Remote sensing and GIS application for monitoring forest management operations

Satellite data potentially provide a useful tool for estimating forest cover and monitoring changes. Traditional forest surveying methods involve time consuming measurements of a large number of trees. Remotely sensed data may enable forest cover changes to be estimated very rapidly over large areas and with a minimum of ground data collection. At present the role of forest management in Britain is expanding, so that looking at forest cover changes is extremely useful for management purposes. The main task of this study was to detect plantation forest cover change information especially on thinned and clear cut areas. These changes were estimated using Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) derived from SPOT HRV data, compared with Forestry Commission (FC) records and field investigations. To detect whether areas have been thinned and felled during the period of concern (1994-1997), three fundamental aspects were considered. First the pattern of forest cover was identified by using FC records and field investigations. This pattern was linked to SPOT data using NDVI. At this stage relationships between forest cover and structural variables (age, top tree height, mean diameter and basal area) were also examined. Second, changes over time were analysed by using NDVI measurements (1994-1997) and change detection methods, particularly to identify the pattern of felling. Third, pixel based forest cover changes in selected compartments were related and compared to FC thinning records and information collected by forest managers. A number of points about the ability of remote sensing techniques to provide an estimate of forest cover for management operations emerged from this study. First, it was found that NDVI changed spatially with different forest cover; spatial patterns were mainly identified in areas where major management operations (thinning and felling) were carried out. Second, temporal patterns of forest cover change, mainly due to felling operations were identified. Finally with a detailed analysis of thinned compartments, this study recognised changing patterns of forest cover, which were related to management operations. These findings should be very useful for operational planning in plantation forests. In particular, knowledge of spatial and temporal changes of forest cover may be useful in management operations where the availability of ancillary information is unreliable. These results appear to be sufficient for the initial stages of operational planning. However further investigations need to be undertaken to better understand a number of factors related to changes of forest cover

Comparison of Essential Oil of Lemongrass (Cymbopogon Citratus) Extracted with Microwave-Assisted Hydrodistillation (MAHD) and Conventional Hydrodistillation (HD) Method

The increasing demand of essential oil has opened up wide opportunities for global marketing which leads to the requirement of its competitive product in market that comes with all the advantages in term of cost, quality and its production time. Microwave-assisted hydrodistillation (MAHD) method is an advance extraction technique that takes advantage of microwave heating with the conventional hydrodistillation (HD). This research was carried out to study the effect of different MAHD parameters which were water to plant material ratio (6:1, 8:1,10:1), microwave power (200 W,250W) and extraction time (30min,60min, 90min,120min) in extraction of essential oil from Lemongrass (Cymbopogon Citratus). Its extraction yield and major constituents were analyzed and the results were compared with those of conventional HD. The optimum parameters were found at water to plant material ratio of 8:1, microwave power of 250W and 90 minutes of extraction and the yield obtained under this condition was 1.46%. The gas chromatography/mass spectrometric (GC-MS) analysis showed that the content of main constituents which were neral, geranial and myrcene were almost similar in the essential oil extracted using MAHD and conventional HD. This has proved that the use of microwave irradiation did not adversely influence the composition of essential oils. Overall, the results obtained indicate that MAHD method provided a good alternative for the extraction of essential oil from Lemongrass (Cymbopogon Citratus)

Glycerol Conversion to Diglycerol via Etherification under Microwave Irradiation

According to Grand View Research in polyglycerol market size, demand for diglycerol is expected to grow by 50% from 2012 to 2022 due to its extensive use in various industries, thus validating the importance and value addition of producing diglycerol. Due to the volatility of refined glycerine market price and increasing demand of diglycerol, research has been conducted to upgrade glycerol via various processes. Etherification is a single-step process of catalytic conversion of glycerol into polyglycerols, involving the condensation of two glycerol molecules to form the simplest oligomer which is diglycerol with linear, branched, or cyclic isomers. Thus, this chapter will discuss on the methods of synthesizing diglycerol followed by the type of catalyst to be used. These include homogenous and heterogenous catalyst with their subdivision of acid and base type, respectively. Besides, this chapter does include on the method for the etherification process where it highlighted the advantage of advance technology microwave irradiation over conventional heating

Levels of the soluble LDL receptor-relative LR11 decrease in overweight individuals with type 2 diabetes upon diet-induced weight loss

