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Exploration of pathogenic potential of Coagulase-Negative Staphylococci (CoNS), in human as well as animals,gained the importance during the past two decades. Emergence of Methicillin-Resistant Coagulase-NegativeStaphylococci (MRCoNS) in bovine milk poses to be a major public health concern. Presence of the mecA gene isone of the most common reasons reported for the methicillin resistant bacteria. Since the scientific data concerningthe presence of mecA gene and MRCoNS in bovine milk is very limited in India, particularly from Gujarat state,the present study was planned to detect mecA gene in 25 MRCoNS and study the antibiogram of 33 CoNS isolatedfrom 185 bovine mastitis cases between January 2018 to December 2019. Staphylococci were isolated from themilk samples of bovine mastitis with a prevalence of 38.9% (72/185), out of which 39 (54.16%) and 33 (45.83%)isolates were identified as coagulase-positive Staphylococci (CoPS) and coagulase-negative Staphylococci (CoNS),respectively. Among the CoNS, S. xylosus was the most predominantly isolated species (9/33, 27.27%), followedby S. epidermis (6/33, 18.18%) and S. haemolyticus (4/33, 12.12%). Out of these 33 isolated CoNS, 21 (63.63%)and 25 (75.75%) were identified as MRCoNS by disc diffusion method and CHROM agar, respectively. Contraryto the likelihood, only 3 MRCoNS showed the presence of mecA gene using PCR method. Antibiogram revealedthat most of the CoNS isolates (84.85%) were multi-drug resistant emphasizing the urgent need of restricting theindiscriminate use of antimicrobial drugs in the area of study.

The present work is based on analysis of inhibitory activity of alpha-amylase inhibitor in selected cultivars of Phaseolus vulgaris of Uttarakhand. Fifteen samples were assessed for inhibitory activity of alpha-amylase inhibitor. Significant variations were found in different cultivars. Crude extract of alpha-amylase inhibitor from sample PUR (Purola) have shown maximum inhibitory activity (70.2 ± 0.84). Crude extract of all the cultivars have shown considerable variations in inhibitory activity in the temperature ranging from 20ºC to 100ºC. Based on inhibitory activity and heat stability profile, the alpha amylase inhibitor was purified from PUR cultivar. The purified inhibitor was found to be stable even at 90ºC with an inhibitory activity of 97.20 ±0.09. The molecular weight of purified inhibitor on Native PAGE (Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis) was found to be 31kd, consisting of two subunits of 17kd and 14kd on SDS-PAGE. Resumo O presente trabalho é fundamentado na análise da atividade inibitória do inibidor da alfa-amilase em cultivares selecionadas de Phaseolus vulgaris, de Uttarakhand. Quinze amostras foram avaliadas quanto à atividade inibitória do inibidor da alfa-amilase. Variações significativas foram encontradas em diferentes cultivares. O extrato bruto do inibidor da alfa-amilase da amostra PUR (Purola) apresentou atividade inibitória máxima (70,2 ± 0,84). O extrato bruto de todas as cultivares apresentou variações consideráveis na atividade inibitória na temperatura de 20ºC a 100ºC. Com base na atividade inibitória e no perfil de estabilidade ao calor, o inibidor da alfa-amilase foi purificado do cultivar PUR. O inibidor purificado mostrou-se estável mesmo a 90ºC, com uma atividade inibitória de 97,20 ± 0,09. O peso molecular do inibidor purificado em Native PAGE (eletroforese em gel de poliacrilamida) foi de 31kd, consistindo em duas subunidades de 17kd e 14kd em SDS-PAGE.

The use of roxithromycin along with ciprofloxacin is having potential to be a promising antimicrobial therapy to treat complicated avian mycoplasmosis in broiler chickens. The present research was undertaken to study the influence of roxithromycin (20 mg/kg body weight) and ciprofloxacin (10 mg/kg body weight) on the oral pharmacokinetics of each other, when both drugs are concomitantly administered in eight healthy male broiler chickens (n=8) and to establish their therapeutic dosage regimens. Their plasma concentrations were assayed by validated ultra high performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) methods using UV detector. Oral pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated from plasma concentration versus time data based on non-compartmental analysis. Statistically, plasma roxithromycin concentration was significantly higher at one time point only (0.5 h) and plasma ciprofloxacin concentration was significantly lower at the time point of 2 h only when used in combination, in comparison to their respective values obtained after their alone administrations. The pharmacokinetic parameters of roxithromycin and ciprofloxacin showed no significant effect on values of either drug when given in combination and there was a lack of pharmacokinetic interaction between the two antimicrobials. The predicted effective oral dose rate of roxithromycin was 20 mg/kg body weight, every 12 h, and that of ciprofloxacin was 10 mg/kg body weight, every 24 h, to treat complicated avian mycoplasmosis in broiler chickens.

