Polypropylene woven fabric: A good mulch material for young rubber plants

In young rubber   plantations, dry leaf, coco tree mat, polypropylene woven fabric and coir   pith were evaluated as agricultural mulch materials for their influence on   soil moisture conservation, weed control, soil temperature and microflora,   plant growth and durability in two field experiments. The experiments were   conducted in a drought susceptible clone (RRII 105) and a comparatively   drought tolerant clone (RRII 430) at Chimoni Estate, Thrissur district, a   drought-prone area in Kerala. The effects of different treatments were   similar in both the experiments irrespective of clones. Though dry leaf and   coir pith were effective in soil moisture conservation, they remained in the   field for one season only and failed to control weeds during rainy season.   Coco tree mat conserved moisture and also smothered weeds in plant basins. However,   it remained in the field for almost one year only before it was completely   decomposed. Polypropylene woven fabric improved soil moisture retention, as   well as suppressed weed growth and was found durable. Though mulching reduced   the adverse effects of summer, significant impact on soil microflora and   plant growth was not manifested. Polypropylene woven fabric appears to be a   good alternative mulch material for Hevea

Anomaly Detection in UASN Localization Based on Time Series Analysis and Fuzzy Logic

[EN] Underwater acoustic sensor network (UASN) offers a promising solution for exploring underwater resources remotely. For getting a better understanding of sensed data, accurate localization is essential. As the UASN acoustic channel is open and the environment is hostile, the risk of malicious activities is very high, particularly in time-critical military applications. Since the location estimation with false data ends up in wrong positioning, it is necessary to identify and ignore such data to ensure data integrity. Therefore, in this paper, we propose a novel anomaly detection system for UASN localization. To minimize computational power and storage, we designed separate anomaly detection schemes for sensor nodes and anchor nodes. We propose an auto-regressive prediction-based scheme for detecting anomalies at sensor nodes. For anchor nodes, a fuzzy inference system is designed to identify the presence of anomalous behavior. The detection schemes are implemented at every node for enabling identification of multiple and duplicate anomalies at its origin. We simulated the network, modeled anomalies and analyzed the performance of detection schemes at anchor nodes and sensor nodes. The results indicate that anomaly detection systems offer an acceptable accuracy with high true positive rate and F-Score.Das, AP.; Thampi, SM.; Lloret, J. (2020). Anomaly Detection in UASN Localization Based on Time Series Analysis and Fuzzy Logic. Mobile Networks and Applications (Online). 25(1):55-67. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11036-018-1192-y556725

Tannin Acyl Hydrolase Production by Citrobacter sp. isolated from Tannin rich Environment, using Tamarindus indica seed powder

Bacterial isolate, Citrobacter sp., from tannery effluent loaded sites has proved as a potent producer of tannase. Production of tannase was compared in solid-state and submerged fermentation using tamarindseed as sole carbon source. Two times increase in tannase activity was seen in solid-state fermentation (90 U) than submerged fermentation (50 U) at 48 h from 5 g substrate

A revision of Indian species of Parurios Girault with a new record of Papuopsia Boucek (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae) from India

Two new species of Parurios Girault viz. P. bouceki Narendran sp. nov. and P. sringericus Narendran sp. nov. are described from India. The female of P. keralensis Narendran is also described. A key to Indian species of Parurios is provided. The genus Papuopsia is recorded for the first time from India

Management of purple root disease of Hevea brasiliensis seedlings in nursery

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Effect of calcination on the structural, optical and magnetic properties of BaWO4 nanoparticles synthesized by chemical precipitation

BaWO4 nanoparticles have been synthesized by chemical precipitation method using barium nitrate and sodium tungstate. Thermogravimetric analysis has been done to determine the thermal behaviour of the sample. The synthesized nanoparticles have been calcined at 400, 550 and 700 °C for 3 h to get well defined crystalline nanoparticles. As synthesized samples have been characterized by X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, UV-Visible absorption and photoluminescence spectroscopy. Magnetic properties of the samples have been studied by vibrating sample magnetometer measurements. The effect of calcination temperature on the structural, optical and magnetic properties of BaWO4 has also been investigated

Diversity and Bioprospecting Potential of Bacteria Isolated from the Arctic: A Preliminary Study

Bioprospecting is a search for new or better bioproducts from biological sources preferably    from novel biodiversity. Molecules derived from natural products, particularly those produced by plants and microorganisms, have an excellent record of providing novel chemical structures for development as new pharmaceuticals. Bacteria living under stress are best sources for bioprospecting and also these organisms are least explored. This paper focuses on the bioprospecting and biotechnological potential of bacteria isolated from the Polar Regions. In this context, let us have a glance through the major cold adaptations of psychrophiles and their application potentials with special reference to psychrophilic enzymes. Our lab focus on identifying the biofilm inhibitors against bacterial pathogens and novel molecules of medical importance from bacteria and actinomycetes isolated from Arctic, the North Pole. We are also interested in profiling the diversity, multidrug resistance pattern   and the molecular mechanisms involved in bacteria isolated from the pristine environment