Analysis of strong wind events around Adelie Land, East Antarctica

Strong wind events at Dumont d'Urville (DdU), an East Antarctic coastal station, and Dome C, an interior station, were studied to determine if the wind along the Adelie Land coast increases with the approach of the depression from the west of the site or after its passage to the east of it. The events for the year 1993 were studied using synoptic observations, mean sea level pressure charts and composite infrared satellite images. It was found that the winds are enhanced with the approach of a depression from the west towards the DdU coast. The wind increases in response to the decreasing pressure at the coastal site and increasing downslope pressure difference (dp). The wind starts decreasing once the system moves to the east of DdU and the pressure at DdU starts building up, as reported in some earlier studies. The response of wind to the approaching depression is not the same for all the events but depends on the downslope pressure difference and the movement of the depression that is often conditioned by the presence of a blocking high to the northeast. The wind comes down if the system starts penetrating inland due to the presence of the high pressure ridge to the northeast and decreasing dp. It is observed that the winds at Dome C increase to as high as 17 m s-1 with the inland penetration of the depression

Plant diversity assessment of selected forest sites of Gaya district of Bihar, India

Regular inventorization and monitoring of biodiversity is paramount for its conservation and sustainable utilization.  Gaya district of the Bihar is endowed with rich biodiversity. For proper understanding of plant diversity, quantitative status of the vegetation is essentially required. The aim of the study was to assess different forest sites of the Gaya district of Bihar in India for their plant diversity. Study was carried out in these randomly selected eleven forest sites (Site I to Site XI). A total of 174 species belonging to 150 genera and58 families(48 Dicotyledons, 7 monocotyledons and 3 pteridophytes) were reported from all eleven study sites.  Five largest families in the area were  Poaceae (22 spp.), Fabaceae (14 spp.), Asteraceae (11 spp.), Rubiaceae (9 spp.) and Acanthaceae (7 spp). Different diversity attributes such as Important Value Index (IVI ), Species richness, Shannon Wiener index, Concentration  of dominance and Evenness for tree, shrub and herb layers  were estimated. For different sites highest IVI values for tree, shrubby and herbaceous layers were reported.Shannon wiener Index values for tree, shrubby and herbaceous layer of Nagobar site were estimated3.376, 1.986 and 2.350 respectively. Tree diversity was highest at Nagobar site whereas shrub and herb diversity was also reasonably better than most of the sites. Hence, it was revealed from the study that Nagobar site was most diverse site in the Gaya district. Study will be immense use for officials of forest department, researcher, students etc. for carrying out conservation and management work. Similar kind of study should be carried out in different forest sites of the country to get capture the status of the plant diversity for conservation and sustainable utilization.

A comparative study of circulating plasma lipid components and superoxide dismutase activity in pre and postmenopausal women

Background: Menopause is associated with increased oxidative stress and decreased antioxidative activity in females which leads to increased risk of cardiovascular and many other diseases. The objective was to compare the lipid profiles and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity of pre and postmenopausal women in an attempt to establish the fact that menopause is associated with increased oxidative stress.Methods: A hospital based cross-sectional study was done at the department of obstetrics and gynaecology and biochemistry, Shri Mahant Indiresh Hospital, Dehradun, India. Out of total of 120 women, 60 women were in premenopausal group aged between 30-45 years and 60 women of 55-70 years of age group in post menopause status. Assessment of lipid profile was done by an automated chemistry analyzer (Vitors 5, I FS) and SOD activity was measured by colorimetric activity kit. Statistical analysis was done by Standard Microsoft Excel software.Results: Mean serum SOD level in premenopausal women was 4.80±1.73 U/ml and in postmenopausal was 1.35±0.58 U/ml. This variation was found to be extremely significant (p <0.0001). Changes in lipid components in pre and postmenopausal women showed that total cholesterol and triglycerides levels were higher in postmenopausal than premenopausal participants. These variations were also significant (p = 0.0003). Levels of HDL-C were lower in postmenopausal women than pre-menopausal group with a mean±SD of 51.5±12.20 mg/dl and 54.05±14.03mg/dl respectively.Conclusions: Findings of this study corroborate the hypothesis that gradual loss of ovarian function is associated with a decrease in antioxidant status. Menopause also leads to changes in lipid components, which can predispose women to cardiovascular diseases

