Eco-Friendly Virtue of Kurinjith Thinai as shown in Kuruntthokai

This article deals with the study of environmental ethics on the basis of the principle of ecology, which deals with the higher ideas expressed in the Kurinjith Thinai songs of the Sangam literature. One of the Sangam pieces of literature, the Kuruntthokai, contains a plethora of elements of ecological theory. Ecology is a field that deals with the natural environment and artificial environment around us. The main objective of this department is to explain the relationship between living and non-living factors and to prevent the destruction of the living environment by avoiding artificial life and taking up natural life. The Kuruntthokai explains the life of the people living in the five kinds of lands. Thus, the purpose of this article is to bring out ideas about the ecological ethics found in the hilly and mountainous Kurinjith Thinai

GROUNDWATER CHEMICAL STUDIES USING STATISTICAL ANALYSIS IN COIMBATORE CORPORATION, TAMIL NADU, INDIA

In place with comprehend the hydrochemistry and the probable contamination of groundwater for drinking and irrigation purposes, 60 groundwater samples have been collected from Coimbatore Corporation region in march 2014 and various physicochemical parameters (pH, EC, TDS, Alkalinity, TH, Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, K+, Fe2+, NH3, NO2-, NO3-, Cl-, F-, SO42- and PO42-) were analysed. The concentrations of physiochemical parameters in the studied samples were compared with the WHO standards to study the suitability of water for drinking purpose. The statistical analysis  “Q-mode factor†and “cluster analyses†were carried out and found that geology and exchange between the river water and the groundwater plays a dominant role in the hydro chemical evolution of groundwater. Cluster tree diagram reveals that 41.67% of the study area comes under cluster I, II and III classification. Cluster tree clearly reveals that elevation high automatically geochemical concentration is low. The geochemical concentration is inversely proposed to elevation. A long term management strategy should be formulated for the protection of groundwater resources for drinking and agricultural activities

GIS-based air pollution distribution mapping of emissions from public buses for Coimbatore Corporation, Tamil Nadu, India

947-951Vehicle transport on roads is a dominant source of air pollution, and hence spatial assessment of its risks is necessary for the decision makers to evaluate its impact on the public. Indian road transport, especially buses, contribute significantly to air pollution, that too in highly accessible areas like bus stands and bus stops. This paper proposes a three-step integrated method to map relative pollution levels of bus stops and bus routes of Coimbatore Corporation using spatial analysis tools of ArcGIS and suggestion of routes for eco-friendly buses and vehicles

Improvement of Grazing Lands for Better Livestock Production--A Case Study from Chitradurga District in India

Chitradurga is a highly drought prone district in the central dry zone of Karnataka, India, with a normal rainfall of 530 mm per annum. Over 85 per cent of cultivable area is rainfed and the livestock plays a vital role in rural income generation in this district. Improper management and overgrazing have resulted in most of the grazing resources declining to a poor, degraded condition. Regeneration of pasture land was vital in the villages due to three reasons - a) people\u27s livelihood dependency on livestock was considerable b) small ruminants played a vital role for landless farmers and c) lack of adequate fodder was a prime factor for low livestock productivity. To improve the livelihood of livestock farmers, a few interventions were made under World Bank funded National Agricultural Innovation Project through consortium approach in 10 project villages. Frequent interactions were held with the local livestock farmers to discuss about the importance of increasing the fodder resources in the villages to improve the income and to sustain their livelihood. They realized the importance of fodder and came forward to take up cultivation of perennial fodders and also, for the revitalization of grazing lands, locally known as kavals. The primary survey in the villages indicated that about 90 to 96 per cent of the small ruminant holders are dependent on these common property grazing resources for the fodder needs. The High Level Panel of Experts on food security and nutrition, constituted by FAO, has emphasized the importance of extending appropriate technologies and inputs, providing the needed credit and ensuring assured and remunerative marketing opportunities to the smallholders (HLPE, 2013). Such measures are also essential for revitalizing the degraded grasslands in this region

Spatial distribution of Groundwater quality assessment using Water Quality Index and GIS techniques in Thanjavur Taluk, Thanjavur District, Tamil Nadu, India

