Coal Mining and Rural Ecology: A Study in Talcher, Odisha

Coal plays a fundamental role in global energy development but it has number of challenges. According to Downing (2002) mining results in large scale displacement of the local people and derails their normal life. There are issues that are required to be addressed in the context of coal abundant but economically poor state like Odisha, for example how does coal mining influence the environment and health of the people? Whether the health policies implemented by the mining companies are discriminating non employees? How is the CAMPA fund utilized by the government agencies. The role of institutions in the mining affected villages is also analyzed in the present study. The study has employed both primary and secondary data which would has been collected from sample surveys, formal and informal interviews from two of the mining affected villages in Talcher. Both qualitative and quantitative data are analyzed in the backdrop of the study using content analysis and Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) respectively

Coal Mining and Rural Ecology: A Study in Talcher, Odisha

Coal plays a fundamental role in global energy development but it has number of challenges. According to Downing (2002) mining results in large scale displacement of the local people and derails their normal life. There are issues that are required to be addressed in the context of coal abundant but economically poor state like Odisha, for example how does coal mining influence the environment and health of the people? Whether the health policies implemented by the mining companies are discriminating non employees? How is the CAMPA fund utilized by the government agencies. The role of institutions in the mining affected villages is also analyzed in the present study. The study has employed both primary and secondary data which would has been collected from sample surveys, formal and informal interviews from two of the mining affected villages in Talcher. Both qualitative and quantitative data are analyzed in the backdrop of the study using content analysis and Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) respectively

Aorto-renal Bifurcation Stenting in a Juvenile Non-specific Aorto-Arteritis: case report

Takayasu Arteritis (TA) is a granulomatous inflammation of unknown aetiology affecting the aorta and its major branches with usual affliction among patients younger than 50 years and rarely among children. We present a 7-years old boy referred for evaluation of hypertension. He had a significant blood pressure difference between right arm, left arm and lower limbs. Computed tomography imaging of thorax and abdomen showed stenosis of left subclavian artery, left renal artery and juxtareanl aorta which was subsequently confirmed on aortogram. He underwent percutaneous endovascular therapy with aorto-renal bifurcation stenting with reduction of blood pressure and gradient. Renal angioplasty with stenting remains a challenging procedure in patients with tight ostial lesion, and juxtarenal aortic involvement in lieu of precise stent placement and avoiding side branch occlusion

Carbon Modeling of Agroforestry Systems at Farmers’ Field in Indo-Gangetic Plains of India

The Indian Green revolution region “Indo-Gangetic Plain” (IGP) comprises of four agro-climatic zones namely lower, middle, upper, and trans gangetic plains covering West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Uttarakhand, Chandigarh, Haryana, Punjab, and some part of Rajasthan state. It covers 169 districts with total geographical area of 43.70 million ha. The Indo-Gangetic plains are one of the most populous regions with its area covering nearly 13% of the total geographical area of the country. It produces about 50% of the total food grains to feed 40% of the population. The continuous cropping of rice-wheat system has degraded the soil health dramatically over the years. Hence, the incorporation of trees in agriculture would be a better option to improve the soil as well as livelihood of the farmers in IGP. Agriculture is the major enterprise of the region that is most vulnerable to climate changes particularly owing to the inadequacy of resources with the smallholder farmers. While, agroforestry has the potential to play a significant role in mitigating the atmospheric accumulation of greenhouse gases (GHG), it also helps smallholder farmers adapt to the changes. These are the reasons for recognizing agroforestry as a viable alternative to prevent and mitigate climate change (Ram Newaj et al., 2014). A considerable proportion of agroforestry area located in IGP and some of the promising tree species like Populus deltoides, Eucalyptus tereticornis, Melia azadirach, Mangifera indica, Dalbergia sissoo, and Acacia nilotica are very common in the farmer’s fields. Keeping this in view, the field survey was carried out to estimate the carbon sequestration potential at a farmer’s field in IGP

Mapping ecologically sensitive, significant and salient areas of Western Ghats: proposed protocols and methodology

The Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP) of the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India (GOI) has been asked to identify ecologically sensitive areas (ESAs) along the Western Ghats, and to suggest how to manage them. The concept of ESAs has been extensively discussed in the literature. Several ESAs have been set up in India over the last 22 years under the Environment Protection Act, 1986, and a GOI committee under the chairmanship of Pranob Sen has proposed certain criteria for identification of ESAs. However, WGEEP noted that we still lack a global consensus either on the criteria to define ESAs or on a workable methodology to identify them. Furthermore, there are no clear guidelines on the management regime that should prevail in ESAs, and the Pranob Sen Committee has not addressed this issue at all. Hence, WGEEP decided to undertake an exercise of defining ESAs and developing a workable methodology to assign levels of ecological significance/sensitivity as a first step towards putting ESAs on the map of the Western Ghats. This article provides a report on the outcome of a series of discussions and consultations held by WGEEP to build a consensus on defining and mapping ESAs. It hopes to provoke discussion and feedback from a wider section of experts, with the aim of finalizing a generic methodology for mapping ESAs in other ecologically sign ificant, biodiversity-rich areas within and outside the country. We hope to shortly prepare a companion paper that will address the equally vital management issues

Technology for Improving Street Dog Welfare and Capturing Data in Digital Format during Street Dog Sterilisation Programmes

Street dogs survive on food handouts provided by individuals, or the wider community yet typically receive limited to no veterinary care. They can also carry a variety of zoonotic diseases such as rabies, posing a significant risk to human and dog population health. Dog sterilization is one of the most humane and effective methods available to control street dog populations. Dog sterilization programs, particularly those operating at a large-scale, often face a variety of challenges including limited resources, staffing, and less-than-ideal facilities. Record keeping is often a challenge as well, which can complicate the return of a sterilized dog to their location of capture. Street dogs are territorial, and the return of a dog to an incorrect location is fraught with various welfare issues, as well as an increased risk of postoperative complications, including death. Humane Society International developed a mobile phone-based application called ‘HSIApps’ drawing on years of field experience and data collection in street dog location recording, as well as clinical and postoperative treatment. HSIApps facilitates the return of dogs back to their exact captured location, which ensures dog welfare, and generates reports of a variety of useful data variables to maximize the efficacy and reliability of sterilization programs

Genome-scale bacterial transcriptional regulatory networks: reconstruction and integrated analysis with metabolic models

Advances in sequencing technology are resulting in the rapid emergence of large numbers of complete genome sequences. High throughput annotation and metabolic modeling of these genomes is now a reality. The high throughput reconstruction and analysis of genome-scale transcriptional regulatory networks represents the next frontier in microbial bioinformatics. The fruition of this next frontier will depend upon the integration of numerous data sources relating to mechanisms, components, and behavior of the transcriptional regulatory machinery, as well as the integration of the regulatory machinery into genome-scale cellular models. Here we review existing repositories for different types of transcriptional regulatory data, including expression data, transcription factor data, and binding site locations, and we explore how these data are being used for the reconstruction of new regulatory networks. From template network based methods to de novo reverse engineering from expression data, we discuss how regulatory networks can be reconstructed and integrated with metabolic models to improve model predictions and performance. Finally, we explore the impact these integrated models can have in simulating phenotypes, optimizing the production of compounds of interest or paving the way to a whole-cell model.J.P.F. acknowledges funding from [SFRH/BD/70824/2010] of the FCT (Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology) PhD program. The work was supported in part by the ERDF—European Regional Development Fund through the COMPETE Programme (operational programme for competitiveness), National Funds through the FCT within projects [FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER015079] (ToMEGIM—Computational Tools for Metabolic Engineering using Genome-scale Integrated Models) and FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER009707 (HeliSysBio—molecular Systems Biology in Helicobacter pylori), the U.S. Department of Energy under contract [DE-ACO2-06CH11357] and the National Science Foundation under [0850546]

The fluorides and oxyfluorides of osmium and the oxidizing properties of the noble metal hexafluorides

