Gynocardia odorata R. Br., a poisonous plant made edible by the Khasi tribe of Meghalaya using traditional knowledge

105-111Traditional knowledge on the use of Gynocardia odorata R. Br. seed as medicine and poison has relatively been well documented, whereas there is still a lack of adequate research on its use as food. The seed of G. odorata is an important wild edible in the state of Meghalaya having well-established market chain and a consumer base. This study reports the traditional knowledge-based depoisoning process of the seed of G. odorata by the Khasi tribe of Meghalaya. The study revealed that the cost/benefit ratio is highly favourable to the collector/producer as well as traders leading to the domestication of the tree in arecanut agroforests. It is concluded that the valuable ethnobotanical knowledge of the people needs to be documented for sustainable utilization of this bioresource

Deposition of light-absorbing particles in glacier snow of the Sunderdhunga Valley, the southern forefront of the central Himalayas

Anthropogenic activities on the Indo-Gangetic Plain emit vast amounts of light-absorbing particles (LAPs) into the atmosphere, modifying the atmospheric radiation state. With transport to the nearby Himalayas and deposition to its surfaces the particles contribute to glacier melt and snowmelt via darkening of the highly reflective snow. The central Himalayas have been identified as a region where LAPs are especially pronounced in glacier snow but still remain a region where measurements of LAPs in the snow are scarce. Here we study the deposition of LAPs in five snow pits sampled in 2016 (and one from 2015) within 1 km from each other from two glaciers in the Sunderdhunga Valley, in the state of Uttarakhand, India, in the central Himalayas. The snow pits display a distinct enriched LAP layer interleaved by younger snow above and older snow below. The LAPs exhibit a distinct vertical distribution in these different snow layers. For the analyzed elemental carbon (EC), the younger snow layers in the different pits show similarities, which can be characterized by a deposition constant of about 50 mu g m(-2) mm(-1) snow water equivalent (SWE), while the old-snow layers also indicate similar values, described by a deposition constant of roughly 150 mu g m(-2) mm(-1) SWE. The enriched LAP layer, contrarily, displays no similar trends between the pits. Instead, it is characterized by very high amounts of LAPs and differ in orders of magnitude for concentration between the pits. The enriched LAP layer is likely a result of strong melting that took place during the summers of 2015 and 2016, as well as possible lateral transport of LAPs. The mineral dust fractional absorption is slightly below 50% for the young- and old-snow layers, whereas it is the dominating light-absorbing constituent in the enriched LAP layer, thus, highlighting the importance of dust in the region. Our results indicate the problems with complex topography in the Himalayas but, nonetheless, can be useful in large-scale assessments of LAPs in Himalayan snow.Peer reviewe

Snow albedo and its sensitivity to changes in deposited light-absorbing particles estimated from ambient temperature and snow depth observations at a high-altitude site in the Himalaya

Snow darkening by deposited light-absorbing particles (LAP) accelerates snowmelt and shifts the snow meltout date (MOD). Here, we present a simple approach to estimate the snow albedo variability due to LAP deposition and test this method with data for 2 seasons (February-May 2016 and December 2016-June 2017) at a high-altitude valley site in the Central Himalayas, India. We derive a parameterization for the snow albedo that only depends on the daily observations of average ambient temperature and change in snow depth, as well as an assumed average concentration of LAP in snow precipitation. Linear regression between observed and parameterized albedo for the base case assuming an equivalent elemental carbon concentration [ECeq] of 100 ng g(-1) in snow precipitation yields a slope of 0.75 and a Pearson correlation coefficient r(2) of 0.76. However, comparing the integrated amount of shortwave radiation absorbed during the winter season using observed albedo versus base case albedo resulted in rather small differences of 11% and 4% at the end of Seasons 1 and 2, respectively. The enhanced energy absorbed due to LAP at the end of the 2 seasons for the base case scenario (assuming an [ECeq] of 100 ng g(-1) in snow precipitation) was 40% and 36% compared to pristine snow. A numerical evaluation with different assumed [ECeq] in snow precipitation suggests that the relative sensitivity of snow albedo to changes in [ECeq] remains rather constant for the 2 seasons. Doubling [ECeq] augments the absorption by less than 20%, highlighting that the impact on a MOD is small even for a doubling of average LAP in snow precipitation.Peer reviewe

