Evaluation of the reanalysis wind over the Indian Ocean across the seasonal reversing wind pattern

75-84Present study show the similarity as well as contradictory event among the four different wind data based on monthly, seasonally and annual wind pattern over Indian Ocean. All the four reanalysis wind sources exhibit almost similar trend in their annual as well as monthly average wind pattern, however there is no strong similarity at their peak condition in space and time.The statistical analysis, based on Mean Absolute Error (MAE) and correlation coefficient (R), exhibited that the ECMWF and NCMRWF wind shows comparatively good agreement with the moored buoy data than the NCEP/NCAR and NCEP/CFSR wind under the seasonal reversing wind pattern occurs across the consecutive monsoons

Evaluation of the impact of cadmium poison and cadmium line channel on the dynamic behavior of miniature neutron source reactor (MNSR)

Nigerian Research Reactor-1 (NIRR-1) undergo different installation such as permanentCadmium line due to high demand for epithermal neutrons activation analysis (ENAA)irradiation by the clients and cadmium poison to regulate the reactivity of the reactor witha range value 4.0mk to 3.7mk. Safety and flux stability. Simulations were carried out viaMonte Carlo Transport Code MCNP5 for these installations but very few experimentalcalculation were done. The results of all these research work revealed that the effect ofcadmium-line on safety and flux stability is very small. But in the case of cadmium poison,the reactivity of the reactor after 10 years of operation was observe to be decreasing. Theresults obtained for excess core reactivity after (2.96 and 2.95) mk, and predicted power of14.65 kW for the two experiment with coolant temperature (12.10 and 12.08) °Crespectively. These show that the change in power of the reactor is very small. The outcomeof the research will help sample handling capabilities of NIRR-1 and provide useful data tothe MNSR.Key words: Epithermal neutron, ENAA Irradiation, NIRR-1

Effect of drying methods, solid-solvent ratio, extraction time and extraction temperature on phenolic antioxidants and antioxidant activity of Guiera senegalensis J.F. Gmel (Combretaceae) leaves water extract

Hot water extract of Guiera senegalensis leaves is used traditionally by women in Katsina State, Nigeria during postpartum period for general wellbeing. However the preparation of this beverage has not been optimized so far, which may underestimate its health benefit potentials. In this study, the effects of drying methods (air, oven and sun), solid- solvent ratio (1:10- 1:30), extraction time (30- 180 min) and extraction temperature (25- 85°C) on phenolic antioxidants and antioxidant activity of G. senegalensis were studied using Single Factor Experiment (SFE). Total Phenolic Content (TPC) and Total Flavonoid Content (TFC) assays were used to determine the phenolic antioxidants. Antioxidant activity was evaluated by measuring scavenging effect on 2,2ꞌ- diphenyl-1- picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical, Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power (FRAP) and Total Antioxidant Capacity (TAC) using phosphomolybdate assay. Results showed that extraction conditions significantly (P<0.05) affect phenolic antioxidants extraction and antioxidant properties of G. senegalensis leaves water extract. The optimal conditions were air drying using 1:10 solid – solvent ratio for 60 minutes at 40°C with values of 2720.37 mg QE/g DW for TFC, 1431.74mg GAE/100g DW for TPC, 96.73% for DPPH scavenging, 2797.04mg AAE/100g DW for FRAP and 1144.49mg AAE/100g DW for TAC. TFC was found to be significantly correlated with TAC (r2= 0.851; P<0.01) and TPC with DPPH (r2= 0.732: P<0.05) under the influence of drying methods. TFC was also significantly correlated with TAC (r2= 0.683; P<0.01) and DPPH (r2= 0.538; P<0.01) under the effect of solid- solvent ratio. Negative significant correlations were found between TFC and FRAP (r2= -0.369; P<0.01), DPPH and FRAP (r2= -0.591; P<0.01) under the influence of extraction temperature. However, poor correlations were observed among all variables under the influence of extraction time

