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ID: 59662
Title: The essential oil of ' bhang ' (Cannabis sativa L.) for non-narcotic applications
Author: Ram S. Verma, Rajendra C. Padalia, Sajendra K. Verma, Amit chauhan and Mahendra P. Darokar.
Editor: R. Srinivasan.
Year: 2014
Publisher: Current Science Association and Indian Academy of Sciences.
Source: Centre for Ecological Sciences
Reference: Current Science Vol. 107 (4) 645-650 (2014)
Subject: Current Science.
Keywords: Antibacterial activity, Cannabis sativa, essential oil composition, non-narcotic applications.
Abstract: Cannabis sativa L. (family cannabaceae) is a medicinal and aromatic plant growing all over the world. The present study aims to investigate the essential oil composition and antimicrobial activity of C. sativa from the foothills of northern India. The hydro distilled essential oil of C. sativa was studied by capillary gas chromatography /flame ionization detector (GC-FID) and GC-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and evaluated against nine pathogenic bacterial strains using disc diffusion assay. A total of 57 constituents representing 90.5-93.1% of the total oil compositions were identified. Major constituents of the essential oil were (E) -caryophyllene (19.6-26.1%), limnonene (4.1-15.8%), caryophyllene oxide (2.0-10.7%), (E)-?-farnesene (4.8-8.5%), ?-humulene (5.4-7.8%), ?-pinene (0.7-7.7%),myrcene (0.8-6.0%), terpinolene (0.2-6.0%) and ?-selinene (1.8-5.4%). The oil showed moderate to good activity against most of the tested Gram-positive bacteria (staphylococcus aureus (MTCC2940), staphylococcus aureus (MTCC96) and streptococcus mutants ). The oil also showed moderate activity against a Gram-negative bacterium, salmonella typhimurium. The chemical composition of the examined c.sativa essential oil was quite different from earlier reported compositions. The oil possessed moderate to good activity against most of the tested bacterial strains.
Location: TE 12 New Biology Building
Literature cited 1: Chopra, I.C. and chopra, R.N., The use of the cannabis drugs in India. Bull. Narcotics, 1957, 9, 4-29. Sachindra, N. and pradhan, A., Marijuana Drug Abuse: Clinical and Basic Aspects , The C.V. Mosby Company, Saint Louis, USA, 1977,PP.148-173.
Literature cited 2: Ayenigbara, G.O., Medical utility of Cannabis sativa. IOSR J. Pharm., 2012, 2(3), 460-463. Khare, C.P., Indian Medicinal plants: An Illustrated Dictionary, springer-verlag, Berlin, 2007, p.116.

ID: 59661
Title: Species and acoustic diversity of bats in a Palaeotropical wet evergreen forests in Southern India.
Author: H. Raghuram, M. Jain and R. Balakrishnan.
Editor: R. Srinivasan.
Year: 2014
Publisher: Current Science Association and Indian Academy of Sciences.
Source: Centre for Ecological Sciences
Reference: Current Science Vol. 107 (4) 631-641 (2014)
Subject: Current Science.
Keywords: Bats, echolocation, species diversity, wet evergreen forest.
Abstract: The Western Ghats of India is among the top 25 biodiversity hotspots in the world. About 43% of the reported 117 bat species in India are found in this region, but few quantitative studies of bat echolocation calls and diversity have been carried out here thus far. A quantitative study of bat diversity was therefore conducted using standard techniques, including mist -netting, acoustical and roost surveys in the wet evergreen forests of kudremukh National park in the Western Ghats of Karnataka. A total of 106 bats were caught over 108 sampling nights, representing 17 species, 3 belonging to Megachiroptera and 14 to Microchiroptera. Acoustical and roost surveys added three more species, two from Microchiroptera and one from Megachiroptera. Of these 20 species, 4 belonged to the family Pteropodidae, 10 to vespertilionidae, 3 to Rhinolophidae, 2 to Megadermatidae and 1 to Hipposideridae, 2 to Megadermatidae and 1 to Hipposideridae. We recorded the echolocation calls of 13 of the 16 microchiropteran species, of which the calls 13 of the 16 micro chiropteran species, of which the calls of 4 species (pipistrellus coromandra, pipistrellus affinis, pipistrellus ceylonicus and Harpiocephalus harpia) have been recorded for the first time. Discriminant function analyses of the calls of 11 species provided 91.7% correct classification of individuals to their respective species, indicating that the echolocation calls could be used successfully for non-invasive acoustic surveys and monitoring of bat species in the future.
Location: TE 12 New Biology Building
Literature cited 1: Simmons, N.B., order Chiroptera. In Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (eds Wilson, D.E. and Reeder, D.M) , John Hopkins University press. Maryland, 2005, pp. 312-529. Clarke, F.M., Pio, D.V. and Racey, P.A., A comparison of logging systems and bat diversity in the Neotropics .Conserv.Biol. 2005, 19, 1194-1204
Literature cited 2: Clarke, F.M., Rostant, L.V. and Racey, P.A., Life after logging: post-logging recovery of a geotropically bat community. J. Appl. Ecol., 2005, 42,409-420. Jones, G., Jacobs, D.S., Kunz, T.H., Willing, M.R. and Racey, P.A., Carpe noctem: the importance of bats as bioindicators. Endang. Species Res., 2009, 8, 93-115.

