Carbon storage potential of shelter belt agroforestry system in northern transitional zone of Karnataka, India

Carbon sequestration has been suggested as a means to mitigate the increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration. As agrisilviculture systems is one of the better options for stocking of carbon in plants and in soil. In the present study, carbon sequestration was quantified both biomass as well as in soil of agrisilviculture sys-tem six different tree species were selected such as, Pongamia pinnata, Dalbergia sissoo, Acacia auriculiformis, Tectona grandis, Casuarina equisitifolia, Azadirachta indica in shelterbelt of agroforestry system in arid region of Karnataka. Among six different tree species planted under shelterbelt, the growth performance with respect to gbh, height, clear bole height and basal area was highest in A. auriculiformis and A. indica. While maximum above ground biomass was observed in A. auriculiformis (59.75 t ha-1) followed by T.grandis (56.62 t ha-1), respectively. Whereas, below ground biomass was highest in T. grandis (20.25t ha-1) followed by A. auriculiformis (14.75t ha-1). Above ground carbon sequestration was highest in A. auriculiformis (13.30 t ha-1) followed by T. grandis (12.20 t ha-1), respectively. Whereas, below ground carbon sequestration was more in T. grandis (4.35 t ha-1) followed by A. auriculiformis (3.95 t ha-1). The Shelterbelt system sequestered 0.43 to 1.34% soil organic carbon stock in different depth. The carbon sequestered in different tree species was varying from 3.48 tons to 17.25 t ha-1.Growing tree crops in shelterbelts, bunds in the agroforestry systems will enhance accumulation of carbon stocking and provide additional benefits to the farmer’s income. It also regulates microclimate and increases the tree cover in agricultural field

Extraction of manganese from Ferro-manganese slag

In the present investigation an attempt has been made to recover manganese from ferro-manganese slag of ferro-alloy plant. Roasting and leaching are the techniques used to recover- manganese. Roasting has been carried out by mixing the slag with CaO and CaCO3, at 1200Cfor 2 hours. The leaching of the roasted mass has been carried out in ferric chloride solution alone, as well as in presence of sucrose in ferric chloride solution. The optimum condit-ions have been established by varying the parameters like concentration of leaching agent, percent solids, particle size of the slag, temperature and time of leaching. It is possible to recover 87% of manganese from the ferro-manganese slag of 200# at a temperature of 80°C, 2 hours of leaching time and 5% solids in 0. 154 M ferric chloride solution. It has been found that the presence of sucrose in ferric chloride solution enhances the rate & recovery)recovery of manganese from slag

Novel picornavirus in turkey poults with hepatitis, California, USA

To identify a candidate etiologic agent for turkey viral hepatitis, we analyzed samples from diseased turkey poults from 8 commercial flocks in California, USA, that were collected during 2008–2010. High-throughput pyrosequencing of RNA from livers of poults with turkey viral hepatitis (TVH) revealed picornavirus sequences. Subsequent cloning of the ≈9-kb genome showed an organization similar to that of picornaviruses with conservation of motifs within the P1, P2, and P3 genome regions, but also unique features, including a 1.2-kb sequence of unknown function at the junction of P1 and P2 regions. Real-time PCR confirmed viral RNA in liver, bile, intestine, serum, and cloacal swab specimens from diseased poults. Analysis of liver by in situ hybridization with viral probes and immunohistochemical testing of serum demonstrated viral nucleic acid and protein in livers of diseased poults. Molecular, anatomic, and immunologic evidence suggests that TVH is caused by a novel picornavirus, tentatively named turkey hepatitis virus

Annexin A1 Deficiency does not Affect Myofiber Repair but Delays Regeneration of Injured Muscles.

Repair and regeneration of the injured skeletal myofiber involves fusion of intracellular vesicles with sarcolemma and fusion of the muscle progenitor cells respectively. In vitro experiments have identified involvement of Annexin A1 (Anx A1) in both these fusion processes. To determine if Anx A1 contributes to these processes during muscle repair in vivo, we have assessed muscle growth and repair in Anx A1-deficient mouse (AnxA1-/-). We found that the lack of Anx A1 does not affect the muscle size and repair of myofibers following focal sarcolemmal injury and lengthening contraction injury. However, the lack of Anx A1 delayed muscle regeneration after notexin-induced injury. This delay in muscle regeneration was not caused by a slowdown in proliferation and differentiation of satellite cells. Instead, lack of Anx A1 lowered the proportion of differentiating myoblasts that managed to fuse with the injured myofibers by days 5 and 7 after notexin injury as compared to the wild type (w.t.) mice. Despite this early slowdown in fusion of Anx A1-/- myoblasts, regeneration caught up at later times post injury. These results establish in vivo role of Anx A1 in cell fusion required for myofiber regeneration and not in intracellular vesicle fusion needed for repair of myofiber sarcolemma

Synthesis, Characterization of Nano MnO2 and its Adsorption Characteristics Over an Azo Dye