Coplanar Wave Guide Fed Dual Band Notched MIMO Antenna

A coplanar wave guide fed of semicircle monopole antenna is designed in this work to overcome polarization diversity mimo technique is implemented in this paper. The proposed antenna is designed to notch a particular band of frequencies in UWB range. The designed model is notching the first band from 2 to 5 GHz &amp; the second band from 7 to 11 GHz. The proposed antenna has been fabricated on FR4 substrate with di electric constant 4.4 &amp; tested for its reliability on ZNB20 vector network analyzer. The operating bands will come under WLAN, KU band, satellite communication applications. A peak realized gain of 4.3 dB with radiation efficiency 90% is attained at the operating bands of the designed antenna. At notch band significant gain reduction is observed from the current design. The antenna is showing omnidirectional radiation pattern in the pass band &amp; disturbed radiation pattern in the notch band. Antenna is fabricated with dimensions of 40x68x1.6 mm &amp; simulation works are carried with finite element method based HFSS tool

A case study of coastal currents in relation with tides and winds in a tropical coastal waters of Vengurla, West Coast of India

Coastal currents consist of wind-driven, tidal, surface wave and geostrophic flows. These currents have a major role for nearshore sediment transport, but the measured data availability on coastal currents for the Indian coast is relatively less. This study analyze the variability of coastal currents along with the tides at nearshore and offshore waters during two different seasons (fag end of summer monsoon and initial stage of pre-monsoon) at Vengurla, west coast of India. Results of this study exhibited that the tides at Vengurla are mixed semi-diurnal dominated by solar constituent during summer monsoon (September to October); whereas the lunar constituents dominates during pre-monsoon (February to March). The nearshore current was dominated by the westward flow (sluggish current) during monsoon and south eastward flow during pre-monsoon, whereas the offshore flow (strong current) showed seasonality. At offshore, southerly current dominated during summer monsoon, whereas the northerly current played a major role during pre-monsoon. The current profile analysis at offshore revealed that the gradation of strong current at the surface to the sluggish nature of currents at the bottom and were comparatively higher during summer monsoon than pre-monsoon periods. This study revealed a complex pattern among winds, tides and currents at offshore

A case study of coastal currents in relation with tides and winds in a tropical coastal waters of Vengurla, West Coast of India

277-286Coastal currents consist of wind-driven, tidal, surface wave and geostrophic flows. These currents have a major role for nearshore sediment transport, but the measured data availability on coastal currents for the Indian coast is relatively less. This study analyze the variability of coastal currents along with the tides at nearshore and offshore waters during two different seasons (fag end of summer monsoon and initial stage of pre-monsoon) at Vengurla, west coast of India. Results of this study exhibited that the tides at Vengurla are mixed semi-diurnal dominated by solar constituent during summer monsoon (September to October); whereas the lunar constituents dominates during pre-monsoon (February to March). The nearshore current was dominated by the westward flow (sluggish current) during monsoon and south eastward flow during pre-monsoon, whereas the offshore flow (strong current) showed seasonality. At offshore, southerly current dominated during summer monsoon, whereas the northerly current played a major role during pre-monsoon. The current profile analysis at offshore revealed that the gradation of strong current at the surface to the sluggish nature of currents at the bottom and were comparatively higher during summer monsoon than pre-monsoon periods. This study revealed a complex pattern among winds, tides and currents at offshore

Threatened medicinal and economic plants of the Sudan Savanna in Katsina State, northwestern Nigeria

