Growth and productivity of Tectona grandis Linn. f. in plantations and farmlands in coastal zone of Karnataka (India)

The present study was conducted to understand the growth performance and productivity potential of Tectona grandis grown in plantation as well as in the farmlands at coastal zone of Karnataka. The growth of teak tree grown in farmland was significantly higher than tree grown in pure plantation. For instance, the overall height(11.95 m), diameter (23.69 cm), clear bole height (6.20 m), tree volume (0.61 m3) and timber volume (0.33 m3) was higher in farmland than trees grown in pure plantation (11.60 m, 20.33 cm, 4.90 m, 0.42 m3 and 0.18 m3, respectively). However, crown parameters did not show significant difference among trees grown in pure plantations and farmlands. There was a strong influence of age on growth of teak trees grown in both farmland and pure plantation. For instance, tree height (14.72 m) and diameter (30.52 cm) of higher age class (A4: 21-25 years) was maximum as compared lower age class (A1: 5-10 years) with values of 8.29 m and 17.14 cm, respectively. Similar trend was also recorded for volume, clear bole height, crown height, crown length and crown diameter in teak. It was concluded that teak grown in farmland may produce higher growth and volume as compared to pure plantation

Cascaded Fuzzy Inference System for Overall Equipment Effectiveness of a Manufacturing Process

Overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) is one of the widely accepted performance evaluation methods most commonly employed for measuring the efficiency of a manufacturing process in a manufacturing industry. It plays a most prominent role in improving the efficiency of a manufacturing process which in turn ensures quality, consistency and productivity. The OEE parameters, availability, performance and quality are not single parameters. But these parameters in turn depend on several other parameters which introduce a cascaded effect in OEE computation. The variation in the value of lowest level parameters propagate to the higher levels making the OEE computation a complex process. To cater such situations, in this paper authors propose cascaded fuzzy inference system for measurement of Overall Equipment Effectiveness. In the simplified model proposed by the authors, only few prominent parameters up to two levels are considered. The model can be easily extended to incorporate more parameters and more levels to render it more realistic

New Technologies, New Identities, and the Growth of Mass Opposition in the Arab Spring

The recent revolutions known as the Arab Spring have been characterized as the products of social media. However, there is an alternative view that revolution takes place on the street or the battlefield and that the role of social media has been overstated. We argue that some new technologies can serve to facilitate rapid social change when they provide ways to overcome restrictions on the freedoms of expression and association. In doing so, communication technologies enable the formation of new social identities that can challenge existing social orders by promoting the growth of a social movement that is positioned as loyal to the nation and its people but opposed to the government. Our analyses focus on the role of social media in spreading video images of dissent and the links between this video material, satellite television, and mobile telephones in Tunisia and Egypt

A comparative clinical study of Amavatavidhwansa Rasa and Simhanaada Guggulu in the management of Amavata w.s.r. to Rheumatoid Arthritis

Amavata is the most challenging disease for the medical science, as it causes severe intolerable pain and severe deformities making the patient disable and bedridden. As it is the disease of Rasavaha Srotas and having several features similar to Rheumatoid Arthritis, Amavata can be correlated with Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA). Amavata is the outcome of Agnidushti, Amotpatti and Sandhivikrutti, with the passage of the time most of the dietary habits, changing lifestyle and environment have been contributing to the disease, the risk factor include age, gender, genetics and environmental exposures. Hence Amavata have became a challenge to the human race. Management of the disease is merely insufficient in other system of medicine, in such condition disease which continues to pose challenge to the physician as well as for patients due to severe morbidity and crippling nature. So patients are continuously looking for the treatment from Ayurved to overcome this challenge. It also shows extra articular features like bodyache, stiffness etc. many research have been carried out to solve this clinical enigma.The therapy which normalizes Agni metabolizes Ama and regulates Vata and maintain healthy Sandhi and Sandhistha Shelshma will be the supreme one for this disease. The formulations of Amavatavidhvansa Rasa and Simhanaada Guggula is indicated, especially in treating the Amavata

Influence of Pongamia, Mahua and Neem cakes on finger millet productivity and soil fertility

A field experiment conducted at Bio-fuel park, Agricultural Research Station, Madenur, Hassan in Kharif season of 2009 to asses the performance of finger millet (Eleusine coracana L.) under different organic manure treatment consisting of four treatments viz., recommended FYM and NPK through inorganic fertilizers as control, Pongamia, Mahua and Neem cake with 5 replications laid in randomized complete block design. The results revealed that application of recommended FYM along with neem cake equivalent to 100% recommended N performedbetter in respect of finger millet productivity and maintenance of soil fertility followed by recommended FYM with 100% NPK through fertilizers. Nutrient supplementation with different oilcakes proved superior in respect of soil sustainability

Poly (DL-valine) electro-polymerized carbon nanotube paste sensor for determination of antihistamine drug cetirizine