ID: 59660
Title: Reassessment of the distribution and threat status of the Western Ghats endemic bird, Nilgiri Pipit Anthus nilghiriensis.
Author: V.V. Robin, C.K. Vishnudas and Uma Ramakrishnan
Editor: R. Srinivasan.
Year: 2014
Publisher: Current Science Association and Indian Academy of Sciences.
Source: Centre for Ecological Sciences
Reference: Current Science Vol. 107 (4) 622-630 (2014)
Subject: Current Science.
Keywords: Anthus nilghiriensis, endemic bird, montane grasslands, shoal forest, threat status.
Abstract: Montane grasslands in India face threats from habitat modification and climate change, but have received little conservation attention. In the Western Ghats, 55-80% of this habitat has been converted to commercial and non-commercial plantations. We examine the the distribution of a range-restricted, grassland -endemic bird, the nilgiri pipit Anthus nilghiriensis through both field work and literature survey. We combine our mist-net-based capture data with museum records that appear to indicate a smaller distributional range for the species is limited to grasslands above 1900 m. Using GIS methodology, we estimate the area of this habitat to be only 441 sq.km. spread over just two mountain -tops, our analyses indicate a drastic reduction from the presently projected distribution, making this species one of the most restricted -range birds in India. We discuss potential causes for this discrepancy, including misidentification, which may mislead potential conservation action for such threatened birds. We propose palaeo climatic changes to be the cause for the present distribution limit to the two large mountains (Nilgiris hills and Anamalai-palani hills), while anthropogenic habitat modifications may limit the distribution at a finer scale within these mountains. Given the combined effect of historical large-scale landscape modification in this region and the possibility of climate change affecting this species , the Nilgiri pipit and its habitat appear to be under considerable threat and the bird requires urgent conservation measures ,starting with an elevation of I UCN threat level to ' Endangered ' .
Location: TE 12 New Biology Building
Literature cited 1: Singh. et al., Report of the task force on grasslands and deserts , edited by planning commission , Government of India,2006. Roy, A.K. and Singh, J. P., Grasslands in India: problems and perspectives for sustaining livestock and rural livelihoods. Trop. Grassl.-Forrajes Trop., 2013, 1(2).
Literature cited 2: Stewart, R. and Balcar, T., The rise and demise of Acacia mearnsii, 2008; http://goo.gl/Xa5ZXJ Sankaran, K., Murphy, S. and Sreenivasan, M., When good trees turn bad: the unintended spread of introduced plantation tree species in India. In The Unwelcome Guests (eds.McKenzie, P.et al.), FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, Bangkok, 2005.

ID: 59659
Title: The social- ecological web-: A bridging concept for transdisciplinary research.
Author: Lydia Betz, Isabelle Kunze, Parameswaran Prajeesh, T.R. Suma and Martina Padmanabhan.
Editor: R. Srinivasan.
Year: 2014
Publisher: Current Science Association and Indian Academy of Sciences.
Source: Centre for Ecological Sciences
Reference: Current Science Vol. 107 (4) 572-579 (2014)
Subject: Current Science.
Keywords: Farmer Communities, Interdisciplinary, Social-ecological transformation, transdisciplinary research.
Abstract: Conducting inter-and transdisciplinary research requires integrative tools. The present study aims at a better understanding of social-ecological transformation processes through the lenses of indigenous women and men farmers from three different farmer communities in Kerala, South India. Central to the interdisciplinary data analysis is the development of a social and natural sciences. The social-ecological web is a useful method to highlight differences between the communities, to foster interdisciplinary analysis of both social and ecological changes, and to reflect on the challenges of integrating several disciplines and stakeholders.
Location: TE 12 New Biology Building
Literature cited 1: Muenster, D., Farmers ' S uicides and the stte in India: conceptual and ethnographic notes from Wayanad, Kerala.Contrib.Indian Sociol, 2012, 46, 181-208. Pohl, C.and Hirsch Hadorn, G., core terms in Transdisciplinary research, 2008; http://www.transdisciplinary.ch/d/Tansdisciplinary_Reserch_and _sustainability .pdf.
Literature cited 2: Cronin, K., Transdisciplinary research (TDR) and sustainability, 2008; http://www.learningforsustainability.org/pubs/Transdisciplinary_Research_and _sustainability.pdf. Pretty, J. et al. ., The intersection of biological diversity and cultural diversity: towards integration .Conserv. Soc., 2009, 7, 100-112.

