ID: 62678
Title: Key informant perceptions on wildlife hunting during the first COVID-19 lockdown in India
Author: Uttara Mendiratta, Munib Khanyari, Nandini Vlho, Kulbhushansingh Ramesh Suryawanshi and Nirmal Kulkarni
Editor: S.K.Satheesh
Year: 2022
Publisher: Current Science Association and Indian Academy of Sciences.
Source: ENVIS, CES & EWRG, CES
Reference: Current Science Vol. 122 (4) 448-454 (2022)
Subject: Key informant perceptions on wildlife hunting during the first COVID-19 lockdown in India
Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic, food security, illegal hunting, lockdown, wildlife
Abstract: We studied the effects of the COVID lockdown in India on illegal hunting of wildlife using on-line interviews with key informants. Household consumption, and sports and recreation were identified as the main motivations, and logistical challenges for enforcement, disruption of food supply and the need for recreational opportunities as key factors associated with increased hunting during lockdown. These insights were corroborated by the statements made by experts extracted from media articles. Our findings suggest that the lockdown potentially increased hunting across much of India and emphasize the role of livelihood and food security in mitigating threats to wildlife during periods of acute socio-economic perturbation.
Location: T E 15 New Biology building
Literature cited 1: Karnon, J.,A simple decision analysis of a mandatory lockdown response to the COVID-19 pandemic .Appl. Health Econ. Health Policy, 2020; https://doi.org/10.1007/s40258-020-00581-w.
Kochhar, A.S., Bhasin, R., Kochhar G.K., Dadlani H., Mehta V.V., Kaur R. and Bhasin, C.K., Lockdown of 1.3 billion people in India during COVID-19 pandemic: asurvey of its impact on mental health. Asian J.Psychiatry, 2020, 54, 102213-102213; doi:10.1016/j.ajp.2020.102213.
Literature cited 2: Krause, K.L. et al. The post-lockdown period should be used to acquire effective therapies for future resurgence in SARS-Cov-2 infections.NZ.Med.J., 2020, 133 (1513), 107.
Kesar, S., Abraham, R., Lahoti, R., Nath, P. and Basole, A., Pandemic, informality, and vulnerability impact of COVID-19 on livelihoods in India. Can.J.Develop Stud/revue canadienne detudes du development, 2020, 42 (1-2), 145-164.
ID: 62677
Title: Use of machine learning algorithms for damage estimation of reinforced concrete buildings
Author: Swapnil Nayan and Pradeep Kumar Ramancharla
Editor: S.K.Satheesh
Year: 2022
Publisher: Current Science Association and Indian Academy of Sciences.
Source: ENVIS, CES & EWRG, CES
Reference: Current Science Vol. 122 (4) 439-447 (2022)
Subject: Use of machine learning algorithms for damage estimation of reinforced concrete buildings
Keywords: Damage estimation, earthquakes, machine learning, rapid visual screening, reinforced concrete building
Abstract: Identifying the vulnerabilities in a building is a crucial step towards earthquake risk mitigation. Rapid visual screening is quick and popular method for seismic vulnerability assessment. It helps identify buildings that require detailed investigation, which is done by modelling using seismic analysis software. This is a time-consuming and resource-intensive task. This article proposes the use of machine learning to bypass the seismic analysis of buildings. A case study using 1296 building models and maximum inter-storey drift ratio as the measure of damage has been presented. Random forest gives the best prediction accuracy in the study.
Location: T E 15 New Biology building
Literature cited 1: Pradeep, K.R. and Murty, C.V.R., Earthquake safety of houses in India: understanding the bottlenecks in implementation. Indian Concr. J., 2014, 88(9), 5163.
Srikanth,T. et al., Earthquake vulnerability assessment of existing buildings in Gandhidham and Adipur cities, Kachchh, Gujarat(India).Eur. J. Sci., Res., 2010, 41 (3), 336-353.
Literature cited 2: Murty, C.V.R., et al., A methodology for documenting housing typologies in the moderate-severe seismic zones. In the 15th World Conference on Earthquake Engineering, Lisbon, Portugal, September 2012.
Chou, J.-S. et al., Machine learning in concrete strength simulations: multi-nation data analytics. Construct. Build. Mater., 2014, 73, 771-780; doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2014.09.054.
ID: 62676
Title: Evaluation of chemopreventive potential of xanthone from Swertia chitrata against DMBA/croton oil-induced chemical carcinogenesis in Swiss mice
Author: Atish Barua, Pritha Choudhary, Chinmay Kumar Panda and Prosenjit Saha
Editor: S.K.Satheesh
Year: 2022
Publisher: Current Science Association and Indian Academy of Sciences.
