Identification of suitable areas and effect of climate change on ginger - a GIS study.

Secondary data of area, production and productivity of ginger have consistently shown aincreasing trend during the last 3 decades. Increase in area is not always in proportion withe increase in production. Thirty years area and production curves of the important ginggrowing states are compared with the Eco-crop suitability model which indicated thsuitability has direct impact on production. Orissa, West Bengal, Mizoram and Kerala avery highly suitable while North western states like Gujarat, Rajasthan, UttarpradesMadhya Pradesh are marginally suitable or unsuitable. North eastern and south westestates are ideally highly suitable for ginger cultivation. Future prediction of Eco-crop  modshows, if the temperature increase by 1.5 to 2ºC, the suitability of Orissa and West Bengwill reduce drastically from high suitability to marginally suitable, indicating the effect climate change. &nbsp

Extraction and Physico-Chemical Characterization of Pineapple Crown Leaf Fibers (PCLF)

Apart from the widely discussed pineapple leaf fibers, normally referred to as PALF, fibers from other parts of the plant also exist, particularly those in the fruit crown, which are known as pineapple crown leaf fibers (PCLF). In this work, PCLF were characterized using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Fourier transform IR spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The results indicated that the properties of PCLF do not greatly differ from those observed for PALF. In particular, a cellulose content of over 67% was observed, with approximately 76% crystallinity. The main degradation phenomena of the fibers took place between 230 and 380 degrees C, peaking at 324 degrees C, which is in line with observations in other fibers which have similar cellulose and crystalline contents. There was 13.4% residue at 680 degrees C. Bare mechanical retting of PCLF, although not allowing a full and thorough degumming, which would only be achieved through more aggressive chemical treatment, enabled aspect ratios of over 10(3) to be obtained. This indicates some potential for their application as short fibers in composites. In this respect, the considerable roughness of PCLF when compared to other leaf-extracted fibers, and in particular when compared to PALF, could suggest an ability to obtain a sufficiently sound fiber-matrix interface

Síntesis, caracterización y evaluación de 1-monoacilgliceroles de ácidos grasos insaturados como potenciales lípidos bioactivos

The synthesis of 1-monoacylglycerols of selected unsaturated fatty acids and their antimicrobial and cytotoxicity activity is reported in the present study. The monoacylglycerols of fatty acids like undecenoic, oleic, linoleic and erucic acids were prepared by chemical esterification with solketal followed by deprotection. Fatty acids like alpha linolenic, gamma linolenic and ricinoleic acids were initially isolated from natural sources and further enriched in their respective methyl ester forms. The monoacylglycerols of ricinoleic and linolenic acid methyl esters were prepared by enzymatic transesterification with solketal using lipase from Candida antarctica followed by deprotection. The synthesized 1-monoacylglycerols were purified and characterized by spectral studies. The antimicrobial activity revealed that the monoacylglycerol of gamma linolenic acid was the most effective antibacterial followed by the monoacylglycerols of undecenoic and alpha linolenic acids. In the cytotoxicity assay against five cell lines, all the monoacylglycerols exhibited moderate activity but the activity was best against MCF7 Human Breast Adenocarcinoma cell lines.La síntesis de 1-monoacilgliceroles de ácidos grasos insaturados seleccionados y su actividad antimicrobiana y citotoxicidad se describen en el presente estudio. Los monoacilgliceroles de ácidos grasos como los ácidos undecenoico, oleico, linoleico y erúcico se prepararon mediante esterificación química con solketal seguido de desprotección. Los ácidos grasos como el alfa-linolénico, gamma-linolénico y ricinoleico se aislaron inicialmente de fuentes naturales y se enriquecieron aún más en sus respectivos ésteres metílicos. Los monoacilgliceroles de los ésteres metílicos de los ácidos ricinoleico y linolénico se prepararon mediante transesterificación enzimática con solketal utilizando lipasa de Candida antárctica seguido de desprotección. Los 1-monoacilgliceroles sintetizados se purificaron y caracterizaron mediante estudios espectrales. La actividad antimicrobiana mostró que el monoacilglicerol del ácido gamma-linolénico fue el antibacteriano más eficaz seguido del monoacilglicerol de los ácidos undecenoico y alfa-linolénico. En el ensayo de citotoxicidad contra cinco líneas celulares, todos los monoacilgliceroles mostraron una actividad moderada, pero la actividad fue mejor contra las líneas celulares de adenocarcinoma de mama humano MCF7

Development of a ring cavity-based fibre optic sensor for MR-compatible medical sensing applications.