ABSTRACT Nano MnO2 powder was synthesized by low temperature solution combustion method using oxalyl dihydrazide (ODH) fuel. The final product was well characterized by Powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) for crystallographic purity, phase formation and surface morphology respectively. PXRD results show that pure MnO2 was synthesized at 300 0 C with no other impurities. SEM micrograph shows the product has highly porous structure with large voids, typical of combustion derived material. An adsorption characteristic of the porous MnO2 was studied over direct green dye (DG). The optimum dose of MnO2 for removal of 10 ppm DG azo dye was found to be 0.4 g L -1

Superresolution imaging of human cytomegalovirus vMIA localization in sub-mitochondrial compartments

The human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) viral mitochondria-localized inhibitor of apoptosis (vMIA) protein, traffics to mitochondria-associated membranes (MAM), where the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) contacts the outer mitochondrial membrane (OMM). vMIA association with the MAM has not been visualized by imaging. Here, we have visualized this by using a combination of confocal and superresolution imaging. Deconvolution of confocal microscopy images shows vMIA localizes away from mitochondrial matrix at the Mitochondria-ER interface. By gated stimulated emission depletion (GSTED) imaging, we show that along this interface vMIA is distributed in clusters. Through multicolor, multifocal structured illumination microscopy (MSIM), we find vMIA clusters localize away from MitoTracker Red, indicating its OMM localization. GSTED and MSIM imaging show vMIA exists in clusters of ~100–150 nm, which is consistent with the cluster size determined by Photoactivated Localization Microscopy (PALM). With these diverse superresolution approaches, we have imaged the clustered distribution of vMIA at the OMM adjacent to the ER. Our findings directly compare the relative advantages of each of these superresolution imaging modalities for imaging components of the MAM and sub-mitochondrial compartments. These studies establish the ability of superresolution imaging to provide valuable insight into viral protein location, particularly in the sub-mitochondrial compartments, and into their clustered organization

Soil-site suitability evaluation for cardamom - A case study

Nineteen soil profiles representing seven soil series with sixteen mapping units were collected, described and mapped at Indian Institute of Spices Research, Cardamom Research Centre, Appangala, Madikeri, Karnataka for evaluating their suitability for cardamom cultivation. Soil and site properties such as climate, depth, slope, elevation, shade, texture, drainage, etc were compared with suitability criteria and the soils were assessed for growing cardamom. It is indicated that the well distributed rainfall of 1500-2000 mm with well drained conditions, a soil depth of more than 80 cm and 900-1200 m elevation support good crop of cardamom. The critical limit of Available Water Capacity was found to be 100 cm. Of the total area of the research station, 42 per cent area is highly suitable for cardamom cultivation. About 53 per cent of the area is moderately suitable and about 4 per cent is marginally suitable. &nbsp

Soil-site suitability evaluation for cardamom - A case study

Nineteen soil profiles representing seven soil series with sixteen mapping units were collected, described and mapped at Indian Institute of Spices Research, Cardamom Research Centre, Appangala, Madikeri, Karnataka for evaluating their suitability for cardamom cultivation. Soil and site properties such as climate, depth, slope, elevation, shade, texture, drainage, etc were compared with suitability criteria and the soils were assessed for growing cardamom. It is indicated that the well distributed rainfall of 1500-2000 mm with well drained conditions, a soil depth of more than 80 cm and 900-1200 m elevation support good crop of cardamom. The critical limit of Available Water Capacity was found to be 100 cm. Of the total area of the research station, 42 per cent area is highly suitable for cardamom cultivation. About 53 per cent of the area is moderately suitable and about 4 per cent is marginally suitable. &nbsp

Communities, birth attendants and health facilities: a continuum of emergency maternal and newborn care (the global network\u27s EmONC trial)

Background: Maternal and newborn mortality rates remain unacceptably high, especially where the majority of births occur in home settings or in facilities with inadequate resources. The introduction of emergency obstetric and newborn care services has been proposed by several organizations in order to improve pregnancy outcomes. However, the effectiveness of emergency obstetric and neonatal care services has never been proven. Also unproven is the effectiveness of community mobilization and community birth attendant training to improve pregnancy outcomes. Methods/Design: We have developed a cluster-randomized controlled trial to evaluate the impact of a comprehensive intervention of community mobilization, birth attendant training and improvement of quality of care in health facilities on perinatal mortality in low and middle-income countries where the majority of births take place in homes or first level care facilities. This trial will take place in 106 clusters (300-500 deliveries per year each) across 7 sites of the Global Network for Women\u27s and Children\u27s Health Research in Argentina, Guatemala, India, Kenya, Pakistan and Zambia. The trial intervention has three key elements, community mobilization, home-based life saving skills for communities and birth attendants, and training of providers at obstetric facilities to improve quality of care. The primary outcome of the trial is perinatal mortality. Secondary outcomes include rates of stillbirth, 7-day neonatal mortality, maternal death or severe morbidity (including obstetric fistula, eclampsia and obstetrical sepsis) and 28-day neonatal mortality. Discussion: In this trial, we are evaluating a combination of interventions including community mobilization and facility training in an attempt to improve pregnancy outcomes. If successful, the results of this trial will provide important information for policy makers and clinicians as they attempt to improve delivery services for pregnant women and newborns in low-income countries

Structure–activity Relationships of Amyloid Beta-aggregation Inhibitors Based on Curcumin: Influence of Linker Length and Flexibility

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/66293/1/j.1747-0285.2007.00557.x.pd