Source: ENVIS, CES & EWRG, CES
Reference: Current Science Vol. 122 (4) 429-438 (2022)
Subject: Evaluation of chemopreventive potential of xanthone from Swertia chitrata against DMBA/croton oil-induced chemical carcinogenesis in Swiss mice
Keywords: Attributable risk, carcinogenesis, chemopreventive efficiency, mice, Swertia chitrata, xanthone
Abstract: The present study was designed to determine the chemo-preventive efficiency of 1,5,8-trihydroxy-3-methoxy xanthone, abbreviated as TMX, isolated and purified from the aerial part of the plant Swertia chirata against 9,10-dimethylbenz [a] anthracene (DMBA)/croton oil induced skin cancer, and probe into the molecular mechanism. All the mice in the carcinogen control group developed severe dysplastic lesions after the 14th week of application of the carcinogen, which progressed to carcinoma in situ around the 20 the week; this was validated histologically. However, after TMX treatment, only around 50% of mice developed papilloma which histologically was found to be restrictive to moderate to severe hyperplastic change in the 14th and 20thj week. The chemopreventive potential was determined by calculating the attributable risk (AR), which was -11.3 for the 14th week and increased up to -17.5 for the 20th week. To ascertain the effect of TMX treatment of inflammation, the effect of TMX on inflammatory cytokines was studied by ELISA. It revealed a significant reduction in inflammation upon TMX treatment for the 20th week. As TMX could hold its chemopreventive potential up to the 20t week, the molecular mechanism of restriction was studied for the 20th week of treatment. Skin forms a rich source of stem cells which orchestrate the progression of carcinogenesis and become cancer stem cells (CSCs).ẞ-Catenin and KRAS are known central modulators of CSCs, that play a crucial role in the progression of skin carcinogenesis. We observed that TMX treatment inhibited KRAS and nuclear translocation of ẞ-catenin causing its cytoplasmic degradation of P-53 and P-21-mediated pathway, thereby exerting its chemopreventive potential.
Location: T E 15 New Biology building
Literature cited 1: Hennings, H .et al., Critical aspects of initiation, promotion, and progression in multistage epidermal carcinogenesis. Proc. Soc. Exp. Biol. Med., 1993, 202, -8.
Slaga, T.J., Budunova, I.V., Gimenez-Conti, I.B. and Aldaz, C.M., The mouse skin carcinogenesis model.J.Invest.Dermatol.Symp.Proc., 996, 1, 151-156.
Literature cited 2: Behrens, J. et al., Functional interaction of an axin homolog, conductin, with beta-catenin, APC, and GSK3beta.Science, 1998, 280, 596-599.
Huang, H. and He, X., Wnt/ẞ-catenin signalling: new (and old) players and new insights. Curr. Opin. Cell Biol., 2008, 20, 119-125.
ID: 62675
Title: Coal dust monitoring and computational simulations of dust dispersion in continuous miner development heading through auxiliary ventilation systems
Author: Aashish Sahu and Devi Prasad Mishra
Editor: S.K.Satheesh
Year: 2022
Publisher: Current Science Association and Indian Academy of Sciences.
Source: ENVIS, CES & EWRG, CES
Reference: Current Science Vol. 122 (4) 419-428 (2022)
Subject: Coal dust monitoring and computational simulations of dust dispersion in continuous miner development heading through auxiliary ventilation systems
Keywords: Auxiliary ventilation systems, coal dust, computational simulation, development headings, dispersion, line brattice, underground coal mines.
Abstract: Dispersing coal dust to a safe level near the mining face is of utmost importance for maintaining a safe and healthy workplace environment in any mine. The huge amount of coal dust generated during coal winning near a mine development heading is generally dispersed through auxiliary ventilation systems. In this study, dispersion of coal dust in a continuous miner development heading was analysed with five different auxiliary ventilation systems through computational fluid dynamics simulations, and their efficacy of dust dispersal to a safe level was compared. The dust concentration in the heading developed by continuous miner was monitored by a Grimm aerosol spectrophotometer. The k-e turbulence model was used to perform 3D computational simulation utilizing real mine data. This study provided an insight into the dispersion behaviour of coal dust in the development heading with diverse auxiliary ventilation systems. The line brattice system proved to be the most effective means of dust dispersion. Nonetheless, better dispersion of coal dust in the development heading as achieved at line brattice distance of 0.75 and 1.0 m from the side well.
Location: T E 15 New Biology building
Literature cited 1: Chen, H., Feng, Q., Long, R. and Qi, H., Focusing on coal miners; occupational disease issues: a comparative analysis between China and the united States.Saf.Sci., 2013, 51, 217-222; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssci.2012.06.025.
