Faunal diversity of aquatic insects in Surha Tal of District - Ballia (U. P.), India

Diversity of aquatic insect fauna of Surha Tal, district Ballia (U.P.) was studied during 2006-08. Twenty nine species of aquatic insect were collected. In class insect four orders namely Coleoptera, Hemiptera, Odonata and Diptera belonging to fourteen families Dytiscidae, Gyrinidae, Hydrophlidae Notonectidae, Palaeidae, Nepidae, Belostomatidae, Hydrometridae, Gerridae. Gomphidae, Libellulidae, Coegrionidae. Chironomidae, Culicidae having twenty genera and twenty nine species were identified

Molluscan Fauna of Surha Tal, District - Ballia (U. P.), India

Diversity of molluscan fauna of Surha Tal, district Ballia (U.P.) was studied during 2006-08.Twenty species of molluscs were collected. Of these, fourteen species of six genera belong to class Gastropoda, families Viviparidae, Pilidae, Thiaridae, Lymnaeidae and Planorbidae; six species belonging to three genera are of families of the class Bivalvia; Unionidae, Amblemidae and Corbiculidae

A study on physico-chemical parameters of Dah lake water, District-Ballia (U.P.), India

The back water of river Saryu is a prime source of water for Dah Lake, located in Ballia district, have been studied to project the pristinety of water with respect to different pollution sensitive parameters i.e. organic pollutants– BOD, DO, COD, Inorganic pollutants - Electrical Conductivity, Turbidity, pH, total alkalinity, Chloride, Total hardness etc. The pH (7.68), total alkalinity (180.5 mg/l), Chloride (133.12 mg/l), Total hardness(139.83 mg/l), Calcium (60.26 mg/l) and Magnesium hardness (19.38 mg/l) were found well within the prescribed standard for drinking water (BIS 10500:1991) during the study period i.e. April 2006- March 2008. The study inferred that the water quality of Dah Lake is still free from the any kind of pollutants, must be due to its higher assimilative capacity. It also indicates the higher potential for pisiculture and drinking water sources (after disinfection) for the nearby villages which may ultimately improve the economic condition of the surrounding habitation

Fish fauna of Surha Tal of District-Ballia (U.P.), India

The present study on survey of Surha Tal of district Ballia, U. P. for fish fauna showed the presence of 59 species belonging to 40 genera of 22 families and 8 orders

Plants Alkaloids Based Compound as Therapeutic Potential for Neurodegenerative

Although while getting a restful night\u27s sleep is essential for your mental and physical health, insomnia is very prevalent. More people are turning to complementary and alternative therapies to treat or prevent sleeplessness. For hundreds of years, herbal treatments like valerian, passionflower, lemon balm, lavender, and California poppy have been utilized successfully. After using these herbal medicines, sleep latency was reduced and subjective and objective measures of sleep quality improved. Their sedative and sleep-inducing effects are caused by interactions with several neurotransmitter systems in the brain, according to molecular research. The plant species can be divided into 76 different genera and 32 different families, with the Asteraceae (24.2%) and Lamiaceae (21.1%) being the most prevalent subgroups. Leaves (29%) and flowers (27%), respectively, are used to make the majority of infusions (70%) and decoctions (25%). Just the most well-known taxa—out of the 106 known—are treated here (A. arvensis L., C. nepeta L., C. monogyna Jacq., H. lupulus L., L. nobilis L., L. angustifolia Mill., M. sylvestris L., M. chamomilla L., M. officinalis L., O. basilicum L., P. rhoeas L., P. somniferum L., R. officinalis L., T. platyphyllus Scop., and V. officinalis L.). Further study is required to confirm the therapeutic potential of these substitutes and define the mechanism of action of bioactive compounds because only seven of the fifteen species chosen have been investigated for pharmacological activity as hypnotic-sedatives

Impact of cropping systems on physico-chemical characteristics of surface water during different seasons in Shimla region of Himachal Pradesh

The present investigations were carried out in the year 2014 with an objective to find out the impact of different cropping systems on nearby surface water resources in Shimla region of Himachal Pradesh. The aim of the study was to monitor the surface water bodies for pollution caused by nearby cropping systems in the Shimla area. In this study fruit, fruit + vegetable, vegetable and cereal based cropping systems were selected along with control (uncultivated land) and sampling was done during winter, summer and rainy seasons. The estimated water quality parameters revealed very less organic pollution and pH values were within the BIS prescribed limits of 6.5-8.5. Under vegetable based cropping system EC (500.23 µS cm?1), TDS (329.17 mg/l), BOD (1.48 mg/l), COD (31.09 mg/l), Cl- (25.66 mg/l), Ca (75.59 mg/l) and Mg (11.14 mg/l) were in high concentration, whereas No3- content were high under fruit + vegetable based cropping system. DO were maximum (8.61mg/l) under uncultivated land. Calcium and COD were high in some samples, which could be from anthropogenic sources, rest of the parameters were within the desirable limits prescribed by Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). The experimental data were statistically analysed through Analysis of variance (two way classification of data) indicated positive correlation among most of the physical and chemical parameters. Study reveals that cropping systems as well as seasonal changes has affected the water quality. The study carried out for water quality parameters, revealed the correlation of each parameter with one another under different cropping systems