Background: The loss of biodiversity in Nigeria is escalating alarmingly. However, there is generally a paucity of information as to what taxa are endangered because of a dearth of functioning conservation agencies in Nigeria. Objectives: The aim of this research is to record the endangered medicinal and other economic plant species in the Sudan Savanna vegetation in Katsina and to provide an assessment of the various threats faced by these plants. Method: Medicinal plants were identified through oral interviews with traditional medical practitioners within the study area. Conservation statuses were assessed using a bespoke data collection and assessment form; the data were then evaluated using the International Union for the Conservation of Nature Red List categories and criteria. Results: A total of 169 species belonging to 62 families were recorded. Of these, 43 taxa were reported to be used for ethnomedicinal practices. It was found that more than half (108) of the 169 species were threatened with extinction and one taxon (Xeroderris stuhlmannii [Taub.] Mendonca Sousa) qualifies as being Extinct locally. Threats recorded include overexploitation (24%), agriculture (15%), deforestation and desertification (12% each), invasive plants (11%), urban residential development (7%) and erosion (6%). Conclusion: Most of the plants are already under threat and require urgent conservation measures. The data point to the critical need for further research into conservation strategies and a more sustainable use of threatened plants. We recommend that the Nigerian government should establish a national Red List agency and ensure effective protected area management and community-based natural resources management

Enhancing moringa nutritive value for impoverished populations and healthy wellbeing through proper nutrient enrichment

Taking into account the many cases of malnutrition related deaths in especially sub-Saharan Africa, the current research effort was conceived with the objective of appraising the nutritive potential of Moringa oleifera L. plant through the evaluation of proper agronomic practice that will enhance its nutritive potential. Measured quantity of dried roots, stem, and leaves portions of 5 months old Moringa oleifera L. seedlings, grown under various applied phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) rates were analysed for essential and non-essential amino acids content, total antioxidants, secondary metabolites (phenolics and flavonoids), and mineral nutrient elements. The high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis revealed the presence of 9 essential and 7 non-essential amino acids, with a range of 4.24 to 10.04 gkg-1 recorded for leucine, threonine, histidine, glutamic acid, aspartic acid, and glycine. The 2,2ꞌ- diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and the ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assay revealed strong antioxidants presence (up to 68% DPPH scavenging activity and a high level FRAP potential of 2500 mg ascorbic acid equivalent (AAE) / 100g dry weight (DW). Folin-Ciocalteu’s and aluminium chloride calorimetric assay revealed high levels of secondary metabolites (ranging from 1000 to 1350 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/100g DW total phenolics and up to 2400 mg quercetin equivalent (QE)/1mg DW total flavonoids), and the nitric acid wet digestion procedure revealed a lot of mineral nutrient elements (with significant values of up to 19.13 g kg-1 maximum content acquired from calcium (Ca) and up to 9.90 g kg-1 recorded for iron (Fe). These nutritive components are noted to be highest in the leaves portion, followed by the roots, and then the stem parts. Based on its recognised rich base nutritive content, Moringa oleifera L. is a tree plant of nutraceuticals importance for impoverished communities

Assessment of shoreline changes along Karnataka coast, India using GIS & Remote sensing techniques

1286-1291Present analysis revealed that about 70% of the coastline was either stable or accreting in nature, whereas remaining 30% region was experiencing varying magnitude of erosion. Change rate was classified in three categories indicating the accretion, low erosion and high erosion locations. High rate of erosion was observed all along the river mouth of northern side of northern Karnataka Rivers i.e. Kalinadi, Haladi, Sharavati, Swarna etc. While the southern side of the Kalinadi River is noticed with high accretion. Erosion and accretion pattern observed along the coast is influenced mainly by the coastal process and riverine inputs. Short term analysis was also carried out along the Karnataka coast. In Karwar region, the south of Kalinadi River shows accretion during the period of 1989-2000; whereas, the same area shows erosion pattern during the period of 2000-2006. This may be due to variation in coastal processes, land runoff and geomorphologic units influencing the coast. About 168 km of coastline was found to be accreting in nature with an average rate of 1.5 m/yr followed by 71km coastal stretch with mild erosion of an average rate of 1.0 m/yr. It was also observed that the erosion was found in isolated pockets throughout the coast. The variation in river mouth morphology was quite significant. The present study demonstrates that combined use of satellite imagery and statistical method such as weighted linear regression can be a reliable method for shoreline change analysis.</span