Ebadat, V., Dust explosion hazard assessment .J. Loss Prev. Process Ind., 2010, 23, 907-912; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jlp.2010.05.006.
Literature cited 2: Abbasi, T. and Abbasi, S.A., Dust explosions-cases, causes, consequences and control.J.Hazard.Mater, 2007, 140, 7-44; https: //doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2006.11.007.
Cashdollar, K.L, Coal dust explosibility. J. Loss Prev. Process Ind., 1996, 9, 65-76.
ID: 62674
Title: Design and optimization of solar parabolic through collector with evacuated absorber by grey relational analysis
Author: S.Arun Kumar and K.Ramesh
Editor: S.K.Satheesh
Year: 2022
Publisher: Current Science Association and Indian Academy of Sciences.
Source: ENVIS, CES & EWRG, CES
Reference: Current Science Vol. 122 (4) 410-418 (2022)
Subject: Design and optimization of solar parabolic through collector with evacuated absorber by grey relational analysis
Keywords: Evacuated absorber, grey relational analysis, parabolic through collector, performance analysis, solar energy
Abstract: Solar energy that contains bright heat and light from the sun is often controlled using modern technology such as photovoltaic, solar heating, artificial photosynthesis, solar architecture and solar thermal electricity. This study concerned with an experimental analysis of solar parabolic through collector. The sunlight is reflected from the parabolic through surface and focused on the evacuated absorber tube. The through is usually aligned to the N-S axis and can be rotated normally according to the sun position from east to west. We have studied the potential of a solar thermal system for hot-water generation. The parabolic through concentrator was made of galvanized sheet metal on which solar reflective films were pasted. The heat transfer fluid, viz. water runs through absorber tube and absorbs concentrated heat energy. It has been designed with principal focus 0.1 m from the vertex so that the receiver heat loss is minimized. Data were collected on water inlet temperature, outlet temperature of the heat transfer fluid, solar radiation and water flow rate (days) during March to May 2019 at Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India. Also, the processing parameters were optimized because they are the key factors affecting the performance of the solar collector. Grey relational analysis was used to solve the optimization. Through confirmatory experiments, the input variables such as time, angle of tracking and solar radiation, as well as output variables such as inlet temperature, outlet temperature and efficiency were obtained, and the optimal conditions were verified. AA suitable choice of input parameters such as tracking angle of 120°provides a high efficiency rate at 2 pm for March, April and May.
Location: T E 15 New Biology building
Literature cited 1: Wang, Y., Liu, Q., Lei, J. and Jin, H., Performance analysis of a parabolic trough solar collector with non-uniform solar flux conditions. Int. J. Heat Mass Transfer, 2015, 82, 236-249.
Montes, I.E.P., Benitez, A.M., Chavez, O.M., and Herrera, A.E., L., Design and construction of a parabolic through solar collector for process heat production. Energy Procedia, 2014, 57, 2149-2158.
Literature cited 2: Gao, X.-H., Guo, Z.-M, Geng, Q,-F., Ma, P.J., Wang, A.-Q. and Liu, G., Microstructure, chromaticity and thermal stability of SS/TiC-WC/Al203 spectrally selective solar absorbers. Sol. Energy Mater.Sol.Cells, 2017, 164, 63-69.
Kalidasan, B., Shankar, R. and Srinivas, T., Absorber tube with internal hinged blades for solar parabolic trough collector. Energy Procedia, 2016, 90, 463-469.
ID: 62673
Title: Development of carbon membrane for CO2/N2 and CO2/CH4 separation
Author: Abdulaziz A.Alomair
Editor: S.K.Satheesh
Year: 2022
Publisher: Current Science Association and Indian Academy of Sciences.
Source: ENVIS, CES & EWRG, CES
Reference: Current Science Vol. 122 (4) 405-409 (2022)
Subject: Development of carbon membrane for CO2/N2 and CO2/CH4 separation
Keywords: Carbon membrane, greenhouse gases, pyrolysis temperature, separation mechanism, sucrose precursor
Abstract: Carbon membranes were prepared using stainless steel supports and evaluated for the separation of two mixtures, i.e., CO2/N2 and CO2/CH4.The effect of several operating variables, including temperature, pressure and precursor concentration was examined. In this study, carbon membranes were synthesized using a sucrose precursor. Sucrose was subjected to pyrolysis in the temperature range 300-700°C, leading to the complete formation of carbon structure. The gas separation characteristics of the produced membranes were estimated by evaluating CO2, CH4 and N2 permeation. The highest selectively obtained for CO2/CH4 and CO2/N2 was 164 and 1.41 respectively. The emphasis towards CO2/CH4 and CO2/N2 separation is due to their importance and direct relevance to the gas industry processes.