ID: 59658
Title: The diclofenac ban is helping vulture conservation; what further pharmaceutical threats loom ahead?
Author: Madhukar Dama
Editor: R. Srinivasan.
Year: 2014
Publisher: Current Science Association and Indian Academy of Sciences.
Source: Centre for Ecological Sciences
Reference: Current Science Vol. 107 (4) 564-565 (2014)
Subject: Current Science.
Keywords: Diclofenac ban, vulture conservation, pharmaceutical threats.
Abstract: To sustain itself, an ecosystem needs scavengers as much as it needs producers. Despite this, although producers are widely recognized, appreciated, researched and protected by us, scavengers are given less importance. For instance, it was only after vultures started declining drastically in the Indian subcontinent that their scavenging lifestyle, like soaring flight, keen eyesight and extremely low pH of gastric secretions. More than half of the vulture species is on the brink of extinction, with the most dramatic declines observed recently in the Indian subcontinent .While numerous factors threatened vultures, persecution and poisioning have contributed to their decline. In India, Gyps vultures have declined by 99% due to unintentional poisoning by the veterinary drug diclofenac.
Location: TE 12 New Biology Building
Literature cited 1: Oaks, J.L.et al., Nature, 2004, 427, 630-633. Ruxton, G.D. and Houston, D.C., J. Theor. Biol, 2004, 228,431-436.
Literature cited 2: Ogada, D.L., Keesing, F. and Virani, M. Z., Ann. N.Y.Acad.Sci., 2012, 1249, 57-71. Swan, G. et al., PLoS Biol., 2006, 4, e66.

ID: 59657
Title: Carbon footprint of marine fisheries: life cycle analysis from Visakhapatnam.
Author: Shubhadeep Ghosh, M.V. Hanumantha Rao, M. Satish Kumar, V. Uma Mahesh, M. Mukhta and P.U. Zacharia.
Editor: R. Srinivasan.
Year: 2014
Publisher: Current Science Association and Indian Academy of Sciences.
Source: Centre for Ecological Sciences
Reference: Current Science Vol. 107 (3) 515-521 (2014)
Subject: Current Science.
Keywords: Carbon footprint, Co2 emission, energy consumption, lifecycle analysis, marine fisheries.
Abstract: The contribution of marine fisheries in Visakhapatnam at all stages of its life cycle to climate change during 2010-2012 was studied by determining its carbon footprint.pre-harvest phase consisted of vessel construction and maintenance and provision of fishing gear; harvest phase included harvest from mechanized and motorized craft and post- harvest phase involved fish transportation and fish processing. The functional unit selected was 1 Kg of marine fish to the consumer. Fuel and electricity consumption was 0.481/Kg and 0.255 k Wh/kg of fish. The c and CO2 emitted were 0.382 kg c/kg and 1.404 kg Co2/Kg of fish. The highest consumption of energy and the highest emissions of CO2 were observed from the harvest phase. The fuel and electricity consumption and C and CO2 emissions were high for mechanized landings and low for motorized landings .Reduction in energy consumption and subsequent emissions is possible in mechanized craft by increasing the fuel efficiency of marine diesel engines, controlling craft speed, using large propeller with lower revolutions and reducing the craft drag.
Location: TE 12 New Biology Building
Literature cited 1: Pauly, D.et al., Towards sustainability in world fisheries .Nature, 2002, 418,689-695. Christensen, V., Guenette, S., Heymans, J.J., Walters, C.J., Watson. Zeller, D. and Pauly, D., Hundred -year decline of North Atlantic predatory fishes. Fish Fish. 2003, 4(1), 1-24
Literature cited 2: Myers, R.A. and worm, B., Rapid Worldwide depletion of predatory fish communities. Nature, 2003, 423,280-283. Alverson, D.L., Freeberg, M.H., Murawski, S.A. and pope, J.G., A global assessment of fisheries by catch and discards.Fao FISH, Technical paper No.339.FAO, Rome, 1994.