Light-absorption of dust and elemental carbon in snow in the Indian Himalayas and the Finnish Arctic

Light-absorbing impurities (LAIs) deposited in snow have the potential to substantially affect the snow radiation budget, with subsequent implications for snow melt. To more accurately quantify the snow albedo, the contribution from different LAIs needs to be assessed. Here we estimate the main LAI components, elemental carbon (EC) (as a proxy for black carbon) and mineral dust in snow from the Indian Himalayas and paired the results with snow samples from Arctic Finland. The impurities are collected onto quartz filters and are analyzed thermal-optically for EC, as well as with an additional optical measurement to estimate the light-absorption of dust separately on the filters. Laboratory tests were conducted using substrates containing soot and mineral particles, especially prepared to test the experimental setup. Analyzed ambient snow samples show EC concentrations that are in the same range as presented by previous research, for each respective region. In terms of the mass absorption cross section (MAC) our ambient EC surprisingly had about half of the MAC value compared to our laboratory standard EC (chimney soot), suggesting a less light absorptive EC in the snow, which has consequences for the snow albedo reduction caused by EC. In the Himalayan samples, larger contributions by dust (in the range of 50% or greater for the light absorption caused by the LAI) highlighted the importance of dust acting as a light absorber in the snow. Moreover, EC concentrations in the Indian samples, acquired from a 120 cm deep snow pit (possibly covering the last five years of snow fall), suggest an increase in both EC and dust deposition. This work emphasizes the complexity in determining the snow albedo, showing that LAI concentrations alone might not be sufficient, but additional transient effects on the light-absorbing properties of the EC need to be considered and studied in the snow. Equally as imperative is the confirmation of the spatial and temporal representativeness of these data by comparing data from several and deeper pits explored at the same time.Peer reviewe

Pre-project: Climate Change as an Opportunity towards Adaptive Sustainable Aquaculture (CADINAL)

Cultured food fish currently accounts for nearly 50 % of the global consumption. India and Norway are the world’s second and seventh largest aquaculture producers respectively, thus aquaculture is considered to be a sector which provides immense opportunities in both adaptation and mitigation under climate change realm in both countries. India and Norway is located in the tropical, and in the cold temperate zone respectively. Furthermore, freshwater aquaculture dominates in India, while in Norway marine water aquaculture dominates. While feed inputs for Indian carps mainly stems from agriculture, the salmon still depends on feeds input from fisheries. Thus the two countries aquaculture industries could be regarded as two extremities within world aquaculture, and a comparison will be highly valuable. The overall objective of this pre-project was to build a holistic and integrated knowledge base that would enable a future quantitative analysis of the dynamic two way interactions between climate change and the aquaculture sector. This report sums up the knowledge basis on the impacts of climate change on Norwegian aquaculture, assess the feasibility for an in-depth quantitative analysis on the impacts of climate change on Norwegian aquaculture, and sums up common research challenges between Norway and India. The knowledge basis on the impacts of climate change on Indian aquaculture is summed up in a separate repor

Gynocardia odorata R. Br., a poisonous plant made edible by the Khasi tribe of Meghalaya using traditional knowledge

Traditional knowledge on the use of Gynocardia odorata R. Br. seed as medicine and poison has relatively been well documented, whereas there is still a lack of adequate research on its use as food. The seed of G. odorata is an important wild edible in the state of Meghalaya having well-established market chain and a consumer base. This study reports the traditional knowledge-based depoisoning process of the seed of G. odorata by the Khasi tribe of Meghalaya. The study revealed that the cost/benefit ratio is highly favourable to the collector/producer as well as traders leading to the domestication of the tree in arecanut agroforests. It is concluded that the valuable ethnobotanical knowledge of the people needs to be documented for sustainable utilization of this bioresource