Location: T E 15 New Biology building
Literature cited 1: Torres, F. , Gutierrez, J., Ruiz, L. Bertuzzi, M .and Erdmann, E., Comparative analysis of absorption, membrane, and hybrid technologies for CO2 recovery. J. Nat. Gas Sci. Eng., 2021, 94, 104082.
Zeppini, P. and van den Bergh, J., Global competition dynamics of fossil fuels and renewable energy under climate policies and peak oil: a behavioural model. Energy Policy, 2020, 136, 110907.
Literature cited 2: Benhelal, E., Shamsaei, E. and Rashid, M., Challenges against CO2 abatement strategies in cement industry: a review .J. Environ. Sci., 2021, 104, 84-101.
Song, C, Liu, Q., Deng, S., Li, H. and Kitamura, Y., Cryogenic based CO2 capture technologies: state-of-the-art developments and current challenges. Renew. Sustain. Energy Rev., 2019, 101, 265-278.
ID: 62672
Title: Policy perspectives on agricultural water management and associated technologies suitable for different agro-climatic zones of West Bengal, India
Author: K.G.Mandal, A.K.Thakur, R.K.Momhanty, A.Mishra, Subhas Sinha and Benukar Biswas
Editor: S.K.Satheesh
Year: 2022
Publisher: Current Science Association and Indian Academy of Sciences.
Source: ENVIS, CES & EWRG, CES
Reference: Current Science Vol. 122 (4) 386-395 (2022)
Subject: Policy perspectives on agricultural water management and associated technologies suitable for different agro-climatic zones of West Bengal, India
Keywords: Agricultural technology, agro-climatic zones, policy, water management, water-use efficiency
Abstract: Agriculturally, West Bengal is one of the major productive states in India. It has made significant contributions to the gross state value added through agriculture and allied sectors, and water management is the most vital component to ensure stability and sustainability in agricultural production systems. There is increasing uncertainty in availability, o site-specific excess of water due to climate change. These call for strategic management of this important natural resource to achieve one of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG No.6) set by the United Nations, i.e., ensuring availability and sustainability in water management, and also providing sanitation to all by 2030.This eastern-Indian taste has six distinct agro-climatic zones (ACZs) based on its varied physiography, land, soil, weather, cropping pattern, vegetation and other characteristic features. Both water scarcity and water excess are intricately associated with the agricultural activities in the state, which demand integrated approach in the management of water resources and their efficient utilization. Here we elucidate the agricultural importance, distinctive features and constraints of six ACZs, provide an account of the water supply and demand, potential options to increase water-use efficiency, suitable technologies and zone-wise policy perspectives on water management in agriculture and allied sectors in West Bengal.
Location: T E 15 New Biology building
Literature cited 1: UN-DESA, Sustainable Development Goal 6: ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all. Division for Sustainable Development Goals, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, United Nations Secretariat Building, New York, USA, 2020; https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdg6
DES, Agricultural Statistics at a Glance-2019, Directorate of Economics and Statistics at a Glance-2019, Directorate of Economics and Statistics, Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (MoAFW), Government of India (GoI), 2020; www.agricoop.nic.in and http://eands.dacnet.nic.in.
Literature cited 2: Bandopadhyay, S., Kar, N.S., Das, S. and Sen, J., River systems and water resources of West Bengal: a review .Geol.Soc.India.Spec.Publ., 2014, 3, 63-84.
Bhuin, P.K., Sustainable water resources management in West Bengal: a review .Bhatter Coll.J.Multidiscip.Stud., 2014, 4, 94-104.
ID: 62671
Title: Orthopaedic segment in Indi –from pandemic dormancy to a better future
Author: Arvind Kumar Prajapati and Manoj Komath
Editor: S.K.Satheesh
Year: 2022
Publisher: Current Science Association and Indian Academy of Sciences.
Source: ENVIS, CES & EWRG, CES
Reference: Current Science Vol. 122 (4) 380-384 (2022)
Subject: Orthopaedic segment in Indi –from pandemic dormancy to a better future
Keywords: Orthopaedic segment, pandemic dormancy, India
Abstract: The world has been paralysed by corona virus variants for the past 2 years which has affected all the realms of activities of society. Its effect on the medical field was two-fold-on one side there was stress to handle the large inflow of highly contagious cases, while on the other, healthcare priorities got skewed towards COVID-19 care. Within a short time, frame after the first report of coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) in China in December 2019, it has spread as an epidemic and progressed to a pandemic, percolating through the boundaries of countries. There was patient overflow in medical-care facilities across the world due to the escalation of symptomatic patients at each surge of new variants of the corona virus. The highly contagious nature of the virus has put additional pressure of handling the situation with proper level of infection-control measures. Strategies of dealing with the pandemic have been implemented aggressively in all countries. The most notable change was shift from patient-centered to public-centered health care. It was inevitable, but had put limits to speciality care, especially the effective services.