In the present work, the morphometric and morphotectonic analysis of the Pahuj basin catchment of the Bundelkhand region of Central India was carried by using remote sensing and GIS techniques. The drainage map, Digital Elevation Model (DEM), density, contour, aspect, and other thematic maps were extracted from ASTER-DEM (30m resolution) data by using geographical information system (GIS) tool. Five order streams have been validated in the study area and an inverse relationship between the stream order and stream number has been established. The high mean bifurcation ratio (Rb=5.12) indicates that the drainage pattern is controlled by geological structures in the impermeable granitic terrain. The stream frequency (2.69) is indicative of the increment of stream population for drainage density. Contrary to this the drainage density (2.08) is suggestive of low to moderate infiltration rate and is showing the thin vegetal cover on the impermeable rocky terrain. The elongation ratio (0.61) and form factor (0.29) infer that the catchment basin is elongated and shows low peak flows. The value of ruggedness and Melton ruggedness number implies that the basin is moderately rugged and debris watershed and is less susceptible to soil erosion. The drainage pattern of basin catchment flowing in diverse lithological and structural terrain (Archean and Palaeoproterozoic age) is exhibiting less influence of active tectonics. The NW-SE, E-W and NNE-SSW trending lineaments resembling the orientation of lower-order streams are suggestive of structural control. The NE-SW trending high order streams flowing in an elongated Pahuj basin catchment and coinciding with the orientation of major NE-SW lineaments are indicative of major tectonic control.

An experiment was carried out on basmati rice (Oryza sativa, var. Pusa Basmati 1121) using IARI soil to assess the effect of applied sludge on different soil properties, metals content in rice grain and computed hazard quotient for suitability of rice grain for human consumption. The different doses of sludge were used as treatments 0, 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 g/kg.The results indicated that applied sludge @ (50 g/kg) reduced the pH from 7.98 (control) to 7.21 of sludge amended soil. Whereas, the EC increased from 0.22 (control) to 1.33 dS/m under applied @ 50 g sludge/kg of soil. The organic carbon content and cation exchange capacity were found highest in 50 g sludge/ kg soil treatment as compared to control. DTPA Extractable metals in post- harvest soil were significantly higher in sludge application @ ≥ 30 g/kg treatments. The value of HQ ranged from 0.05 to 0.49 and 0.02 to 0.09 for Pb and Cd, respectively across the various treatments of sludge addition. It can be concluded that risk assessment for intake of metals through consumption of rice by human indicated that application of sludge should be restricted up to 20 g/ kg unfit for rice cultivation.

Background: Diaphyseal fractures in children are among the most common major paediatric injuries treated by orthopaedic surgeons and account for approximately 1.6% of all fractures seen in this population. Peak incidences occur at 2 & 17 years of age in bimodal distribution and boys have 2.6 times greater incidence than girls. The aim of this study is to evaluate the results of operative treatment of paediatric diaphyseal fractures in the age group between 5 to 12 years using titanium elastic nails (TENs). Material and Methods: This is a Prospective Study based on patients admitted with Diaphyseal Fractures in Long Bones in the age group of 5 years - 12 years in the Department of Orthopaedics, government general hospital attached to government medical college, Nizamabad, study was conducted between March 2016 to March 2017.Results: In the age group 5years to 8 years there were 14 (47%) and 9 years to 12 years there were 16 patients (56%). In our study the fracture was transverse in 15 cases (50%), short oblique in 7 cases (24%), spiral in 6 cases (20%), segmental in 1 (3%) and comminuted in 1 case (3%).

Aims: The present study was designed to develop and validate the UHPLC method for quantitative determination of roxithromycin, a macrolide antimicrobial drug, in broiler plasma for the application of pharmacokinetic studies. Methodology: UHPLC apparatus comprised of ultraviolet (UV) detector was used in the present study. Chromatographic separation was performed by using reverse phase C18 column. Mobile phase was combination of buffer and 55 acetonitrile in the ratio of 55: 45. Buffer part used was 0.1% trifluoroacetic acid (v/v) having pH of 2.1. Erythromycin was used as an internal standard. Isocratic elution mode was employed with flow rate of 1 ml/min and effluents were monitored at wavelength of 220 nm. Liquid-liquid extraction using ice-cold acetonitrile was performed to extract roxithromycin from plasma samples. The data integration was performed using Chromeleon™ version 6.8 software. Results: The linear calibration curve with a mean correlation coefficient (R2) value of 0.9999 was observed for concentrations ranging from 0.20 to 12.80 µg/ml. At any concentration, accuracy was not found to be less than 90%. The mean extraction recovery (n=5) for concentrations of 0.40 µg/ml was 81.36%. The calculated intraday and interday C.V. % was not more than 7.70% and 9.42%, respectively, at any concentration studied. The specificity of the analysis was reflected by the narrow range of retention time ranging between 6.983 to 7.178 minutes. LOD and LOQ of the method under investigation were calculated as 0.131 and 0.398 µg/ml, respectively. Conclusion: A reliable, reproducible, accurate, precise, specific and sensitive method for analysis of roxithromycin in broiler plasma was developed and validated for application in the pharmacokinetic study of the roxithromycin.