Domestication, Conservation, and Livelihoods: A Case Study of Piper peepuloides Roxb.—An Important Nontimber Forest Product in South Meghalaya, Northeast India

Wild pepper (Piper peepuloides Roxb., family: Piperaceae) is an evergreen climber which grows wild in tropical evergreen forests and subtropical evergreen forests of northeast India. This plant grows luxuriantly in the areas with high rainfall at lower elevations ranging from 100 to 800 m above mean sea level. In Meghalaya, to meet the market demand, farmers have domesticated it in arecanut agroforests and betel leaf agroforests. We found that the mean density of wild pepper in arecanut agroforest is 585 stem/ha and only 85 stem/ha in natural forest. In India, wild pepper is used in a variety of Ayurvedic medicines. Local people of Meghalaya uses powdered dry seeds mixed with honey and egg yolk for the treatment of severe cough. The study reveals that the average gross annual production of wild pepper is 7 quintals/ha, and final market price fetches Rs. 336,000/ha, out of which 42% of the money goes to the grower, 16% to local trader, 23% to dealer, 17% to retailer, 1.2% to wages of labourers, and 0.6% to transport

Telaprevir: Changing the standard of care of chronic hepatitis C

Chronic hepatitis C is a major public health problem and its burden is expected to increase in the near future. Out of six genotypes of hepatitis C virus (HCV) identified, genotype 1 is the most prevalent genotype in America and Europe. With peg-interferon alpha and ribavirin dual therapy, sustained virological response (SVR) is achieved in less than half of the patients infected with HCV genotype 1. Moreover, this dual therapy also causes many intolerable adverse effects. Telaprevir is an HCV protease inhibitor approved for chronic hepatitis C genotype 1 mono-infection. It is a type of direct acting antiviral drug acting through inhibition of viral non-structural 3/4A protease. It can be safely administered in mild hepatic dysfunction. Due to inhibition of CYP3A4 and P-glycoprotein, significant drug-drug interactions are possible with telaprevir. Trials have shown significantly higher SVR rates when telaprevir is added to peg-interferon alpha and ribavirin, particularly in patients with unfavorable prognostic factors. It is approved for use in treatment-naïve and previously treated patients. Rash and anemia are the major troublesome side-effects. Next-generation protease inhibitors may overcome the drawbacks of telaprevir and another approved HCV protease inhibitor - boceprevir. Evidence from small scale studies suggests that telaprevir may be used in conditions like HIV co-infection, post-transplantation and some HCV non-1 genotype infections also. Preliminary data show higher SVR rates with triple therapy even in patients with unfavorable interleukin-28B (IL28B) genotype. With development of other direct acting antivirals, it might be possible to treat chronic hepatitis C with interferon-free regimens in future. This article briefly reviews the properties of telaprevir and its status in the context of rapidly evolving aspects of management of chronic hepatitis C

Synthesis, in silico analysis and antidepressant activity of 1,3,4-oxadiazole derivatives

The compounds 1,3,4-oxadiazole derivatives (1-8) were synthesized by the cyclization of 4-hydroxy benzhydrazide (1) with various substituted aromatic aldehydes (2) using FeCl3 as catalyst and methanol as a solvent medium. The structures of the newly synthesized compounds were assigned based on FT-IR, H-1-NWIR, and mass spectral data. In vivo antidepressant activity was performed by tail suspension test and forced swimming test models. Using the Schrodinger Maestro, the in silico analysis was performed and docked to the glycogen synthase kinase 3 beta binding site (PDB: 3GB2). Compounds 8 4,4'-(1,3,4-oxadiazole-2,5-diyl)diphenol] and 3 3-(5-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazol-2-yl) phenol] showed both potent inhibitory activity against GSK-3 beta with a docking score of -7.800 kcal/mol as well as good antidepressant activity in both tail suspension and forced swimming tests models. The synthesized derivatives showed good antidepressive potential