of this, continuous efforts are being made in order to identify and validate newer anticancer targets. This review presents some of the important targets that have been already reported, such as aromatase, farnesyl transferase, histone deacetylase, tyrosine kinase and cyclin-dependent kinase. A few molecules designed against these targets have successfully reached clinical trials. However, only limited marketed drugs are available from these classes. Besides, the review also highlights some of the other important targets and strategies that have also drawn considerable attention in the area of anticancer drug development such as, cancer stem cells and monoclonal antibodies. Further, the integration of the tools in molecular biology with the results from preclinical and clinical trials would strengthen the effectiveness of treatment regimens in cancer patients. There lies a much scope for designing promising lead compounds and treatment therapies against these established targets

Synthesis, Antiinflammatory and Antibacterial Activity of Novel Indolyl-isoxazoles

Chalcones were synthesized by reacting indole-3-aldehyde, prepared by Vilsemeir Haack reaction with 4-substituted acetophenone in ethanolic KOH solution. These chalcones were immediately reacted with hydroxylamine hydrochloride in presence of glacial acetic acid as reagent to obtain the corresponding isoxazole derivatives. The synthesized heterocycles were characterized on the basis of physical, chemical tests and spectroscopic data. These compounds were tested for the acute antiinflammatory activity and antibacterial activity using carrageenan-induced rat paw edema method and cup-plate method, respectively