The pandemic of coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) remains to nag human race with its more infectious second wave in most of highly populated countries including India. Till date, no specific antiviral drug is discovered or developed which is cent-per-cent effective against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative agent of COVID-19. The efficacy of developed vaccines are said to reduce severity of disease, but the mutation led to origin of more infectious variants. In such scenario, medical management of COVID-19 largely depends upon repurposed drugs like azithromycin, remdesivir, chloroquine, hydroxychloroquine and tocilizumab. However, none of these repurposed drugs is devoid of side effects or drug-induced toxicities which may be fatal too sometimes. Scientific research literature on phytochemicals hints that these miracle phytomolecules may not only be useful in direct therapeutic effect but also have potential to reduce or ameliorate the side-effects of current repurposed drugs used in treatment of COVID-19. This review critically elaborates the side-effects of COVID-19 drugs and the six potential phytochemicals, viz., quercetin, baicalein, kaempferol, curcumin, catechins and gingerols which have potentials to ameliorate such side-effects. The very purpose of the review paper is to promote the scientific studies on these phytomolecules in the management of COVID-19, as there are predictions that human kind has to learn to live with this disease.

In the present paper, morphometric and morphotectonic attributes of Sindh basin of Central India were attempted. The remotely sensed Shuttle Radar Topographic Mission (SRTM) Digital Elevation Model (DEM) data were used to extract drainage, density and contour maps. The drainage of Sindh and its subwatersheds exhibiting dendritic pattern show mean bifurcation ratio ranging from 3.85 to 5.66. It reveals that the drainage flowing in hilly and dissected area is geologically and structurally controlled. The low density (0.82) and frequency (0.4) implies that the basin is consisting of coarse permeable soil with dense vegetation. The values of elongation and form factor ratio infer that the basin is elongated and less prone to erosion. The ruggedness values infer that the Sindh basin is slightly rugged and less prone to erosion and sediment transport. The drainage orientations of Sindh River and its subwatersheds showing polymodal distribution are represented by highly conspicuous NNE-SSW and NNW-SSE trends. The four sets of major lineaments trending NE-SW, NW-SE, WNW-ESE and NNW-SSE are observed in the Sindh basin. The high density of lineaments represented by fractures, faults, foliations and bed rock structures are controlling the drainage of low order streams. The high order NE-SW trending streams show major tectonic control.

Rohni is a subwatershed of Dhasan river of Betwa river system. The Morphometric analysis of Rohni watershed was carried out by using remote sensing and GIS techniques and using ASTER data. Based on hierarchical rank five subwatersheds streams are identified which are represented by the dendritic to subdendritic drainage pattern. The drainage, density, slopes and relief maps were prepared. The corresponding trends of each watershed with Precambrian structures and mean bifurcation ratio (4.61) suggest that the drainage pattern is structurally controlled. The high value of Rho Coefficient is suggestive of high hydrologic storage during a flood and shows less effect of erosion. The low value of the form factor indicates that the basin is elongated and is less prone to flood. The circulatory ratio implies that the youth and mature stages are dominant in Rohni basin. The low drainage density (1.51) is indicative of the presence of less permeable soil with a low infiltration rate and less erosion exposure in the basin. The low ruggedness and Melton ruggedness values indicate that the terrain is smoother and moderately rugged and is less susceptible to soil erosion. The drainage orientation of Rohni watershed is represented by polymodal distribution (NE-SW, E-W and NW–SE). The NNW-SSE and NE-SW trending major lineaments are prominent in the study area. The trends of low orders streams (NE-SW, NNW-SSE) coinciding the trends of major lineaments are indicative of tectonic control. The ENE-WSW trending high order streams show major tectonic control.

In the present study, a detail morphometric evaluation of upper Pahuj basin is attempted to delineate drainage pattern, linear, areal, relief, geological control and other aspects. The Arc GIS (10.4 version) and ASTER data were used to extract drainage, density, aspect, slope, contour and other thematic maps. The five orders of streams were identified in the study area. The relationship between geological structures and different orders of the stream was established. About fifty parameters were analysed. The higher values of the bifurcation ratio in higher orders and its mean value (4.47) indicate that the drainage pattern is inherently controlled by geological structures. The moderate drainage density (2.20) and low frequency (2.86) are suggestive of low infiltration rate and have a thin vegetal cover on less permeable rocky terrain. The low values of elongation ratio (0.62) and form factor ratio (0.30) infer that the basin catchment is elongated and is showing low peak flows of greater interval. The circulatory ratio (0.34) computed for upper Pahuj catchment implies that the youth stage was dominant in the evolution of the watershed. The ruggedness number (0.30) indicates that the terrain has a moderate slope and is showing slight morphology.