ID: 59656
Title: Studies on remating behavior in the Drosophila bipectinata species complex: evidence for sperm displacement.
Author: Akanksha Singh and Bashisth N. Singh.
Editor: R. Srinivasan.
Year: 2014
Publisher: Current Science Association and Indian Academy of Sciences.
Source: Centre for Ecological Sciences
Reference: Current Science Vol. 107 (3) 511-515 (2014)
Subject: Current Science.
Keywords: Drosophila bipectinata, female remating, postcopulatory sexual selection, sperm displacement.
Abstract: In Drosophila bipectinata female remating with respect to productivity and sperm displacement was studied by employing two mutant strains and a wild-type strain. The comparison of productivity between once-mated (control) and remated females is significantly higher than that of once-mated females in all the crosses showing increased productivity after remating. The P2 values (proportion of second male progeny produced after remating ) were calculated to test sperm displacement in each cross of remated females ,which range from 0.60 to 0.67 extending the evidence for sperm displacement in D. bipectinata .
Location: TE 12 New Biology Building
Literature cited 1: G.A., sperm competition and its evolutionary consequences in the insects .Biol. Rev., 1970, 45,525-568. Arnqvist, G. and Rowe, L., sexual conflict, Princeton University press, Princeton, New Jersey, 2005.
Literature cited 2: Snook, R.R., sperm in competition: not playing by the numbers. Trends Ecol. Evol., 2005, 20, 46-53. Pizzari, T. and parker, G.A., sperm competition and sperm phenol-type .In sperm Biology: An Evolutionary perspective (eds Birk-head, T.R., Hosken, D.J. and Pitnick, S.), Academic press, San Diego, 2009.

ID: 59655
Title: Environmental flow requirements of river sone: impacts of low discharge on fisheries.
Author: K.D.Joshi, D.N.Jha, A.Alam, S.K.Srivastava, Vijay Kumar and A.P. Sharma.
Editor: R. Srinivasan.
Year: 2014
Publisher: Current Science Association and Indian Academy of Sciences.
Source: Centre for Ecological Sciences
Reference: Current Science Vol. 107 (3) 478-488 (2014)
Subject: Current Science.
Keywords: Environmental flow, fish diversity, indrapuri barrage, river sone, water discharge.
Abstract: Environmental flow of the river sone at Indrapuri barrage was estimated using 36 years discharge data and the global Environmental Flow Calculator software. To maintain the river in moderate condition and to keep basic ecosystem functions intact, atleast 18.9% of mean annual runoff (MAR) has been estimated, while the actual discharge of the river was merely 5.16% of MAR. The river presently holds 89 fish species, but 20 species reported in an earlier study were not observed, while 14 new fish species were encountered .Sediments, water and macro-benthic biota of the river were also studied to know the effect of low discharge.
Location: TE 12 New Biology Building
Literature cited 1: Vass, K.K., Tyagi, R.K., Singh, H.P. and pathak, V., Ecology, changes in fisheries, and energy estimates in the middle stretch of the River Ganges.Aquat.Ecosyst.Health Manage., 2010, 13(4), 374-384. Richter, B.D., Baumgartner, J. V., Wigington, R. and Braun, D.P., How much water does a river need? Freshwater Biol., 1997, 37, 231-249.
Literature cited 2: Richter, B.D., Braun, D.P., Mendelson, M.A. and Master, L.L., Threats to imperiled freshwater fauna. Conserv.Biol., 1997, 11, 1081-1093. Poff, N.L., A hydrography of unregulated streams in the United States and an examination of scale-dependence in some hydrological descriptors. Freshwater Biol., 1996, 36, 101-121.