Assessment of groundwater quality is of utmost importance to ensure sustainable use of water. Since the availability of water, irrespective of quantity and quality, varies from area to area in Thanjavur taluk. The present paper attempts to determine the spatial distribution of groundwater quality parameters and identify locations with the best quality for drinking and irrigation in the study area using GIS and WQI. Using IDW interpolation methods with ArcGIS 10.8, the spatial distribution maps of physical parameters, anions, cations, WQI, and irrigations indices have been generated. Piper pilot shows that Ca-Mg-Cl (mixed), Na-Cl, Ca-Cl, and Ca–Mg–HCO3 water types are found in the study area. Using a water quality index with a rating scale, 42.85%, 28.57%, and 14.3% of groundwater samples are fit, good, and very poor for drinking purposes, respectively. The obtained results of higher SAR, RSC, Na% show that 75% of groundwater samples are perfectly fit for irrigation purposes due to the long residence time of water, dissolution of minerals from lithological composition, and the addition of chemical fertilizers.  The results of groundwater quality analysis have been used to suggest models for assessing water quality. The present study ascertained that the area's groundwater must be treated prior to consumption and protected from the perils of contamination

Application of remote sensing and GIS for identifying suitable sites for solid waste disposal in Erode Corporation, Tamil Nadu, India

1479-1485This investigation focuses on the selection of suitable sites for solid waste dumps in Erode Corporation, Tamil Nadu using Spatial Multi-Criteria Evaluation (SMCE) with the help of Topographical map and Landsat-8 satellite data for the generation of road, water bodies, rivers and drainages, land use/land cover, landforms, geology and soil, slope maps. Use of remote sensing and GIS for distinguishable proof of the sensible objectives of solid waste dumped depends on the overlaying of datasets and spots that fulfill the site suitability criteria. The datasets and spots join the spatial examination devices given by GIS to arrange and survey in order to choose possible waste areas. Finally, in Erode city Municipal Corporation an appropriate dumping zone and few locations for dumping of solid waste are created. A set of twenty-one (21) sites is found to be the most favorable locations for dumping of solid waste. Indeed, SMCE is found to be the best method for the present work

INSILICO DOCKING STUDIES TO IDENTIFY POTENT INHIBITORS OF ALPHA-SYNUCLEIN AGGREGATION IN PARKINSON DISEASE

Background: Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder after Alzheimer's disease. Etiology of PD is progressive loss of dopaminergic neurons in Substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc). One of the pathological hallmarks of PD is the presence of intracellular proteinaceous substances termed ‘Lewy bodies' composed of aggregated alpha-synuclein which is responsible for its toxic effect on SNpc. Hence any therapeutic target which blocks α-synuclein aggregation will provide a new channel to cure PD. Objective: The aim of the present study is to identify potent inhibitors (ligands) which binds to active site of α-synuclein and prevents self-association. Methods: In this study, insilico molecular docking was done against α-synuclein using five plant derived compounds namely (a) stimovul (b) 7,8dihydroxycoumarin, (c) etorphine (d) propoxyphene and (e) pentazdine. These compounds were analyzed for their Lipinski and ADMET properties using Accelrys Discovery studio 3.5. Molecular docking was performed between ligand and protein using Lead IT. Results: Results revealed that the best fit ligands against active site of α-synuclein were identified as Stimovul with a docking score of -4.5122 and the interacting amino acids were found to be SER 87 and VAL 95 followed by other compounds. Conclusion: These compounds which have the ability to bind to α-Synuclein insilico can be further developed using invitro and in vivo studies as a potent anti-parkinson drug.   Keywords: Parkinson disease, Substantia nigra, Molecular docking, Lipinski, ADMET

Genetic diversity within and among populations of the Indian short-nosed fruit bat, Cynopterus sphinx assessed through RAPD analysis

Genetic diversity was studied among 40 different zone samples in the Indian short-nosed fruit bat, Cynopterus sphinx. Samples were collected from 127 locations in different districts of southern Tamil Nadu, India. Polymorphism at molecular level was studied by random amplified polymorphic DNA marker technique. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with 30 arbitrary decamer oligonucleotide primers was applied to the 40 zone samples. Out of 30 random primers screened, 22 gave reproducible polymorphic bands. PCR product of bat genome revealed a total of 234 bands, out of which 171 were found to be polymorphic. The dendrogram displaying the relative genetic similarities between the zones ranged from 0.42 to 0.92. Principal coordinates analysis revealed that the first two components accounted for 51.4% of the total variation. The results show that considerable genetic diversity was observed in this species from different zonal populations, possibly due to complete dispersal of juveniles of both sexes from their natal groups and gene flow between the zones. The results obtained from this study suggest not only a predictive framework for future studies, but also the use of genetic data in the management and meaningful conservation of this species