Geotechnical Assessment of the Foundation of Housing Chamber of Yaragol Gravity Dam, Karnataka State, India

Geotechnical assessment of the foundation including engineering geological investigations are essential for important civil structures to provide permanent data set for geological interpretations and for recommendations of suitable engineering measures for the improvement of the foundation. Yaragol Gravity Dam for drinking water is being constructed across Markandaya river in Karnataka State of India. Engineering geological mapping on 1:200 scale was carried out for Housing Chamber of Yaragol Gravity Dam to evaluate the design basis foundation parameters. 2 m x 2 m grids were prepared for mapping of the floor. Based on the field observations and evidences, it was found that the floor area consists of foliated gneiss and granite. No evidence of faulting or shearing was observed on the surface of the floor area. Geotechnical assessment of the foundations was done on the basis of detailed engineering geological mapping and laboratory test results. Classification of rock mass using Rock Mass Rating (RMR) of Bieniawski (1989) has been attempted and based on investigations recommendations for the treatment of foundation were given. Rock type and Rock Mass Rating (RMR) methods were used for assessing the safe bearing pressure of the foundation. Consolidation grouting up to 6 m depth in the foundation using primary at 6 m spacing and secondary holes at 3 m spacing was recommended. After detailed investigations it was found that, the foundation is suitable to locate a housing chamber

TEMPORAL MONITORING OF GLACIER CHANGE IN DHAULIGANGA BASIN, KUMAUN HIMALAYA USING GEO-SPATIAL TECHNIQUES

Present study is based on the change in surface area of the glaciers in downstream area of Dhauliganga basin, Pithoragarh district, Uttarakhand. For this study, Survey of India toposheets (surveyed in 1963) have been used for preparation of initial boundary of glaciers. Total 11 glaciers have been selected for the study in downstream valley. RGI (Randolph Glacier Inventory) data version 60. (15_RGI 60.SouthAsiaEast) from GLIMS, released July 28 2017, used for measuring temporal change in surface area. Landsat 8 OLI/TIRS image of 06 November 2016 has used to measure present area of glaciers. ASTER GDEM was used for automatic extraction of basin boundary by hydro-processing methods. Glacier boundaries were manually digitised from the Landsat image for better accuracy. The total glacier area was 69.35&thinsp;km2 (1963), 48.10&thinsp;km2 (2001) and 34.35 (2016) as determined from SOI toposheet, GLIMS and the Landsat image of 2016 respectively. Total vacated area by the retreat and melting of glaciers from 1963 to 2016 is 35&thinsp;km2, which accounts to a total loss of 50&thinsp;% from the total glaciated area. Google Earth imagery was also considered for marking the actual position of glacier outlines. Ice walls in topographic maps are also considered as the part of glacier but in present satellite image they are free from ice

Plant Reactome: a resource for plant pathways and comparative analysis

Plant Reactome (http://plantreactome.gramene.org/) is a free, open-source, curated plant pathway database portal, provided as part of the Gramene project. The database provides intuitive bioinformatics tools for the visualization, analysis and interpretation of pathway knowledge to support genome annotation, genome analysis, modeling, systems biology, basic research and education. Plant Reactome employs the structural framework of a plant cell to show metabolic, transport, genetic, developmental and signaling pathways. We manually curate molecular details of pathways in these domains for reference species Oryza sativa (rice) supported by published literature and annotation of well-characterized genes. Two hundred twenty-two rice pathways, 1025 reactions associated with 1173 proteins, 907 small molecules and 256 literature references have been curated to date. These reference annotations were used to project pathways for 62 model, crop and evolutionarily significant plant species based on gene homology. Database users can search and browse various components of the database, visualize curated baseline expression of pathway-associated genes provided by the Expression Atlas and upload and analyze their Omics datasets. The database also offers data access via Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) and in various standardized pathway formats, such as SBML and BioPAX