Jamini a tributary of Betwa River has Jamrar, Onri, Sajnam, Shanzad and Baragl five subwatersheds. The quantitative morphometric analysis of its subwatersheds was carried out by using advanced techniques of remote sensing and GIS. The linear, areal and relief parameters along with hypsometric values were generated for each subwatershed of Jamini basin. The remotely sensed Shuttle Radar Topographic Mission (SRTM) Digital Elevation Model (DEM) data with a capture resolution of 3.0 arc second and pixel resolution of 30 m were used to extract the drainage map, density, contour, aspect and other maps. The mean bifurcation ratio (3.79 to 5.04) of Jamini and its all subwatersheds indicate that the drainage is structurally controlled. The Rho coefficient values reveal that the higher hydrologic storage during the flood and a decrease in the erosion during elevated discharge are observed in the basin. The drainage density (1.0 to 1.04) indicates that the basin is impermeable and shows low groundwater storage capacity in hard rock granitic terrain. The form factor (0.18 to 0.49), elongation and circulatory ratios indicate that the Jamini basin and subwatersheds are significantly elongated and show low peak flow of longer duration. The values of Ruggedness and Melton ruggedness number infer that the basin is slightly rugged and less prone to erosion and sediment transport. The S-shaped hypsometric curves show that the basin is susceptible to moderate erosion and the hypsometric index values (0.49 to 0.50) imply that the basin has mature geomorphic terrain with moderately eroded landscapes.

Kelani River Basin in Sri Lanka experiences frequent flooding resulting in loss of lives and properties in this basin. Keeping this in view, a study is taken up for Flood Assessment in Kelani River Basin, Sri Lanka up to Hanwella gauging site using HEC-Hydrologic Modelling System (HEC-HMS) tool. In the study, various available options of HEC-HMS have been considered for evaluation using various goodness of fit criteria, such as NashSutcliffe model efficiency (NSE), Percent Error in Peak, and Percent Error in Time to Peak and Percent error in Discharge Volume (Volume Deviation (Dv)). The Basin model has been selected considering the Kelani river basin up to Hanwella gauging site as a single basin for simulation of flood hydrographs and, in eteorological model, the Gaged weight option, of HEC-HMS, is considered for rainfall analysis. For the transform model or direct runoff model, Clark UH, SCS UH and Snyder UH models are considered. The calibration (manual and automatic) and validation of model parameters are carried out using hourly rainfall-runoff data of the five storm events observed during the monsoon seasons of the years 2017, 2016, 2014 and 2012. The Arc Map-ArcGIS and HEC-GeoHMS have also been used to process the different types of spatial data required as input for the HEC-HMS model application. It is found that the Clark model is the best-suited model for flood assessment of Kelani River Basin. The calibrated and validated Clark model can be very much useful for water managers and decision-makers to adopt structural and non-structural measures to minimize the losses due to frequent occurrence of floods in Kelani River Basin.

p53 plays a central role in prevention of normal cell from the development of the malignant phenotype. Somatic alterations (mutations, loss of heterozygosity, deletions) in p53 are a hallmark of most human cancers and cause defects in normal p53 function. However, in the tumors harboring wild-type p53, there are alterations in the regulation of the p53. Thus, understanding why p53 is unable to perform its role as a tumor suppressor in these wild-type tumors is very crucial. Germ-line polymorphisms in p53 are also anticipated to cause measurable disturbance in p53 function. Over-expression as well as polymorphic variants of MDM2 might have effects on cancer development. In addition, degradation of p53 by E6 protein of high risk human papillomavirus is also suggested as one of the mechanisms which attenuate p53 responses in oral carcinogenesis. p53 has also been demonstrated to mediate cellular responses upon various DNA damaging cancer therapies, importantly, apoptosis. These responses have been implicated in an individual’s ability to respond to these cancer therapies. Thus, exploring mechanisms by which normal function of p53 is affected in the comprehensive way in oral cancer might aid in the identification of tumor characteristics, prognosis and thus in the development of a new approach to treat the oral cancer.

Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary is an ecological confined area having high diversity of plants and animals. Oak and pine are the dominant species in this sanctuary. Since soil biological indicators are highly sensitive, which reflect the impact of land use systems in short time, soils under oak (Quercusleucotrichophora) and pine (Pinusroxburghii) canopy cover were investigated for enzyme activities such as dehydrogenase, acid phosphatase, alkaline phosphatase, nitrate reductase, MBC, OC and abundance of bacteria, fungi and actinomycetes during 2008-2010. The mean DHA, acid phosphatase, alkaline phosphatase, nitrate reductase activities recorded highest values in oak 9.3 µg TPF g-1 soil h-1, 452µg PNP g-1 soil h-1, 234.3µg PNP g-1 soil h-1, 1.3 mg kg-1 respectively as compared to the pine canopy cover soil 5.3µg TPF g-1 soil h-1, 186µg PNP g-1 soil h-1, 118 µg PNP g-1 soil h-1, 0.6mg kg-1respectively. The MBC values were from 460.2mg kg-1 in pine canopy to 596.7 mg kg-1 in oak forest. Similarly the values of OC were also recorded significantly high in oak forest. From this study it is concluded that the canopy of oak forest is much more effective to improve the biological indicators in soil.