Advances in robotic systems and rapid developments in minimally invasive surgery (MIS) have made their use possible in the operating room due to many distinct advantages offered by MIS over conventional surgical procedures. The constant increase of medical examinations, surgeries and surgical interventions using intraoperative guidance with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has promoted research on new sensors to be applied in this scenario. However, due to the challenging environment under MRI system limits the applicability of materials and traditional electronic sensors. Optical fibres are small in size, chemically inert, immune to electromagnetic interference and offer the real-time in vivo multi-parameter measurement capability. Herein, we report a ring cavity-based fibre optic sensor design using MR-compatible polymer material. Optical fibres were used to excite surface resonance modes (SRM) of the ring cavity-based sensor. The paper reports initial investigations on ring cavity based MR-compatible fibre optic sensor design. Computational simulations were carried out to study the effect of structural and material parameters on the sensor design. Ring cavity was developed using polymethyl methacrylate. Developed ring cavity will be used to develop the MR-compatible fibre optic sensor for medical applications

Prawn fauna (Crustacea: Decapoda) of India - An annotated checklist of the Penaeoid, Sergestoid, Stenopodid and Caridean prawns

Twenty four species of Pandalid shrimps reported from the Indian waters, of which six genera (Chlorotocella, Chlorotocus, Chlorocurtis, Dorodotes, Heterocarpoides and Stylopandalus) are represented by single species each. The genera, Plesionika and Heterocarpus are represented by eleven and seven species respectively. Plesionika adensameri (Balss, 1914) a deep-sea shrimp hitherto unreported from Indian waters is recorded from west coast of India. Information on some biological aspects of few Pandalid shrimps from Indian waters is also reported in the present paper

Calcineurin determines toxic versus beneficial responses to α-synuclein

Calcineurin (CN) is a highly conserved Ca[superscript 2+]–calmodulin (CaM)-dependent phosphatase that senses Ca[superscript 2+] concentrations and transduces that information into cellular responses. Ca[superscript 2+] homeostasis is disrupted by α-synuclein (α-syn), a small lipid binding protein whose misfolding and accumulation is a pathological hallmark of several neurodegenerative diseases. We report that α-syn, from yeast to neurons, leads to sustained highly elevated levels of cytoplasmic Ca[superscript 2+], thereby activating a CaM-CN cascade that engages substrates that result in toxicity. Surprisingly, complete inhibition of CN also results in toxicity. Limiting the availability of CaM shifts CN's spectrum of substrates toward protective pathways. Modulating CN or CN's substrates with highly selective genetic and pharmacological tools (FK506) does the same. FK506 crosses the blood brain barrier, is well tolerated in humans, and is active in neurons and glia. Thus, a tunable response to CN, which has been conserved for a billion years, can be targeted to rebalance the phosphatase’s activities from toxic toward beneficial substrates. These findings have immediate therapeutic implications for synucleinopathies.Jeffry M. and Barbara Picower FoundationJPB FoundationHoward Hughes Medical Institute (Collaborative Innovation Award)Eleanor Schwartz Charitable Foundatio

Degree of egg-taking by humans determines the fate of maleo (Macrocephalon maleo) nesting grounds across Sulawesi

The version of record of this article, first published in Biodiversity and Conservation, is available online at Publisher’s website: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10531-022-02527-1The maleo (Macrocephalon maleo) of Sulawesi, Indonesia, is culturally iconic and Critically Endangered, but the causes of its decline have never been systematically analyzed nor its nesting grounds comprehensively surveyed. We visited 122 previously known and 58 previously unrecorded sites, collecting data and interviewing local people at each site. We used ordinal logistic regression to fit models with combinations of 18 different predation, habitat, and nesting ground variables to determine the strongest predictors of nesting ground success, as represented by maleo numbers. At least 56% of known nesting grounds are now inactive (abandoned), and 63% of remaining active sites host ≤ 2 pairs/day at peak season. Egg-taking by humans is the single biggest driver of maleo decline. Protecting eggs in situ predicts higher numbers than protecting eggs through hatchery methods. After egg-taking, quality (not length) of the travel corridor connecting nesting ground to primary forest best predicts nesting ground success. Being inside a federally protected area is not a primary driver of success, and does not ensure persistence: 28% of federally protected nesting grounds have become inactive. Local conservation efforts protected nesting grounds 2‒3 times better than federal protection. We update the methodology for assessing nesting ground status, and recommend five measures for maleo conservation, the foremost being to protect nesting grounds from egg-taking by humans at all remaining active sites