Gramene 2013: comparative plant genomics resources

Gramene (http://www.gramene.org) is a curated online resource for comparative functional genomics in crops and model plant species, currently hosting 27 fully and 10 partially sequenced reference genomes in its build number 38. Its strength derives from the application of a phylogenetic framework for genome comparison and the use of ontologies to integrate structural and functional annotation data. Whole-genome alignments complemented by phylogenetic gene family trees help infer syntenic and orthologous relationships. Genetic variation data, sequences and genome mappings available for 10 species, including Arabidopsis, rice and maize, help infer putative variant effects on genes and transcripts. The pathways section also hosts 10 species-specific metabolic pathways databases developed in-house or by our collaborators using Pathway Tools software, which facilitates searches for pathway, reaction and metabolite annotations, and allows analyses of user-defined expression datasets. Recently, we released a Plant Reactome portal featuring 133 curated rice pathways. This portal will be expanded for Arabidopsis, maize and other plant species. We continue to provide genetic and QTL maps and marker datasets developed by crop researchers. The project provides a unique community platform to support scientific research in plant genomics including studies in evolution, genetics, plant breeding, molecular biology, biochemistry and systems biology

The breadth of primary care: a systematic literature review of its core dimensions

Background: Even though there is general agreement that primary care is the linchpin of effective health care delivery, to date no efforts have been made to systematically review the scientific evidence supporting this supposition. The aim of this study was to examine the breadth of primary care by identifying its core dimensions and to assess the evidence for their interrelations and their relevance to outcomes at (primary) health system level. Methods: A systematic review of the primary care literature was carried out, restricted to English language journals reporting original research or systematic reviews. Studies published between 2003 and July 2008 were searched in MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, King's Fund Database, IDEAS Database, and EconLit. Results: Eighty-five studies were identified. This review was able to provide insight in the complexity of primary care as a multidimensional system, by identifying ten core dimensions that constitute a primary care system. The structure of a primary care system consists of three dimensions: 1. governance; 2. economic conditions; and 3. workforce development. The primary care process is determined by four dimensions: 4. access; 5. continuity of care; 6. coordination of care; and 7. comprehensiveness of care. The outcome of a primary care system includes three dimensions: 8. quality of care; 9. efficiency care; and 10. equity in health. There is a considerable evidence base showing that primary care contributes through its dimensions to overall health system performance and health. Conclusions: A primary care system can be defined and approached as a multidimensional system contributing to overall health system performance and health

Gramene 2016: comparative plant genomics and pathway resources

Gramene (http://www.gramene.org) is an online resource for comparative functional genomics in crops and model plant species. Its two main frameworks are genomes (collaboration with Ensembl Plants) and pathways (The Plant Reactome and archival BioCyc databases). Since our last NAR update, the database website adopted a new Drupal management platform. The genomes section features 39 fully assembled reference genomes that are integrated using ontology-based annotation and comparative analyses, and accessed through both visual and programmatic interfaces. Additional community data, such as genetic variation, expression and methylation, are also mapped for a subset of genomes. The Plant Reactome pathway portal (http://plantreactome.gramene.org) provides a reference resource for analyzing plant metabolic and regulatory pathways. In addition to approximately 200 curated rice reference pathways, the portal hosts gene homology-based pathway projections for 33 plant species. Both the genome and pathway browsers interface with the EMBL-EBI's Expression Atlas to enable the projection of baseline and differential expression data from curated expression studies in plants. Gramene's archive website (http://archive.gramene.org) continues to provide previously reported resources on comparative maps, markers and QTL. To further aid our users, we have also introduced a live monthly educational webinar series and a Gramene YouTube channel carrying video tutorials

Gramene 2018: unifying comparative genomics and pathway resources for plant research

Gramene (http://www.gramene.org) is a knowledgebase for comparative functional analysis in major crops and model plant species. The current release, #54, includes over 1.7 million genes from 44 reference genomes, most of which were organized into 62,367 gene families through orthologous and paralogous gene classification, whole-genome alignments, and synteny. Additional gene annotations include ontology-based protein structure and function; genetic, epigenetic, and phenotypic diversity; and pathway associations. Gramene's Plant Reactome provides a knowledgebase of cellular-level plant pathway networks. Specifically, it uses curated rice reference pathways to derive pathway projections for an additional 66 species based on gene orthology, and facilitates display of gene expression, gene-gene interactions, and user-defined omics data in the context of these pathways. As a community portal, Gramene integrates best-of-class software and infrastructure components including the Ensembl genome browser, Reactome pathway browser, and Expression Atlas widgets, and undergoes periodic data and software upgrades. Via powerful, intuitive search interfaces, users can easily query across various portals and interactively analyze search results by clicking on diverse features such as genomic context, highly augmented gene trees, gene expression anatomograms, associated pathways, and external informatics resources. All data in Gramene are accessible through both visual and programmatic interfaces