The Bhagirathi River that originates from the snout of Gangotri Glacier at an elevation of about 4000 m is traditionally considered as the source of Ganga River. In June 2013, a multi-day cloudburst centred on the North Indian state of Uttarakhand caused devastating floods and landslides which resulted in massive loss of lives and property. This unusual rain event occurred during the tourist season in June, consequently trapping a large number of tourists and vendors in this area. Sudden release of stored water generated floods that created havoc downstream of most of the rivers in this area. This paper presents a description of the meteorological conditions which led to the catastrophic hydrological situation and flash flood as experienced in the large part of Bhagirathi basin in June 2013. The hydro-meteorological and discharge data for 14–18 June 2013 collected at an observatory near the snout of the Gangotri Glacier are analysed. This area normally receives less rainfall; the maximum monthly r...

Morphometric analysis forms the basis for planning water and soil conservation treatments in a watershed. Geospatial topology based morphometric analysis in Dholbaha watershed, located in the Kandi region of Punjab, was carried out using the IRS data of LISS IV, Cartoset-1 merged satellite data, ASTER DEM and ArcGIS-10.2 software. As per topology, Dholbaha watershed is the 5th order watershed. Out of all the 279 streams identified, 213 are of 1st order and one 5th order stream. The total stream length is found to be 191.73 kms. The dendritic drainage pattern is found with stream frequency of 4.67 no./km2 and mean bifurcation ratio of 3.9. Both length as well as number of streams decrease with the increase in the order of streams. Topological model indicates lesser effect of geological structure on the drainage pattern of the watershed. Drainage density of watershed (3.21 km/km2) reflects the closeness of spacing in channels with permeable sub strata. Fine drainage texture (7.34 no./km) and large length of the overland flow (150 m) in watershed resulted into high peaked hydrographs and high sheet erosion in the watershed. The circularity ratio, form factor and elongation ratio of the watershed 0.412, 0.51 and 0.72, respectively indicate that watershed is less elongated in shape, associated with medium to high relief, having moderately permeable sub-soil conditions resulting in moderate peak discharge, and moderate runoff volume resulting in high soil erosion. The watershed requires urgent conservation measures to control siltation of the reservoir.

p53 plays a central role in prevention of normal cell from the development of the malignant phenotype. Somatic alterations (mutations, loss of heterozygosity, deletions) in p53 are a hallmark of most human cancers and cause defects in normal p53 function. However, in the tumors harboring wild-type p53, there are alterations in the regulation of the p53. Thus, understanding why p53 is unable to perform its role as a tumor suppressor in these wild-type tumors is very crucial. Germ-line polymorphisms in p53 are also anticipated to cause measurable disturbance in p53 function. Over-expression as well as polymorphic variants of MDM2 might have effects on cancer development. In addition, degradation of p53 by E6 protein of high risk human papillomavirus is also suggested as one of the mechanisms which attenuate p53 responses in oral carcinogenesis. p53 has also been demonstrated to mediate cellular responses upon various DNA damaging cancer therapies, importantly, apoptosis. These responses have been implicated in an individual's ability to respond to these cancer therapies. Thus, exploring mechanisms by which normal function of p53 is affected in the comprehensive way in oral cancer might aid in the identification of tumor characteristics, prognosis and thus in the development of a new approach to treat the oral cancer.

The present study was aimed to determine the effect of a specially formulated mineral supplement in shaping the humoral immune response of dog pups in response to anti-rabies vaccination. Mineral supplement was formulated based on plasma analyzed for macro and micro minerals randomly collected from 226 dogs. Twelve mongrel/non-descript dog pups (3 – 6 months) randomly allocated into two groups (n=6) were tested for stimulation of humoral immune system by assessing the antibody titre against rabies vaccine using Rapid Fluorescent Focus Inhibition Test (RFFIT) and in vivo Mouse Neutralization Test (MNT) for antibody detection post supplementation of formulated mineral supplement upto 28 days. Early and higher antibody titre (>1:4096) was recorded on day seven itself in the group of dog pups fed with formulated mineral supplemented as compared to non-supplemented group. Present study indicated that mineral supplementation prior to the anti-rabies vaccination may elicit quick and high level of protective antibodies. The findings may also be important in the event of post bite immunization, in combination with this mineral supplementation for quick protective antibody response.

Biodiversity information owes a lot to field surveys and floristic studies. This is the basis of monitoring and assessment exercises. The present paper provides temporal information on the history of floral surveys in Himachal Pradesh (HP) and the consequent statistics of species richness in HP. From 1984 (after the publication of Flora of HP—an analysis) till the end of 2010, estimates of species have increased by 14.85 %, of genera by 10.46 % and of families by 9.60 %. During the course, 16 new species were reported. The surveys have not only updated the knowledge but have also led to identification of localities and taxa that demand critical studies and conservation strategies. The paper argues for adequate support to survey based activities and an action plan in this regard.