Location: T E 15 New Biology building
Literature cited 1: MacCrimmon, H.R.,J. Fish Board Can,1971, 28 (5) , 663-704.
Dya, F., Report on the freshwater fish and fisheries of India and Burma .Suptd. Govt Printing Press, Calcutta, 1873, p.118.
Literature cited 2: Mackay, W.S.S., J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc., 1945, 45(3 and 4), 352-373; 542-547.
Kuruppan, In Proceedings of the National Workshop on Research and Development needs of Coldwater Fisheries, Haldwani, 1989, abstr.no.12.
ID: 62670
Title: Bioengineers are close to finding a cure for arthritis
Author: Arjun R. Krishnan
Editor: S.K.Satheesh
Year: 2022
Publisher: Current Science Association and Indian Academy of Sciences.
Source: ENVIS, CES & EWRG, CES
Reference: Current Science Vol. 122 (4) 371-371 (2022)
Subject: Bioengineers are close to finding a cure for arthritis
Keywords: Bioengineers, cure, arthritis
Abstract: Arthritis is a widespread health issue that has affected more than 350 million people worldwide and is leading cause of disability. It occurs due to inflammation of one or more joints, such as the knees, knuckles, wrists or ankles. Normally, cartilage cushions protect these areas, but injury or ageing can wear them down. As the cartilage deteriorates, bones begin to rub against each other, making ordinary tasks like walking stressful. According to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), USA, approximately 58.5 million people in the US suffer from arthritis, costing those 303.5 billion dollars each year. There are over 100 distinct variants of arthritis that affect individuals of all ages, races, genders-though women are more likely to suffer than men-a people of all ages, from new-borns to the elderly. Contrary to common notion, arthritis is not a disease of the old.
Location: T E 15 New Biology building
Literature cited 1: Liu, Y. et al., Sci. Transl.Med., 2022; doi: 10.1126/scitranslmed. abi7282.
Literature cited 2:
ID: 62669
Title: Solar photovoltaic pump sets as a substitute for conventional pump sets
Author: Rajan Aggarwal, Sanjay Satpute and Simranpreet Kaur
Editor: S.K.Satheesh
Year: 2022
Publisher: Current Science Association and Indian Academy of Sciences.
Source: ENVIS, CES & EWRG, CES
Reference: Current Science Vol. 122 (3)337-343 (2022)
Subject: Solar photovoltaic pump sets as a substitute for conventional pump sets
Keywords: Energy demand, renewable resources, solar photovoltaic pumps, tube wells
Abstract: The growing energy demand for feeding the ever-increasing population has triggered the issue of energy security. This has made it essential to utilize the untapped potential of renewable resources. Punjab, India, has great potential of generating solar energy. In the present study, the cost of running electrical and diesel tube well as been estimated along with the cost of replacement of the conventional pump sets with solar photovoltaic (SPV) pump sets. It was found that the cost of running the electric and diesel –operated pump sets for shallow and medium tube wells was almost Rs 73.9 million per year. If these are replaced by SPV pump sets, then installation cost of the latter is Rs 212.71 billion without subsidy. According to the Government scheme, the farmer’s share is Rs 96.18 billion, and the Government share is Rs 132.71 billion. Further, with replacements using the solar pumping system, green energy will be available and additional energy can be released into the grid system. This might be especially true for a state like Punjab, where 30-35 % electricity is consumed in the agricultural sector for irrigating about 72% of the total irrigated are (99%) pump sets are expected to reduce as it is gaining popularity. Also, with the advancement of technology, electronic goods are becoming cheaper and compact.
Location: T E 15 New Biology building
Literature cited 1: Anon, Installation of Off-grid solar pumps (AC) both surface and submersible ( capacity 3,5, 7.5 and 10 HP) for irrigation in agriculture sector (Punjab) under component-B of PM-KUSUM Scheme, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, GoI, 2020.
Frohlich, C. and Lean, J., Total solar irradiance variations: the construction of a composite and its comparison with models. In Symposium-International Astronomical Union, 1998, vol.185, pp.89-102.
