SOILS OF BISWANATH COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE FARM: SURVEY AND LAND USE PLANNING

Not AvailableSoil is a unique living entity. It has its origins in physical, chemical and biological interactions between the parent materials and the atmosphere. The very existence of mankind depends on this natural resource. This resource has to be guarded against depletion of its individual intrinsic values for sustainable agricultural production. There is a growing realization on the scientific management of soil health both at the national and international level. Scientific management of soil needs location and site specific information pertaining to the nature of soil and other land resources, their constraints, potential and suitability for various crops and other uses. In this context soil survey plays an important role in exploiting the potential soil resources and basic information and principles for their better utilization. It is appreciated that our faculty members of the Department of Soil Science, AAU Jorhat and the Scientist from AICRP(DA), BNCA, AAU Biswanath Chariali have conducted a detailed soil survey of the farm of Biswanath College of Agriculture and prepared a soil survey report covering all the aspects pertaining to scientific management of the land resource. I sincerely hope that the report will provide the desired information on the soils of the area and offer the guidelines to develop better land use planning.Not Availabl

Phytol: A review of biomedical activities

© 2018 Elsevier Ltd. This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ This author accepted manuscript is made available following 12 month embargo from date of publication (Auguist 2018) in accordance with the publisher’s archiving policyPhytol (PYT) is a diterpene member of the long-chain unsaturated acyclic alcohols. PYT and some of its derivatives, including phytanic acid (PA), exert a wide range of biological effects. PYT is a valuable essential oil (EO) used as a fragrance and a potential candidate for a broad range of applications in the pharmaceutical and biotechnological industry. There is ample evidence that PA may play a crucial role in the development of pathophysiological states. Focusing on PYT and some of its most relevant derivatives, here we present a systematic review of reported biological activities, along with their underlying mechanism of action. Recent investigations with PYT demonstrated anxiolytic, metabolism-modulating, cytotoxic, antioxidant, autophagy- and apoptosis-inducing, antinociceptive, anti-inflammatory, immune-modulating, and antimicrobial effects. PPARs- and NF-κB-mediated activities are also discussed as mechanisms responsible for some of the bioactivities of PYT. The overall goal of this review is to discuss recent findings pertaining to PYT biological activities and its possible applications

Study of magnetic nanowires of amorphous Co20_{20}Fe60_{60}B20_{20} prepared by oblique angle deposition on nanorippled substrate

An array of magnetic nanowires of amorphous Co$_{20}$Fe$_{60}$B$_{20}$ alloy has been prepared by oblique angle deposition of material on nanorippled substrate. The angle of incidence is chosen such that the deposition takes place on only one facet of the nanoripples. Grazing incidence small angle x-ray scattering measurement has been done in order to characterize the morphology of the nanowires. It is found that the oblique angle deposition results in columnar growth, and each individual nanowire consists of nanocolumns having average diameter of 7 nm and a tilt angle of 37° with respect to the surface normal. Azimuthal angle dependence of longitudinal magneto-optical Kerr effect measurement shows that the nanowires possess a well-defined uniaxial magnetic anisotropy with the easy axis of magnetization tilted by an angle of 25° with respect to the direction of the ripples. The magnetization follows the Stoner-Wohlfarth model with a very narrow distribution in the direction of easy axis. It is suggested that, tilt of the easy axis can be understood in terms of the interplay of two shape anisotropy terms corresponding to the ensemble of strongly interacting nanocolumns through magnetostatic dipolar interaction, and the overall shape of a nanowire

Perceived psychological stress among undergraduate medical students: Role of academic factors

Recently, there is a growing concern about stress during undergraduate medical training. The objectives of our study were to assess perceived stress among undergraduate medical students and to find out academic factors as determinants. A cross-sectional, questionnaire-based survey was carried out among undergraduate medical students of R. G. Kar Medical College, India, during July 2011–June 2012. Perceived stress was assessed using the Perceived Stress Scale-14. A 10-item questionnaire was used to assess academic sources of stress and their severity. The overall mean perceived stress score was 29.58 (standard deviation [SD] = 6.60), and 46.3% of the participants were in the group of more stressed (perceived stress score ≥28). The academic stressor factors predicted 78% of variability of perceived stress. A higher level of perceived stress was reported by the students. The students should be taught different stress management techniques to improve their ability to cope with a demanding professional course

Sexual behavior of transgenders and their vulnerability to HIV/AIDS in an Urban Area of Eastern India

Transgender (TG) people experience a gender identity that is different from their anatomical sex. For their high-risk sex behavior, they are important group for targeted intervention of HIV/AIDS. The objective of the study was to find the sexual behavior of TG people and to assess few aspects of their vulnerability to HIV/AIDS. This cross-sectional survey was done from June to August 2012, in field practice area of “Kosish,” a nongovernmental organization run by TGs in Alipore of Kolkata metropolitan city, India. Information was collected by interviewing 90 TG of 11 selected hotspots using a predesigned questionnaire. Results revealed that 4.5% were illiterate. Drug abuse was reported by 22.2% participants. Inconsistent condom use was found. Venereal disease research laboratory reactivity was found in 11.11%. Nearly 16.7% had experienced sexual violence in the past 3 months. Thus, interventions for overall empowerment of the TGs are recommended

Ag(I)-Catalyzed Domino Cyclization–Addition Sequence with Simultaneous Carbonyl and Alkyne Activation as a Route to 2,2′-Disubstituted Bisindolylarylmethanes

An efficient synthesis of symmetrical 3, 3′-bisindolylarylmethanes with various substituents on the indole moiety has been developed by Ag­(I)-catalyzed cycloisomerization and an deoxygenative addition sequence on <i>o</i>-alkynylanilines and aryl aldehydes. Ag­(I) is proposed to activate alkyne unit and carbonyl moiety simultaneously leading to a <i>domino</i> first 5-<i>endo-dig</i> indole annulation, addition to CO, second indole annulation, and its dehydroxylative addition