__Background and aims__ Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a major complication in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D), especially in those with obesity. Plasma soluble low density lipoprotein receptor-relative with 11 ligand-binding repeats (sLR11) plays a role in the development of atherosclerosis and has been linked to the metabolism of triglyceride-rich lipoproteins, adiposity, and vascular complications in T2D. We aimed to determine the effect of diet-induced weight loss on plasma sLR11 levels in overweight and obese individuals with T2D. __Methods__ Plasma sLR11 levels were determined in 64 individuals with T2D and BMI >27 kg/m2 before and after a 20-week weight loss diet. As a reference, sLR11 levels were also determined in 64 healthy, non-obese controls, matched as a group for age and sex. __Results__ Median plasma sLR11 levels of the T2D study-group at baseline (15.4 ng/mL (IQR 12.9–19.5)) were higher than in controls (10.2 (IQR: 8.7–12.2) ng/mL; p = 0.001). The diet resulted in a weight loss of 9.7 ± 5.2% (p = 0.001) and improved CVD risk factors. sLR11 levels were reduced to 13.3 ng/mL (IQR 11.0–17.1; p = 0.001). Changes in sLR11 levels positively associated with changes in non-HDL cholesterol (B = 1.54, R2 = 0.17, p = 0.001) and HbA1c (B = 0.07, R2 = 0.11, p = 0.007), but not with weight loss (B = 0.04, R2 = 0.05, p = 0.076). The changes in non-HDL cholesterol and HbA1c together explained 24% of the variance of sLR11 reduction (p = 0.001). __Conclusions__ Weight loss dieting in overweight and obese individuals with T2D resulted in a reduction in plasma sLR11 levels that was associated with improvements in lipid-profile and glycemic state

Molecular surveillance for operationally relevant genetic polymorphisms in Plasmodium falciparum in Southern Chad, 2016–2017

Background: Resistance to anti-malarials is a serious threat to the efforts to control and eliminate malaria. Surveillance based on simple field protocols with centralized testing to detect molecular markers associated with anti-malarial drug resistance can be used to identify locations where further investigations are needed. Methods: Dried blood spots were collected from 398 patients (age range 5–59 years, 99% male) with Plasmodium falciparum infections detected using rapid diagnostic tests over two rounds of sample collection conducted in 2016 and 2017 in Komé, South-West Chad. Specimens were genotyped using amplicon sequencing or qPCR for validated markers of anti-malarial resistance including partner drugs used in artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT). Results: No mutations in the pfk13 gene known to be associated with artemisinin resistance were found but a high proportion of parasites carried other mutations, specifically K189T (190/349, 54.4%, 95%CI 49.0–59.8%). Of 331 specimens successfully genotyped for pfmdr1 and pfcrt, 52% (95%CI 46.4–57.5%) carried the NFD-K haplotype, known to be associated with reduced susceptibility to lumefantrine. Only 20 of 336 (6.0%, 95%CI 3.7–9.0%) had parasites with the pfmdr1-N86Y polymorphism associated with increased treatment failures with amodiaquine. Nearly all parasites carried at least one mutation in pfdhfr and/or pfdhps genes but ‘sextuple’ mutations in pfdhfr—pfdhps including pfdhps -A581G were rare (8/336 overall, 2.4%, 95%CI 1.2–4.6%). Only one specimen containing parasites with pfmdr1 gene amplification was detected. Conclusions: These results provide information on the likely high efficacy of artemisinin-based combinations commonly used in Chad, but suggest decreasing levels of sensitivity to lumefantrine and high levels of resistance to sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine used for seasonal malaria chemoprevention and intermittent preventive therapy in pregnancy. A majority of parasites had mutations in the pfk13 gene, none of which are known to be associated with artemisinin resistance. A therapeutic efficacy study needs to be conducted to confirm the efficacy of artemether-lumefantrine

Performance of a fully‐automated system on a WHO malaria microscopy evaluation slide set