Literature cited 2: Sudhakar, K., Srivastava, TRT., Satpathy, G., and Premalatha,M., Modelling and estimation of photosynthetically active incident radiation based on global irradiance in Indian latitudes.Int.J.Energy Environ.Eng., 2013, 4(21) , 2-8.
Anon., Fifth Minor Irrigation Census of India Report, 2013-14, Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Government of Indi a (GoI), 2017.
ID: 62668
Title: Groundwater evidences in confirmation of palaeo-course of Assi River in Uttar Pradesh, India
Author: Mallikarjun Mishra and K.N.Prudhvi Raju
Editor: S.K.Satheesh
Year: 2022
Publisher: Current Science Association and Indian Academy of Sciences.
Source: ENVIS, CES & EWRG, CES
Reference: Current Science Vol. 122 (3)333-337 (2022)
Subject: Groundwater evidences in confirmation of palaeo-course of Assi River in Uttar Pradesh, India
Keywords: Groundwater, open wells and ponds, palaeocourse, remote sensing
Abstract: The palaeo-course of the Assi river in Uttar Pradesh, India was delineated through visual image impressions using remote sensing data .To corroborate on the existence of this palaeo-course 192 open wells and several ponds long and within the palaeo-course were observed showing very shallow groundwater table, Also, eight trenches dug within the channel and over the natural levees confirmed the existence of very shallow ground water conditions. The observations of wells were made, and trenches were dug during January-February 2020, by which time most of the ponds away from the channel dry out and the water column in the wells outside the course is reduced compared to the ponds and wells located over the banks and wells within the palaeo-course and outside it corroborates the existence of the Assi palaeo-course.
Location: T E 15 New Biology building
Literature cited 1: Mishra, M., Raju, K.N.P. and Raju, P.V., Palaeo and present channel of Assi river , Uttar Pradesh ,India.Curr.Sci.,2020, 118, 630-639.
Mishra, M., Spatial data generation of Assi river in Varanasi and delineation of its palaeocourse, Banaras Hindu University, 2020; http://hdl.handle.net/10603/346183.
Literature cited 2: Ghose,B., Kar, A. and Hussain, Z., The Lost Courses of the Saraswati River in the Great Indian Desert: New Evidence from Landsat Imagery, The Geographical Journal, The Royal Geographical Society ( with the Institute of British Geographers) , 1979, vol.145, pp.446-451.
Kar, A. and Ghose, B., The Drishadvati river system of India: an assessment and new findings. Geogr. J., 194, 150, 221.
ID: 62667
Title: Potential of native forest leaves to modulate in vitro rumen fermentation and mitigate methane emission
Author: Shilpa Choudhary, Ashok Santra, Srobana Sarkar, Ajoy Mandal and Subrata Kumar Das
Editor: S.K.Satheesh
Year: 2022
Publisher: Current Science Association and Indian Academy of Sciences.
Source: ENVIS, CES & EWRG, CES
Reference: Current Science Vol. 122 (3)322-327 (2022)
Subject: Potential of native forest leaves to modulate in vitro rumen fermentation and mitigate methane emission
Keywords: Fodder supplement, hilly regions, methano-genesis, rumen fermentation, tree foliage
Abstract: Tree foliages rich in phytochemicals can be used as sustainable fodder for livestock to modulate rumen fermentation for cleaner and improved production. Samples of nine different forest tree leaves were collected from hilly regions of Arunachal Pradesh, India to study their effect on in vitro rumen fermentation and methane production. After 24 h of incubation, highest (P<0.05) gas production (ml/g DM/24 h) was observed in Symplocos racemosa among the leaves. Methane production (ml/g DDM/24 h) was lowest (P<0.05) in Symplocos crataegoides followed by Berberis aristata leaves, while in vitro true dry matter digestibility was highest (P<0.05) for Berberis aristata leaves. In case of rumen fermentation attributes, B.aristata an S.crataegoides produced maximum volatile fatty acid and microbial biomass amongst other screened leaves. Therefore, these leaves can be used as a fodder supplement to address feed scarcity and reduce methanogenesis in ruminants of the Northeast hilly regions of India.
Location: T E 15 New Biology building
Literature cited 1: Malik, P.K., Kolite, A.P., Dhali, A., Sejiian, V., Thirumalaisamy,G., Gupta, R. and Bhatta, R., GHG emissions from livestock : challenges and ameliorative measures to counter adversity. In Green house Gases-Selected Case studies (ed. Manning, A.J.) Rijeka, Croatia, 2016, pp.1-16.
Patra, A.K., Min. B.R., and Saxena, J., Dietary tannins on microbial ecology of the gastrointestinal tract in ruminants. In Dietary Phytochemicals and Microbes, Vol.237 (ed.Patra, A.K.) Springer, Dordrecht, The Netherlands, 2012, p.62.
