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The sparsely populated hilly areas are most prone to the power cuts and low voltage power supplies if the national grids fall any short of electricity demand. Therefore the present study evaluates the decadal efficiency of state-owned electric utility facilities from 2009 to 20019, situated in different geographic terrains, in Uttarakhand state of India. The productive efficiency of the Electricity Distribution Divisions (EDDs) of Uttarakhand state was evaluated in a nonparametric method of Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). The obtained results indicate the performances of some EDDs are not up to the mark and suffer from low technical efficiency. The average Technical efficiencies are recorded as low as 0.5 in 2014–15; lowest for the EDDs located in hilly terrain with a value of 0.23 in 2014–15. An improvement trend in efficiency was noted with rearrangement of EDD during 2015–2017. Based on these findings, this study identifies potential for improvement. The recommendations and policies framed should keep geographical location into consideration. Region-specific policy interventions can help the state to achieve the efficient power goals by reducing electricity losses and improving overall efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Artemisia absinthium is a herbaceous perennial plant with fibrous root and it belongs to the family Asteraceae. Due to having strong fragrance and pungent taste it has ability to defend itself from the herbivore animals. Essential oil extracted from leaves, stem and seeds of A. absinthium were analyzed for termite mortality as well as termite repellency. Chemical constituents of essential oil from all three parts were identified and compared by gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy. Total 16 compounds identified in the essential oil of leaves, stem and seeds in which boronyl acetate was present in major amount 26.59 %, 27.17 % and 26.63 % respectively. L-terpenen-4-ol was also identified in higher amount in leaves, stem and seeds; 18.24 %, 17.07 % and 17.3 % respectively. Leaf, stem and seed essential oil tested for termite mortality and repellency against Microcerotermes beesoni. Leaf essential oil showed significant and seed essential oil all were found to have moderate activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A field study was carried out on fly ash (FA) dumps of Panki Thermal Power Station to assess the phytoaccumulation of elements in various plant parts of edible fruit tree Ziziphus mauritiana. Of the twelve analyzed elements, the highest concentration was found for Fe followed by Mn > Se > Zn > Mo > Cu > Cr > Pb > Cd >Ni > As > Co in rhizospheric substrate of Z. mauritiana grown on FA dumps. Metal accumulation, bioconcentration factor, and translocation factor for each metal were calculated in various parts of the edible fruit tree. Significant variations of metal accumulations were observed among various plant parts. Accumulation of toxic elements was higher in roots, and it gradually declined toward the aerial parts of the plant corresponding to its distance from the ground. The concentration of some elements in fruit tree was found to be above prescribed limits in edible parts. Therefore, the present study suggested that additional care should be undertaken, if edible fruit trees are considered for phytoremediation or afforestation programs of FA dumps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Disposal of red mud (RM) poses serious environmental problems such as wind erosion, air and water pollution. To overcome these problems, effective restoration of the disposal land through naturally growing vegetation is a sustainable and economical approach. The present study involved estimation of frequency (F), density (D), abundance (Ab), and important value index (IVI) of natural flora on abandoned RM sites in order to assess their metal toxicity tolerance capacity. Based on visual observations and highest IVI,S. AsperandS. puniceawere identified as effective ecological tools for the restoration of barren RM sites. From the study, remarkable differences were observed between non-rhizospheric and rhizospheric RM of both species. These rhizospheric RM analyses confirm the ability ofS. asperandS. puniceafor enhancing the biological activities of abandoned RM. Translocation factor (TF) of iron was maximum (2.58) inS. asper, and bioconcentration factor (BCF) was found maximum (1.25) inS. punicea, but both TF (2.58) and BCF (1.35) were high inS. asper. Therefore, this plant could be reported as an iron hyperaccumulator plant. These results suggest that these plant species can be exploited for effective restoration of RM deposited land without any inputs or maintenance. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Essential oil ofArtemisia nilagiricaisolated from aerial parts was analyzed for antitermite activity. Chemical constituents were identified by gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy. Total forty constituents have been identified which is 93.55 % of the essential oil. Major constituents of the oil were α-thujone (33.78 %), germacrene-D (9.31 %), β-thujone (6.01 %), caryophyllene (5.86 %), caryophyllene oxide (6.17 %), borneol (2.16 %). The essential oil consist of 41.34 % monoterpene hydrocarbon, 30.9 % sesquiterpene hydrocarbon, 10.24 % monoterpene alcohol, 8.33 % sesquiterpene oxide along with 2.74 % sesquiterpene alcohol. The essential oil exhibited significant antitermite activity againstMicrotermes beesonithe termite. ED50for termite repellency was found 4.44 mg/g and 5.81 mg/g for termite mortality. Chlorpyriphos 20 % TC was taken as control, ED50of chlorpyriphos was found 1.53 mg/g. This study indicated thatA. nilagiricaessential oil can be used as a wood preservative to control the termites infesting wooden material and commodities. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The rhizome of Hedychium spicatum has been widely used in traditional medicines. The present study deals with the evaluation of the cytotoxic potential of rhizome essential oils from four different regions of the Western Himalaya (India) along with comparative correlation analysis to characterise the bioactive cytotoxic component. The essential oils were coded as MHS-1, MHS-2, MHS-3 and MHS-4, and characterised using GC-FID and GC–MS. The main volatile compounds identified were 1,8-cineol, eudesmol, cubenol, spathulenol and α-cadinol. In vitro cytotoxic activities were assessed against human cancer cell lines such as, the lung (A549), colon (DLD-1, SW 620), breast (MCF-7, MDA-MB-231), head and neck (FaDu), and cervix (HeLa). MHS-4 is significantly active in comparison to other samples against all cancer cell lines. Sample MHS-4 has major proportion of monoterpene alcohol mainly 1,8-cineol. Principal components analysis was performed for the experimental results and all four samples were clustered according to their percentage inhibition at different doses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compounds having antimicrobial activity obtained from plant sources are useful because they are new sources against antibiotic resistance. The present study is based on the evaluation of antimicrobial activity of the essential oil of the fresh bark ofBetula utilisand to identify the chemical constituents responsible for antimicrobial potential, grown in high altitude of Himalaya, India. The chemical constituents of essential oil were identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The essential oil was evaluated for the antimicrobial potential against human pathogenic bacteria and fungi by using a micro-dilution assay. GC-MS analysis revealed that the major constituents of the essential oil were geranic acid (11.38 %), β-seleneol (10.98 %), β-linalool (10.91 %), terragon (10.61 %), β-sesquiphellendrene (8.02 %), champacol (6.33 %) and 1,8-cineol (5.49 %). Result showed thatB. utilisessential oil has a strong antimicrobial activity against the fungusCandida albicansand Gram (+) and Gram (-) human pathogenic bacteria (MIC: 60.5-240 µg/ml). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]