Indoor Air Pollution and Its Determinants in Household Settings in Jaipur, India

Individuals spend 90% of their time indoors, primarily at home or at work. Indoor environmental factors have a signifcant impact on human well-being. It was a longitudinal study that assessed the major factors that reduce indoor air quality, namely particulate matter, and bio-aerosols, using low-cost sensors and the settle plate method, respectively also to determine the effect of atmospheric parameters and land use patterns in households of commercial, industrial, residential, slum, and rural areas of the city. PM2.5 concentration levels were similar in most parts of the day across all sites. PM10.0 concentration levels increased indoors in a commercial area. PM2.5 concentration showed a negative correlation with temperature and a positive correlation with relative humidity in some areas. Very high values of PM2.5 concentration and PM10.0 concentration have been observed in this study, inside households of selected rural and urban areas. Pathogenic gram-positive cocci, gram-positive rods, Aspergillus, and Mucor species were the most common bacterial and fungal species respectively found inside households. This study examined particulate matter concentration along with bio-aerosols, as very less studies have been conducted in Jaipur the capital of Rajasthan, a state in the western part of India which assessed both of these factors together to determine the indoor air quality. Rural households surrounding the periphery of the city were found to have similar pollution levels as urban households. So, this study may form the basis for reducing pollution inside households and also for taking suitable measures for the reduction of pollution in the indoor environment

Effect of the Histone Methyltransferase Specific Probe BRD4770 on Metabolic Profiling of the Endophytic Fungus Diaporthe longicolla

The endophytic fungus Diaporthe longicolla was isolated from the stem of Saraca asoca (Roxb.) Willd., commonly known as Ashok plant in India and Sri Lanka. Since no reports are available regarding epigenetic modulations by BRD4770 in microbial entities, D. longicolla was treated with different concentrations of BRD4770 for this purpose and evaluated for its antioxidant and antibacterial potential against five human pathogenic bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Shigella boydii, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Escherichia coli. The crude extract obtained from cultures treated with 100 nM concentration of BRD4770 showed increased antioxidant activity and inhibition zone against S. aureus and MRSA, compared to the non-treated control. The composition of the non-treated and treated crude extract was analyzed, and induced compounds were identified with the help of Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and LC-ESI-MS/MS. LC-ESI-MS/MS analysis showed that berberine (antibacterial)-, caffeine-, and theobromine (antioxidant)-like compounds were induced in the BRD4770-treated crude extract. The presence of particular absorbance at a wavelength of 346.5 nm for berberine, 259.4 nm for caffeine, and 278.4 nm for theobromine in the reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis of both BRD4770-treated crude metabolites and standard solution of the above compounds strongly supported the increased antibacterial and antioxidant activities that may be due to inducing the alterations in bioactivities of the BRD4770-treated culture

Effect of elevated CO2 and temperature on growth parameters of pea (Pisum sativum L.) crop

Global warming is predicted to have negative effect on plant growth due to the damaging effect of high temperature on plant development. The field experiment was conducted during 2014-15 to study effect of elevated CO2 and temperature on growth parameters of pea (Pisum sativum L.) crop in order to check the effect of climatechange on vegetable crops. Effect was studied under four conditions i.e. Open Top Chambers, T1: OTC - elevated CO2550±10 ppm; T2: OTC -elevated CO2 550±10 ppm and temperature 1°C; T3: OTC - ambient CO2 and temperature (reference) and T4: natural condition. Maximum plant height at 50 % flowering was recorded in T1 (84.29cm) at elevated CO2 which differed significantly with T2 (79.47cm) at elevated CO2 and temperature, T3 (73.60cm) at ambient CO2 and temperature and natural condition (70.73cm). Minimum days to 50 per cent flowering were recorded in plants growing under T2 (68.56 days). Maximum pollen viability was recorded in T1 (77.42%) followed by T3 (76.36%), T4 (74.65%) and T2 (69.97%). Internode length of plants grown under T1 was maximum (7.01cm) followed by T2 (6.68cm), T3 (6.00cm) and T4 (5.05cm). Elevated temperature and CO2 had significant effects on growth and development in vegetables. Overall, growth parameters of pea crop were affected positively by elevated CO2 whereas under interaction effect of elevated CO2 and temperature these positive effects of CO2 were offset by elevated temperature effect and hampered the growth of pea crop which interns can affect the yield and quality of crop under changing climate scenario

PHYTOCHEMICAL CHARACTERIZATION AND ANTIOXIDANT ASSESSMENT OF HERBAL EXTRACTS

Aim: The present study was aimed to evaluate and compare the antioxidant potential of the methanolic extracts Plumbago zeylanica Linn (PZME), Datura stramonium (DSME) and Argemone mexicana Linn (AMME) with its polyherbal methanol extract (PHME) composition. Material and method: All the extracts were screened for the presence of various phytochemical by known and standard methods. Qualitative estimation of some potential phytoconstituents like flavonoids and polyphynolics was characterized by TLC (thin layer chromatography) and FTIR (Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy). The quantification of the Rutin (flavonoid) and Gallic acid (polyphenol) were carried out using UV-visible spectrophotometry. The antioxidant activity of methanolic plant extracts and their combinations were assessed by DPPH (1, 1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazil) method. Ascorbic acid was used as a standard and the antioxidant potential were evaluated at 2, 4, 6 and 8 mg/ml concentration. Results: The phytochemical characterization of PZME, DSME and AMME revealed the presence of tannins, alkaloids, phenols and flavonoids.The polyherbal methanol extract (PHME) was found to exhibit potent antioxidant activity with maximum free radical scavenging activity (FRSA) of 82.79% as compared to standard ascorbic acid (92.92%) at a concentration of 8 mg/ml and was found to be significantly greater than individual methanol plant extracts. Conclusion: The study revealed a potent synergistic antioxidant effect of methanol extracts of Plumbago zeylanica Linn, Datura stramonium Linn and Argemone mexicana Linn which can be successfully used to mitigate oxidative stress associated complications and other regenerative therapies. Keywords: Plumbago zeylanica Linn, Datura stramonium Linn, Argemone mexicana Linn, Antioxidant, DPPH (1, 1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazil), FTIR, Rutin, Gallic acid