Literature cited 2: Bhatt,R.S., Sahoo, A., Sarkar, S., Saxena, V.K., Soni, L., Sharma, P. and Gadekar, Y.P., Dietary inclusion of nonconventional roughages for lowering enteric methane production and augmenting nutraceutical value of met in cull sheep.Anim.Feed ci.Technol., 2021, 273, 114832.
Choudhary, S., Santra, A., Sarkar, S., and Das, S.K., In vitro digestibility and fermentation kinetics of some northeastern Himalayan tree leaves using cattle rumen fluid as inoculums. Indian J. Anim. Sci., 2018, 88, 108-1089.
ID: 62666
Title: Commercial agriculture inside reserve forests-the case of natural rubber cultivation in Kanyakumari district, Tamil Nadu, India
Author: James Jacob and B. Pradeep
Editor: S.K.Satheesh
Year: 2022
Publisher: Current Science Association and Indian Academy of Sciences.
Source: ENVIS, CES & EWRG, CES
Reference: Current Science Vol. 122 (3) 319-322 (2022)
Subject: Commercial agriculture inside reserve forests-the case of natural rubber cultivation in Kanyakumari district, Tamil Nadu, India
Keywords: Ecological conservation, GIS, reserve forests, rubber plantations, satellite data, Western Ghats
Abstract: Satellite-based remote sensing data was used in on junction with toposheets of forest maps to estimate the extent of natural rubber cultivation existing inside reserve forests and their immediate peripheries in Kanyakumari district. The study revealed that nearly 15% of the total natural rubber cultivated area in the district was inside reserve forest and another 14% was within a radius of 500 m from the forest boundary. Ironically the entire natural rubber cultivated inside the forests and bulk of that existed adjacent to the forests were owned by a public sector undertaking (PSU) of the state government. This PSU was formed in 1984 with the objective of rehabiliting the SriLankan Tamil repatriates. There are more such PSU plantations inside and adjacent to forest periphery in Tamil Nadu. Kerala and Karnataka that were established with equally noble causes, but they put severe pressure on the forests, fragmenting them and blocking wildlife corridors. Incidents of man-wild life conflicts are not prospection is needed about the ecological, economic and social sustainability of these commercial PSU plantations developed inside and close to forests and whether they should be now reverted to forests and set a new and bold example for conservations. The current generation of plantation workers who are descendants of Sri Lankan Tamil repatriates should be trained for better jobs elsewhere.
Location: T E 15 New Biology building
Literature cited 1: Chakraborty, K., Sudhakar, S., Sarma, K.K., Raju, P.L.N. and Das A.K. Recognizing the rapid expansion of rubber plantation-a threat to native forest in parts of northeast India. Curr. Sci., 2018, 114(1), 207-213.
Reddy, C.S., Jha, C.S., and Dadhwal, V.K., Assessment and monitoring of long-term forest cover changes (1920-2013) in Western Ghats biodiversity hotspot. J. Earth Syst. Sci., 2016, 125, 103-114.
Literature cited 2: Thomas, S. and Jacob, J., The Gadgil-Kasturirangan reports on Western Ghats and concerns of the plantation sector. Rubber Sci., 2013, 26, 167-174.
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ID: 62665
Title: Imputation of trip data for a docked bike-sharing system
Author: Milan Mathew Thomas, Ashish Verma and Sai Kiran Mayakuntla
Editor: S.K.Satheesh
Year: 2022
Publisher: Current Science Association and Indian Academy of Sciences.
Source: ENVIS, CES & EWRG, CES
Reference: Current Science Vol. 122 (3) 310-318 (2022)
Subject: Imputation of trip data for a docked bike-sharing system
Keywords: Bike –sharing system, imputation, incomplete records, origin and destination, probabilistic and machine learning approaches, trip data
Abstract: Mobile application-based transportation services are reshaping the urban transportation industries of both the developed and developing worlds. They generate massive amounts of data, which have the potential to provide deeper insights into urban travel activity than ever before. The bike-sharing service (BSS) market is growing at a breakneck pace with new service the failure of several BSS start-ups in India in recent years. All these cases have one aspect in common: user dissatisfaction because of insufficient/ineffective rebalancing approaches. The BSS operators rely on data insights to drive their policies and strategies. However, the data generated by these services are found to have several incomplete records as a result of various technical errors, like missing origin/destination. As a most BSS modelling focuses on trip origin and destination, completely ignoring (or list wise deleting) trips with missing information results in the loss of valuable data that are still present in other observed variables, which include trip duration, date and time of the trip, and so on. This study proposes two methods for imputing missing data: (1) a probabilistic approach based on Bayes’ theorem, and (ii) a machine learning approach based on the k-nearest neighbour algorithm. The methodologies for their analyses are presented in detail. Data from a BSS that operated in the Indian Institute of Science campus, Bengaluru, India, are used to illustrate the proposed approaches. This is followed by a brief discussion of the results and a comparison of the performance.