The present work was conducted to assess the regeneration pattern of dominant tree species in the forested landscapes of Himachal Pradesh, India. The study was conducted in four agro-climatic zones viz., zone I, zone II, zone III and zone IV, of the state at 58 locations during 2002–2007. Stratified random quadrat sampling was employed to estimate regeneration pattern of tree species by classifying them into seedling, sapling and adult stages. The analysis of data was carried out using MS excel while it was spatially represented in Geographic Information System environment. The regeneration pattern was divided in to four classes namely good, fair, poor and no regeneration. A total of 23 forest landscape elements (LSEs) dominated by 18 tree species were observed at the surveyed localities. These tree species are representative of the western Himalayan ecosystem. The number of seedlings, saplings and adults ranged from 0 to 2,700/ha, 0 to 1,500/ha, and 20 to 1,470/ha, respectively in different LSEs. Picea smithiana was observed to posses highest number of seedlings (2,700/ha) and saplings (1,500/ha) in zone IV and zone III, respectively. Cedrus deodara, on the other hand, had the maximum number of adults (1,470/ha) in its pure patch in Shimla in zone III. The results showed that amongst the four agro-climatic zones, the zone I in general had a trend of poor to no regeneration while other zones generally had fair regeneration. Zone I and zone II had poor, fair and no regeneration pattern. The trees in zone III and zone IV had good regeneration pattern in addition to poor, fair and no regeneration. Based on the results of present study, it is suggested that efficient measures are needed to conserve and to increase the tree regeneration growth in zone I of the state, whereas special efforts should be made to maintain the luxuriant forest status in rest of the agro-climatic zones of Himachal Pradesh.

A spectral library of commonly occurring Himalayan plant species has been developed. The 512-channel ASD handheld Fieldspec®Pro, 2000 Spectroradiometer with 3 nm spectral resolution and spectral range of 325 to 1,075 nm has been used for recording the leaf, branch or canopy spectra of plant species. Simultaneous measurements of crop biochemical parameters were estimated following standard methods, and vegetation indices were calculated for all the observations. The photographs of the plant species as well as their general descriptions were also detailed in the library. The spectral library has been developed in .Net programming environment. The GUI of library aids in viewing of all the information related to plant species such as spectral details, spectral graphs, general information of species, observation details, plant photographs, species spectral narrowband indices, species biochemical parameters, export options and help through menus and sub menus. The spectra and other information can be exported for further use by the user. The spectral reflectance can be used during classification of Hyperspectral images. The information provided in the library may also be used to explore the application potential of Hyperspectral images in studying chemical constituents, growth behavior, and ambient ecology of plants on a regional scale in Himalayan region. The basic objective of the work was to standardize the technique for vegetation spectral library development and make the data available for comparison by the user.

Mentha piperita L. (peppermint) is one of the economically important aromatic–medicinal herbs in India. Cultivation of M. piperita has so far not been attempted under sub-temperate agro-climatic conditions in the mid-hill of Himalaya. A study on rationalization of level of farmyard manure (FYM) and plant spacing for M. piperita crop was conducted during 2007 and 2008 at IHBT (CSIR), Palampur. The treatments consisted of four levels of FYM (0, 15, 30, 45 t/ha), three plant spacing (25 × 15, 40 × 15 and 50 × 15 cm2). Crop yield significantly increased with the level of FYM and was significantly higher at 45 t/ha of FYM. The oil content in the crop ranged from 0.2% to 0.3%; however, it was not affected by FYM application. Menthone content significantly increased with application of FYM and was significantly higher at 45 t/ha of FYM, whereas content of menthyl acetate, neo-menthol and menthofuran significantly decreased with application of FYM. The crop yield, oil content and composition of the oil were not a...

Soil temperature is recognised as one of the most important factors in crop production. Some degree of manual control of soil temperature is possible through regulation of soil surface cover. The effect of eight mulch treatments ( rice husk, rice husk incorporated, paddy straw, saw dust, water mulch, transparent polyethylene, black polyethylene and bare) on the soil temperature during various growth phases of peanut crop (Arachis hypogaea L.) were investigated on a lateritic sandy loam soil (ultisols). These experiments were conducted for two consecutive seasons. Plastic mulches raised the temperature upto 5 0C generally during afternoon whereas vegetative mulches depressed the same. Between the plastic mulches, black polyethylene covered field recorded lower soil temperature (upto 20 C) than the transparent one. Water mulches due to their high specific heat capacity acted as a heat sink during the day and heat source at night. The vegetative mulches suppressed the soil temperature and did not allow the radiant energy to contact the soil directly and emitted back the energy to the atmosphere. Among the vegetative mulches, rice husk and saw dust proved better than paddy straw and rice husk incorporated. The type and amount of soil cover which modify micro-climate and soil edaphic environment, may help to plan the farming practice for better crop growth and production.

Optimal use of scarce water resources is the prime objective for water resources development projects in the developing country like India. Optimal releases have been generally expressed as a function of reservoir state variables and hydrologic inputs by a relationship which ultimately allows the policy/water managers to determine the water to be released as a function of available information. Optimal releases were obtained by using optimal control theory with inflow series and revised reservoir characteristics such as elevation area capacity table, zero elevation level as input in this study. Operating rules for reservoir were developed as a function of demand, water level and inflow. Artificial Neural Network (ANN) with back propagation algorithm, Fuzzy Logic and decision tree algorithms such as M5 and REPTree were used for deriving the operating rules using the optimal releases for an irrigation and power supply reservoir, located in northern India. It was found that fuzzy logic model performed well compared to other soft computing techniques such as ANN, M5P and REPTree investigated in this study.