Background: Manual microscopy remains a widely-used tool for malaria diagnosis and clinical studies, but it has inconsistent quality in the field due to variability in training and field practices. Automated diagnostic systems based on machine learning hold promise to improve quality and reproducibility of field microscopy. The World Health Organization (WHO) has designed a 55-slide set (WHO 55) for their External Competence Assessment of Malaria Microscopists (ECAMM) programme, which can also serve as a valuable benchmark for automated systems. The performance of a fully-automated malaria diagnostic system, EasyScan GO, on a WHO 55 slide set was evaluated. Methods: The WHO 55 slide set is designed to evaluate microscopist competence in three areas of malaria diagnosis using Giemsa-stained blood films, focused on crucial field needs: malaria parasite detection, malaria parasite species identification (ID), and malaria parasite quantitation. The EasyScan GO is a fully-automated system that combines scanning of Giemsa-stained blood films with assessment algorithms to deliver malaria diagnoses. This system was tested on a WHO 55 slide set. Results: The EasyScan GO achieved 94.3 % detection accuracy, 82.9 % species ID accuracy, and 50 % quantitation accuracy, corresponding to WHO microscopy competence Levels 1, 2, and 1, respectively. This is, to our knowledge, the best performance of a fully-automated system on a WHO 55 set. Conclusions: EasyScan GO’s expert ratings in detection and quantitation on the WHO 55 slide set point towards its potential value in drug efficacy use-cases, as well as in some case management situations with less stringent species ID needs. Improved runtime may enable use in general case management settings

Study protocol: an open-label individually randomised controlled trial to assess the efficacy of artemether-lumefantrine prophylaxis for malaria among forest goers in Cambodia

Introduction In the Greater Mekong Subregion, adults are at highest risk for malaria. The most relevant disease vectors bite during daytime and outdoors which makes forest work a high-risk activity for malaria. The absence of effective vector control strategies and limited periods of exposure during forest visits suggest that chemoprophylaxis could be an appropriate strategy to protect forest goers against malaria. Methods and analysis The protocol describes an open-label randomised controlled trial of artemether-lumefantrine (AL) versus multivitamin as prophylaxis against malaria among forest goers aged 16–65 years in rural northeast Cambodia. The primary objective is to compare the efficacy of the artemisinin combination therapy AL versus a multivitamin preparation as defined by the 28-day PCR parasite positivity rate and incidence of confirmed clinical malaria of any species. The sample size is 2200 patient-episodes of duration 1 month in each arm. The duration of follow-up and prophylaxis for each participant is 1, 2 or 3 consecutive 28-day periods, followed by a further 28 days of post-exposure prophylaxis, depending on whether they continue to visit the forest. Analysis will be done both by intention to treat and per protocol. Ethics and dissemination All participants will provide written, informed consent. Ethical approval was obtained from the Oxford Tropical Research Ethics Committee and the Cambodia National Ethics Committee for Health Research. Results will be disseminated by peer-reviewed open access publication together with open data

An ethnobotanical study of traditional steam-bathing by the Batak people of North Sumatra, Indonesia

This study aimed to document (1) the Batak people’s knowledge of the use of medicinal plants for steambathing, (2) the preparation and operation of steam-bathing, and (3) the benefits of steam-bathing. To attain these objectives, data were collected by using ethnobotanical survey and interview methods. The survey was conducted in Kabanjahe and Berastagi traditional markets, in Kaban Tua village, and in Tanjung Julu village. The participants for the interview were nine medicinal plants traders, nine midwives, and 32 mothers. The basic principle of steam-bathing by the Batak people is based on thermotherapy and aromatherapy. A total of 59 species (belonging to 37 genera and to 25 families) have been documented as medicinal plants for their use as steam-bathing materials by the Batak people. The traders, midwives and mothers are all aware of the benefits of steam-bathing. Gaultheria leucocarpa Blume and Cinnamomum porrectum (Roxb.), the species that produce distinctive aromas and reduce pain, would be interesting to study for their phytochemical and pharmacological properties

Contribution of Microbe-Mediated Processes in Nitrogen Cycle to Attain Environmental Equilibrium

Nitrogen (N), the most important element, is required by all living organisms for the synthesis of complex organic molecules like amino acids, proteins, lipids etc. Nitrogen cycle is considered to be the most complex yet arguably important cycle next to carbon cycle. Nitrogen cycle includes oxic and anoxic reactions like organic N mineralization, ammonia assimilation, nitrification denitrification, anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox), dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA), comammox, codenitrification etc. Nitrogen cycling is one of the most crucial processes required for the recycling of essential chemical requirements on the planet. Soil microorganisms not only improve N-cycle balance but also pave the way for sustainable agricultural practices, leading to improved soil properties and crop productivity as most plants are opportunistic in the uptake of soluble or available forms of N from soil. Microbial N transformations are influenced by plants to improve their nutrition and vice versa. Diverse microorganisms, versatile metabolic activities, and varied biotic and abiotic conditions may result in the shift in the equilibrium state of different N-cycling processes. This chapter is an overview of the mechanisms and genes involved in the diverse microorganisms associated in the operation of nitrogen cycle and the roles of such microorganisms in different agroecosystems