Location: T E 15 New Biology building
Literature cited 1: Park, S., Kim, B. and Lee, J., Social distancing and outdoor physical activity during the COVID-19 outbreak in South Korea: implication for physical distancing strategies. Asia Pac. J. Public Health, 2020, 32, 360-362.
Glass, C., Appiah-Opoku,S., Weber,J.,Jr.Steven L. Jones, Chan, A. and Oppong, J., Role of bikeshare programs in transit-oriented development: case of Birmingham,Alabama.J.Urban Plann.Dev., 2020, 146, 1-9.
Literature cited 2: Nguyen, M.H., Armoogum, J., Madre, J.L. and Garcia, C., Reviewing trip purpose imputation in GPS-based travel surveys. J. Traffic. Transp. Eng. (Eng. Ed), 2020,7, 395-412.
Liu, X., Methods for handling missing data. In Methods and Applications of Longitudinal Data Analysis, Academic Press, Imprint, 2016, pp.441-473; ISBN978-0-12-801342-7; http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-801342-7.00014-9.
ID: 62664
Title: Kerala Bird Atlas 2015-20: features, outcomes and implications of a citizen –science project
Author: Kerala Bird Atlas Team (225 authors)
Editor: S.K.Satheesh
Year: 2022
Publisher: Current Science Association and Indian Academy of Sciences.
Source: ENVIS, CES & EWRG, CES
Reference: Current Science Vol. 122 (3) 298-309 (2022)
Subject: Kerala Bird Atlas 2015-20: features, outcomes and implications of a citizen –science project
Keywords: Bird atlas, bird watching, citizen-science, Indian ornithology, Kerala, Western Ghats
Abstract: Citizen-science driven exercises (e.g., bird surveys) and online platforms (e.g., eBird) provide voluminous data on bird occurrence. However, the semi-structured nature of their data collection makes it difficult to compare bird distribution across space and time. Bird atlases are based on standardized surveys and describe the distribution of bird species better suited for use in research. The recently concluded Kerala Bird Atlas (henceforth KBA) is Asia’s largest bird atlas in terms of geographical extent, sampling effort and species coverage. The entire state of Kerala was systematically surveyed twice a year during 2015-20 and over 0.3 million records of 380 species from 25,000 checklists were aggregated. The data set was filtered, and various metrics were estimated. A total of 915 cells were laid out for systematic surveys, of which 888 were surveyed in either or both the seasons-dry season (January-March) and wet season (July –September); 27 cells could not be surveyed in either of the seasons due to logistical constraints. However, this variation in sampling effort had a minimal effect on survey completeness. The slope of the species accumulation curve suggested near-complete species sampling in over 70% of the cells. After eliminating nocturnal and pelagic species, data from 361 species were analysed. Species count was higher in the dry season than in the wet season. Species richness (count) and evenness were higher in the northern and central districts than in the southern districts. High elevation regions of the southern Western Ghats were that largest contiguous areas lacking sufficient sampling. We found that most of the endemics were concentrated in the Western Ghats, but threatened species were as likely to occur along the coasts as in the Ghats. The KBA dataset is valuable resources for testing various ecological hypotheses and suggesting science-backed conservation measues.KBA model could be replicated for similar atlases in other states or biogeographic regions of India.
Location: T E 15 New Biology building
Literature cited 1: Guisan, A., Lehmann, A., Ferrier, S., Austin, M., Overton, M.C., Aspinall, R. and Hastie, T., Making better biogeographical predictions of species distribution. J.Appl.Ecol., 2006, 43, 386-392.
Gibbons, D.W., Donald, P.F., Bauer, H.G., Fornasari, L. and Dawson, I.K., Mapping avian distributions: the evolution of bird atlases. Bird Study, 2007, 54 (3), 324-334.
Literature cited 2: eBird: an online database of bird distribution and abundance (web application).Cornell Lab Ornithology, Ithaca, New York, 2021; http://www.ebird.org.
Sullivan, B.L., Wood, C.L., Iliff, M.J., Bonney, R.E., Fink, D. and Kelling, S., eBird: acitizen-based observation network in the biological sciences. Biol. Conserv., 2009, 142, 2282-2292.