Poly (DL-valine) modified multiwalled carbon nanotube paste sensor (PVLMCNTPS) was prepared by electro-polymerization route. PVLMCNTPS and bare multiwalled carbon nanotube paste sensor (BMCNTPS) morphologies and sensing properties for cetirizine (CTZ) were confirmed through a field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) and electrochemical studies, respectively. In contrast to BMCNTPS, PVLMCNTPS surface composite creates an electrocatalytic impact on the oxidation of CTZ. PVLMCNTPS properties were optimized using parameters such as accumulation time, number of polymerization cycles, solution pH, and scan rate. The optimized PVLMCNTPS was applied for the determination of cetirizine in 0.1 M phosphate buffer solution (PBS) of pH 7.0, using cyclic voltammetry (CV). It is shown that PVLMCNTPS provided analytical linearity from 2.0 to 80 µM, with a detection limit of 0.11 µM for CTZ determination. PVLMCNTPS is found highly selective for CTZ in presence of some interfering organic molecules. The stable and selective PVLMCNTPS was applied for CTZ determination in pharmaceutical pills with satisfactory results

Electrical control of the Kondo effect in a helical edge liquid

Magnetic impurities affect the transport properties of the helical edge states of quantum spin Hall insulators by causing single-electron backscattering. We study such a system in the presence of a Rashba spin-orbit interaction induced by an external electric field, showing that this can be used to control the Kondo temperature, as well as the correction to the conductance due to the impurity. Surprisingly, for a strongly anisotropic electron-impurity spin exchange, Kondo screening may get obstructed by the presence of a non-collinear spin interaction mediated by the Rashba coupling. This challenges the expectation that the Kondo effect is stable against time-reversal invariant perturbations.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figures. Expression for the current operator corrected. (Conclusions unaffected.) Erratum to be publishe

Combined application of Pseudomonas fluorescens and Trichoderma viride has an improved biocontrol activity against stem rot in groundnut

In an attempt to develop effective biocontrol system for management of stem rot disease in groundnut, 57 bacterial isolates and 13 isolates of Trichoderma spp. Were evaluated for their antagonistic activity against Sclerotium rolfsii. The antagonists were selected based on their ability to inhibit the external growth of S. rolfsii from infected groundnut seeds. Four isolates of Pseudomonas fluorescens, GB 4, GB 8, GB 10 and GB 27, and T. viride pq 1 were identified as potent antagonists of S. rolfsii. T. viride pq 1 produced extra cellular chitinase and parasitized the mycelium of S. rolfsii. Under controlled environment conditions, P. fluorescens GB 10, GB 27, T. viride pq 1 and the systemic fungicide Thiram reduce the mortality of S. Rolfsii inoculated to groundnut seedlings by 58.0%, 55.9%, 70.0% and 25.9%, respectively compared to control. In vitro growth of P.fluorescens GB 10 and GB 27 was compatible with T. Viride pq 1 and Thiram Integrated use of these two bacterial isolates with T. viride pq 1 or Thiram improved their biocontrol efficacy. Combined application of either GB 10 or GB 27 with T. viride pq 1 was significantly effective than that with Thiram in protecting groundnut seedlings form stem rot infectio

Characterization of Post-Rainy Season Grown Indigenous and Exotic Germplasm Lines of Sorghum for Morphological and Yield Traits

Sorghum is a major staple crop and vital for the marginal farmers in Asian and African countries. Landraces or germplasm lines adapted to biotic and abiotic stresses are the prime source of adaptive traits in the crop breeding programs. In order to assess the genetic variability, 141 exotic germplasm lines and 36 popular varieties were evaluated for eight agro-morphological traits. Wide range of values were observed for grain yield (6.6–124.4 g/plant), seed index (1.5–7.1 g/100 seeds), panicle length (8–44 cm) and panicle width (7.25 cm). High genotypic and phenotypic coefficient of variation was observed for grain yield per plant. The values of broad sense heritability in the sorghum core population ranged from 0.75 to 0.99. Seed weight, days to flowering, panicle width and leaf area were significantly correlated with grain yield (P ≤ 0.01). Seed weight was positively correlated with panicle width (correlation coefficient 0.31), while negatively correlated with panicle length (correlation coefficient −0.15). Cluster analysis resolved all the genotypes into four major clusters. Among germplasm lines, TSG-313 had high seed weight of 7.05 g/100 seeds, while TSG-325 had highest grain yield of 124.4 g/plant as against control variety. Germplasm lines with high heritability scores would help us to utilise them in recombination breeding

Stability analysis for yield and its attributing traits in advanced breeding lines of rabi sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench)

An experiment was carried out involving twenty three advanced breeding lines along with two checks M 35-1 and Muguthi during rabi season 2012-13 at four locations. Observations were recorded on 10 different characters viz., plant height (cm), stem diameter (cm), ear head length (cm), ear head diameter (cm), days to 50 per cent flowering, days to maturity, 100 seed weight (g), fodder yield per plot (kg), seed yield per plot (kg), and lodging percentage. The pooled analysis of variance revealed that mean sum of squares due to genotypes was significant for ear head diameter, days to 50 per cent flowering, days to maturity and fodder yield, indicating presence of considerable amount of variability in the genotypes. The mean sum of square due to environment + (genotypes x environment) was significant for plant height, ear head length (cm), ear head diameter (cm), days to 50 per cent flowering, fodder yield per plot (kg), seed yield per plot (kg), and lodging percentage characters except stem diameter, days to maturity and 100 seed yield. On the basis of stability parameters a four genotypes viz., GS-6 (2364 kg/ha), GS-16 (2454 kg/ha), GS-22(2775 kg/ha) and GS-23(2978 kg/ha) were found most stable over Gulbarga, Raichur, Bellary and Malnoor environments of Hyderabad Karnataka region