On the extended distribution of two species of Ophiorrhiza L. (Rubiaceae) from the States of India

Ophiorrhiza L. (1753: 150) is a pantropical, herbaceous genus distributed with high diversity in South East Asia. Here, 2 members of genus Ophiorrhiza, Ophiorrhiza brunonis var. johnsonii Hook. f. reported as a new record for North East India and Ophiorrhiza fasciculata D. Don for the flora of Assam. Detailed taxonomic descriptions, coloured photographs are provided here for the easy identification of the taxa. Distribution map of the species is also provided

ZnO/ZnS core/shell nanostructures based gas sensor for sensing Acetone gas at room temperature

In this paper  ZnO/ZnS core/shell nanostructures are used to fabricate the gas sensor which can sense low concentration of acetone gas at room temperature. Due to its reducing properties, acetone gas releases electrons to the surface of the core/shell nanorods. Therefore a sharp increase in conductivity of the sensing material was observed when the sensor was exposed to the acetone gas. The fabricated sensor exhibited excellent sensitivity towards acetone gas at room temperature and is capable of detecting it to a minimum concentration of 10 ppm.  Â

In vitro studies on quality assessment and ethnobotany of Acampe rigida (Buch.-Ham. ex Sm.) P.F.Hunt encountered in Ultapani Forest Range, Assam

Acampe rigida (Buch.-Ham.ex Sm.) P.F.Hunt (Family: Orchidaceae), locally known as ‘Miral Baha’ among the Santhal community of Ultapani Forest Range, BTR, Assam, blooms in the month of July to November. The present study was aimed to carry out the ethnobotanical studies, macroscopic, pharmacognostic, preliminary phytochemical and heavy metal analysis of A. rigida. Apart from being an eye-catching ornamental plant, it has a number of medicinal potentialities as folk medicine among the Santhal community where the leaves are used for recovering throat cancer and epilepsy and the paste helps in relieving rheumatism, healing wound as tonic to strengthen the body and increase blood in the body. Parenchyma cells, stomata, fibre were observed in the microscopic examination of powdered plant part. The pulverised leaves colour, odour, flavor/taste and texture were all satisfactory. Preliminary phytochemical screening of A. rigida leaves aqueous extract confirmed the presence of alkaloids, carbohydrates, flavonoids, glycosides, phenols, steroids, saponins, tannins, terpenoids, whereas phlobatannins was absent. Heavy metal tests revealed that the samples were free from bismuth, cadmium and lead. The present studies might be significant to establish the pharmacognostic and phytochemical standards of this orchid species and may help in the identification, to ensure quality and purity and standardization of the herbal drug

An ethnobotanical survey of antidiabetic medicinal plants used by the Bodo tribe of Kokrajhar district, Assam

421-429Diabetes mellitus (DM) belongs to the group of diseases causing major health problems in India and world at large. Natural products including medicinal plants are known to treat various diseases worldwide since ancient times. It is well known that plants are a great source of bioactive compounds having tremendous medicinal properties and can be used to discover plant-based drugs with lesser side effects. A survey was carried out among the Bodo community of Kokrajhar district of Assam to explore the traditional knowledge on medicinal plants against diabetes using semi-structured interviews among the local healers and elderly people. A total of 54 informants were interviewed in a face-to-face manner following readymade questionnaire, of which 15 healers were known to have knowledge regarding antidiabetic medicinal plants. A total of 37 medicinal plants, belonging to 24 families and 33 genera were found to be used by traditional healers of Kokrajhar district to cure diabetes. The mostly cited plant was found to be Hodgsonia heteroclita (Roxb.) followed by Andrographis paniculata (Burm. f.) Nees. Out of the 24 families, Apocynaceae was found to be the most popular plant family with four numbers of plants

Two new distribution records of Strobilanthes Blume (Acanthaceae) for Assam, India

Two species of Strobilanthes Blume (Acanthaceae), S. anisophylla (Wall. ex Hook.) T. Anderson and S. sabiniana (Wall. ex Lindl.) Nees are added as a new distribution records for Assam from Manas Biosphere Reserve. Detailed description, taxonomic notes, geographical distribution map and habitat are provided, accompanied by photographic images to facilitate easy identification of the species

The Partition's Long Shadow: Legals, Illegals and a Hybrid Citizenship Regime in Assam, India

Lecture held at the South Asia Institute in Heidelberg on 25th November, 2008. Citizenship practices in the Indian state of Assam have a serious fault-line. The government appears uninterested in policing borders and enforcing the citizen/foreigner distinction. This has drawn the ire of even the Indian Supreme Court. However, certain ambiguities about citizenship in post-Partition India explain these practices. Pragmatic politicians have adapted to the reality of a post-Partition space that does not conform to the model of a bounded national territory with a clearly defined community of citizens. However, the tensions between the national order of things and the reality of a non-national space have consequences. They adversely affect the legitimacy of governmental institutions, and the livelihood strategies of people. Policies premised on the fiction of hard national borders cannot provide the foundation for stable political order in this part of the world. Sanjib Baruah holds professorial appointments at Bard College, New York and the Centre for Policy Research, New Delhi

Postfrontier blues : toward a new policy framework for Northeast India

For more about the East-West Center, see http://www.eastwestcenter.org/A number of armed conflicts smolder in India's Northeastern border region. For instance, the Naga rebellion, which began in the 1950s, is one of the world's oldest unresolved armed conflicts. With its controversial human fights record and sluggish economic growth, Northeast India is a counterpoint to India's new image as a mature democracy, dynamic economy, and emerging major power. This study proposes a democratic institution-building agenda that is sensitive to the particular dynamics of change in this "postfrontier." In a historically sparsely populated region with long-term trends of demographic transformation, managing indigenous-settler tensions must be a priority. This and other challenges cannot be addressed through domestic policy alone. An effective alternative policy must have a transnational dimension; to turn the region's extensive international borders – with China's Tibet region, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Burma – from militarized zones of mistrust and confrontation to spaces of cooperation