Recognizing the array of effects that invasive alien species have, documenting their status from biodiversity rich regions has been much emphasized. Lack of such studies is a major limitation that hampers proper management of alien species. The present paper, therefore, documents the alien flora of the Indian Himalayan state of Himachal Pradesh (HP) based on data obtained from literature and herbarium records. The alien flora of HP comprises of 497 species belonging to 85 families. Majority of them belong to family Asteraceae (59 species), followed by Poaceae (47 species) and Fabaceae (43 species). Amongst the genera, Ipomoea (9 species), Eucalyptus and Euphorbia (7 species each) are the most predominant. Herbs constitute the majority (i.e., 73%) of alien species and a large percentage of them (i.e., 22.94%) have South America as their native region. Further, of the total alien species, 248 are intentional introductions and majority (31% species) have been introduced for ornamental purposes. It was revealed that 34% species have naturalized while 29% species have become invasive. Today, in addition to human-disturbed landscapes, alien species have also been reported from dense forests. Himalaya being a biodiversity hotspot and HP being a bio-rich Himalayan state, it is hoped that this inventory and assessment of alien flora will help in designing informed management and monitoring strategies against problematic plant invasions in the state.

An experiment was conducted at ICAR Research Complex for Eastern Region, Research Farm, Sabajpura, Patna (longitude 85°13′N and 1atitude 25°37′E), Bihar, India for four consecutive years 2004–05 to 2007–08 to develop a diversified cropping system for an irrigated ecosystem in Bihar by introducing pulse/oilseed/vegetables as a second or third crop in 10 rice-based cropping systems. Four crop cycles have been completed for all the cropping systems. During all years of the experiment there were significant variations among the cropping systems. Maximum paddy yield equivalent was recorded in rice–tomato–bottle gourd (40.44 t ha−1) followed by rice–potato–onion (28.47 t ha−1), rice–coriander–lady's fingers (26.79 t ha−1), rice–carrot–cowpea (24.59 t ha−1) and rice–mustard–tomato (24.44 t ha−1). A higher value for the diversification index (DI) represents a higher level of crop diversification. It is evident from the results, that DI varies from 0.299 on a medium-sized farm to 0.903 on a small farm, with an ave...

Volatile constituents of the aerial parts of Capillipedium parviflorum were studied by two different extraction procedures, hydrodistillation (HD), supercritical CO2 extraction (Sc-CO2) and compare...

Glacial hazards relate to hazards associated with glaciers and glacial lakes in high mountain areas and their impacts downstream. The climatic change/variability in recent decades has made considerable impacts on the glacier life cycle in the Himalayan region. As a result, many big glaciers melted, forming a large number of glacial lakes. Due to an increase in the rate at which ice and snow melted, the accumulation of water in these lakes started increasing. Sudden discharge of large volumes of water with debris from these lakes potentially causes glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) in valleys downstream. Outbursts from glacier lakes have repeatedly caused the loss of human lives as well as severe damage to local infrastructure. Monitoring of the glacial lakes and extent of GLOF impact along the downstream can be made quickly and precisely using remote sensing technique. A number of hydroelectric projects in India are being planned in the Himalayan regions. It has become necessary for the project planners and designers to account for the GLOF also along with the design flood for deciding the spillway capacity of projects. The present study deals with the estimation of GLOF for a river basin located in the Garwhal Himalaya, India. IRS LISSIII data of the years 2004, 2006 and 2008 have been used for glacial lake mapping, and a total of 91 lakes have been found in the year 2008, and out of these, 45 lakes are having area more than 0.01 km2. All the lakes have been investigated for vulnerability for potential bursting, and it was found that no lake is vulnerable from GLOF point of view. The area of biggest lake is 0.193, 0.199 and 0.203 km2 in the years 2004, 2006 and 2008, respectively. Although no lake is potentially hazardous, GLOF study has been carried out for the biggest lake using MIKE 11 software. A flood of 100-year return period has been considered in addition to GLOF. The flood peak at catchment outlet comes out to be 993.74, 1,184.0 and 1,295.58 cumec due to GLOF; 3,274.74, 3,465.0 and 3,576.58 cumec due to GLOF; and 100-year return flood together considering breach width of 40, 60 and 80 m, respectively.