An investigation of the attainable oxidation states of osmium in reaction with fluorine and fluorine-oxygen mixtures was carried out. The first simple heptavalent compound of osmium, osmium oxide pentafluoride, OsOF₅, was prepared by the fluorination of anhydrous osmium dioxide. This compound was characterized by analysis, X-ray single crystal and powder methods, and by infrared spectroscopy. The vapour pressure-temperature relationship and derived thermodynamic data have been evaluated. The magnetic susceptibility has been measured over the temperature range 77° to 300°K. The existence of an octavalent osmium oxyfluoride, osmium trioxide difluoride, OsO₃F₂ has been confirmed. This compound is diamagnetic and the solid is dimorphic. Preliminary structural work has indicated that the osmium is six-coordinated in this compound. A related ternary fluoride, NOOsO₃F₃ containing octavalent osmium was prepared and characterized. The results of the investigations indicate that OsO₂F₄ and higher fluorides of osmium than OsF₆ are unlikely to be stable at ordinary temperatures and pressures. The oxidizing properties of the noble metal hexa-fluorides have been investigated. The reactions of platinum hexafluoride with nitrogen trifluoride, carbon monoxide, krypton, chlorine and hexafluorobenzene have been studied with the aim of preparing some unusual cations and to set an upper limit to the oxidizing power of PtF₆. The reaction of xenon with platinum hexafluoride was further investigated in order to better characterize the reaction product. Dioxygenyl hexa-fluoroplatinate (V) was prepared on a large scale for a neutron diffraction study. This study was carried out by J.A Ibers and W.C. Hamilton of the Brookhaven National Laboratory. Interpretation of their findings is given. Reactions of nitric oxide with OsF₆ , IrF₆ and PtF₆ were investigated to establish the oxidizing trend in the series and to prepare as complete a series of NOMF₆ salts as possible. The products NOMF₆ were characterized by analysis, magnetic measurements and X-ray powder photography. Reactions of these hexa-fluorides with sulphur tetrafluoride were also investigated and products containing SF₃⁺ cations were obtained and characterized.Science, Faculty ofChemistry, Department ofGraduat

The <it>SbSOS1</it> gene from the extreme halophyte <it>Salicornia brachiata</it> enhances Na⁺ loading in xylem and confers salt tolerance in transgenic tobacco

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Soil salinity adversely affects plant growth and development and disturbs intracellular ion homeostasis resulting cellular toxicity. The <it>Salt Overly Sensitive 1</it> (<it>SOS1</it>) gene encodes a plasma membrane Na⁺/H⁺ antiporter that plays an important role in imparting salt stress tolerance to plants. Here, we report the cloning and characterisation of the <it>SbSOS1</it> gene from <it>Salicornia brachiata</it>, an extreme halophyte.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The <it>SbSOS1</it> gene is 3774 bp long and encodes a protein of 1159 amino acids. <it>SbSOS1</it> exhibited a greater level of constitutive expression in roots than in shoots and was further increased by salt stress. Overexpressing the <it>S. brachiata SbSOS1</it> gene in tobacco conferred high salt tolerance, promoted seed germination and increased root length, shoot length, leaf area, fresh weight, dry weight, relative water content (RWC), chlorophyll, K⁺/Na⁺ ratio, membrane stability index, soluble sugar, proline and amino acid content relative to wild type (WT) plants. Transgenic plants exhibited reductions in electrolyte leakage, reactive oxygen species (ROS) and MDA content in response to salt stress, which probably occurred because of reduced cytosolic Na⁺ content and oxidative damage. At higher salt stress, transgenic tobacco plants exhibited reduced Na⁺ content in root and leaf and higher concentrations in stem and xylem sap relative to WT, which suggests a role of SbSOS1 in Na⁺ loading to xylem from root and leaf tissues. Transgenic lines also showed increased K⁺ and Ca²⁺ content in root tissue compared to WT, which reflect that SbSOS1 indirectly affects the other transporters activity.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Overexpression of <it>SbSOS1</it> in tobacco conferred a high degree of salt tolerance, enhanced plant growth and altered physiological and biochemical parameters in response to salt stress. In addition to Na⁺ efflux outside the plasma membrane, SbSOS1 also helps to maintain variable Na⁺ content in different organs and also affect the other transporters activity indirectly. These results broaden the role of <it>SbSOS1 in planta</it> and suggest that this gene could be used to develop salt-tolerant transgenic crops.</p