The prediction of the sediment loading generated within a watershed is an important input in the design and management of water resources projects. High variability of hydro-climatic factors with sediment generation makes the modelling of the sediment process cum- bersome and tedious. The methods for the estimation of sediment concentration based on the properties of flow and sediment have limitations attributed to the simplification of important parameters and boundary conditions. Under such circumstances, soft computing approaches have proven to be an efficient tool in modelling the sediment concentration. The focus of this paper is to present the development of models using Artificial Neural Network (ANN) with back propagation and Levenberg-Maquardt algorithms, radial basis function (RBF), Fuzzy Logic, and decision tree algorithms such as M5 and REPTree for predicting the suspended sediment concentration at Kasol, upstream of the Bhakra reservoir, located in the Sutlej basin in northern India. The input vector to the various models using different algorithms was derived con- sidering the statistical properties such as auto-correlation function, partial auto-correlation, and cross-correlation function of the time series. It was found that the M5 model performed well compared to other soft computing techniques such as ANN, fuzzy logic, radial basis function, and REPTree investigated in this study, and results of the M5 model indicate that all ranges of sediment concentration values were simulated fairly well. This study also suggests that M5 model trees, which are analogous to piecewise linear functions, have certain advantages over other soft computing techniques because they offer more insight into the generated model, are acceptable to decision makers, and always converge. Further, the M5 model tree offers explicit expressions for use by field engineers. DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)HE.1943-5584.0000445. © 2012 American Society of Civil Engineers. CE Database subject headings: Suspended sediment; Neural networks; Fuzzy sets; Reservoirs. Author keywords: Suspended sediment concentration; Neural networks; Fuzzy Logic; M5; REPTree; Bhakra reservoir.

The Indian Remote Sensing (IRS) LISS III satellite imagery was used to classify three landscapes in the upper Satluj river watershed in Kinnaur region of western Himalaya viz. Nichar, Kalpa and Pooh. These landscapes representing different eco-climatic zones were subjected to landscape ecological analysis and various landscape composition, patch and edge characteristic metrics were computed to find the extent of fragmentation in the natural vegetation. The natural vegetation comprised of forests (10.24%), grasslands (31.04%) and scrublands (2.95%) as the landscape elements (LSE). These LSEs were further segregated into different LSE types based on the dominant species of plant communities in the landscapes. These LSE types were surveyed for species diversity in the three landscapes. The total landscape area (TLA) covered by natural vegetation in Nichar, Kalpa and Pooh landscapes was calculated to be 651.42, 529.02 and 1,673.72 km2 making the total area covered with natural vegetation in the district as 2,854.16 km2. The Pooh block, lying in the east of the district, though covered the largest area of the landscape, was poor in terms of landscape composition as compared to the Nichar block which was rich in landscape elements as suggested by the diversity measures. The extent of fragmentation was found to be highest in Nichar. The Nichar landscape was observed to be having higher mean values of species diversity than other blocks which is consistent with the trends observed with patches diversity. This was in contrast to the Pooh landscape where the patch diversity as well as the species diversity was the lowest. Thus, an ecological analysis utilizing landscape metrics and biodiversity field sampling of vegetation, was attempted for such heterogenous landscapes in high altitudes of Himalaya, which provided a baseline data for the management and conservation of these virgin mountainous areas.

Importance of sweeteners has long been recognized in Indian diets. Sweetness and flavour are very important as regards consumers’ acceptability. The sugar and jaggery are the main sweetening agents which are added to beverages and foods for increasing palatability. Over the years, food habits of human beings have been greatly influenced by research and developmental activities and also due to their health consciousness. Despite witnessing pressure of industrialization, the jaggery industry has flourished in different states of the country viz; Uttar Pradesh, Tamilnadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh. The increasing trend of their production is of much significance to learn about peoples’ liking towards jaggery in rural areas mainly due to it’s nutritional and medicinal values. About 25-30% of sugarcane produced in the country is utilized for production of jaggery and khandsari and this industry serves as very important means of subsistence and livelihood for masses. The technology and equipment for production of quality jaggery and its value added products have been developed. Due to its nutritional and medicinal values, the jaggery has great export potential in the world.

Micro-environmental factors viz., soil moisture and light intensity are important factors that affect natural regeneration in forests. These factors vary spatially depending on the overhead canopy density of the forest. The present study focused on studying the effect of variation of soil moisture and light intensity on natural regeneration of sal species (Shorea robusta) under different micro-environments due to overhead canopy of varying forest density. Experimental plots of 40m× 40m size were laid under different overhead canopy densities in a small sal forested watershed in the foot hills of Himalayas in Nainital District of Uttarakhand State, India. The plots were monitored on a long term basis for soil moisture at multi depths, light intensity and natural regeneration of sal. The results of the study revealed that the natural regeneration was highest under C1 (up to-0.30) canopy followed by C2 (0.30–0.50), and C3 (0.50–0.70) canopies. The C3 canopy showed the dying back of sal shoots over 4 years of study. The highest R2 value of linear regression between incremental score of plot regeneration and average soil moisture content was obtained as 0.156 for average soil moisture content during non-monsoon months at 100 cm depth. The R2 value between incremental score of plot regeneration and annual average light intensity was obtained as 0.688 which indicated that the regeneration is largely dependent on the light intensity conditions during the year. The multiple linear regression analysis between the incremental score of regeneration and the average light intensity and average soil moisture content revealed that that about 80% of variation in regeneration is explained by both the factors.