ID: 59654
Title: Classification of aqueous -based ayurvedic preparations using synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy and chemometric techniques.
Author: Keshav Kumar, Partha Bairi, Krishnakanta Ghosh, Kishor Kumar Mishra and Ashok Kumar Mishra.
Editor: R. Srinivasan.
Year: 2014
Publisher: Current Science Association and Indian Academy of Sciences.
Source: Centre for Ecological Sciences
Reference: Current Science Vol. 107 (3) 470-477 (2014)
Subject: Current Science.
Keywords: Aqueous-based, ayurvedic preparation, chemometric techniques, synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy.
Abstract: The complexity of molecular compositions of ayurvedic preparations makes their classification or quality monitoring a difficult task. Classification of aqueous -based ayurvedic preparations with commonly used techniques such as Fourier transform infrared and near infrared spectroscopy is more difficult due to strong interferences from water signals. In the present work, by taking an aqueous -based ayurvedic preparation (jirakadyarista) as a test case, It has been shown that a simple, fast and efficient procedure for the classification of such preparations can be achieved by combining synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy with chemometric methods such as principal component analysis (PCA)and partial least square discriminant analysis (PLS-DA). The PCA and PLS-DA modes obtained were found to be sensitive and specific in classifying the jirakadyarista samples.
Location: TE 12 New Biology Building
Literature cited 1: Fu, H., Huang, D., Yang, T., She, Y. and Zhang, H., Rapid recognition of Chinese herbal pieces of Areca catechu by different connected processes using Fourier transform mid-infrared and near-infrared spectroscopy combined with partial least-squares discriminant analysis. Chin. Chem. Lett. 2013, 24,639-642. Xu, L., Shi, P., Ye, Z., Yan, S. Yu, X., Rapid analysis of adulterations in Chinese lotus root powder (LRP) by near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy coupled with chemometric class modeling techniques. Food chem.., 2013, 141, 2434-2439.
Literature cited 2: Dharamraj, S., Jamaludin, A.S., Razak, H.M., Valliappan, R., Ahmed, N.A., Harn, G.L. and Ismaili, Z., The classification of phyllanthus niruri Linn. According to location by infrared spectroscopy. Vib.specrosc. 2006, 41, 68-72. Mao, J.and Xu, J., Discrimination of herbal medicines by molecular spectroscopy and chemical pattern recognition.Specrochim.Acta, Part A, 2006, 65, 497-500.

ID: 59653
Title: Indian Brahmaputra valley offers significant potential for cultivation of rubber trees under changed climate.
Author: Debabrata Ray, M.D. Behera and James Jacob.
Editor: R. Srinivasan.
Year: 2014
Publisher: Current Science Association and Indian Academy of Sciences.
Source: Centre for Ecological Sciences
Reference: Current Science Vol. 107 (3) 461-469 (2014)
Subject: Current Science.
Keywords: Climate change, maximum entropy, rubber plantations, species distribution model.
Abstract: In a warming world, species distribution models have become a useful tool for predicting plausible shifts of a species occurrence enforced by climate change. Using maximum entropy (Maxent) model, we analysed present and future distribution patterns of rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis) in two distinct biogeogrphical regions of India: the western Ghats having a good distribution of rubber plantations at present and the Brahmaputra valley, where rubber trees are recently being cultivated . The model -derived suitable regions of the Western Ghats and Brahmaputra valley provided good conformity with a satellite-derived rubber plantation distribution map. Annual range of temperature and mean temperature in the coldest months, temperature seasonality and rainfall in the warmest quarter would be the major decisive variables in the in the distribution of this species as revealed y the area under receiver operating curve. Interestingly, we predict that more areas will become suitable for rubber cultivation by the middle of the 21st century in the Brahmaputra valley, while some areas under current cultivation may become partially unsuitable for this species in the Western Ghats. This result can help planners in deriving a comprehensive rubber plantation policy for India considering the existing land-use scenarios.
Location: TE 12 New Biology Building
Literature cited 1: Onokpise, O.U., Natural rubber, Heavea brasiliensis (Willd. Ex A. Juss) Mull.Arg. germplasm collection in the Amazon Basin, Brazil: a retrospective .Econ. Bot., 2004, 58 (4), 544-555. Sinha, A.K., Rubber plantation in Northeast India, hopes vs. concerns. The Tripura Foundation, 2010; http://thetripurafoundation .org/art -rubber -prospect-Tripura-and -north-east.
Literature cited 2: Elith, J.and Leathwick, J., Species distribution models: ecological explanation and prediction across space and time. Annu. Rev. Ecol.Evol.Syst., 2009, 40,677-697. Guisan, A.and Zimmerman, N.E., predictive habitat distribution models in ecology .Ecol. Model. 2000, 135,147-186.

ID: 59652
Title: Evidences of relatively new volcanic flows on the Moon.
Author: R.P. Gupta, N. Srivastava and R.K. Tiwari.
Editor: R. Srinivasan.
Year: 2014
Publisher: Current Science Association and Indian Academy of Sciences.
Source: Centre for Ecological Sciences
Reference: Current Science Vol. 107 (3) 454-460 (2014)
Subject: Current Science.
Keywords: Craters, Moon, Tectonic features, volcanic flows.
Abstract: It is generally believed that the Moon became internally dead ~ 1 b.y. from the present, and only old (>~1b.y.) Volcanic flows forming largely the mare basins are known to occur. The old volcanic landforms stand largely obliterated and flows studded with impact craters. However, recent findings have indicated global presence of young thrust faults on the Moon, escape of gases from the interior and also predicted the presence of partially molten lower lunar mantle and core. Here, we have used high -resolution datasets from NASA ' s LRO, Kaguya of JAXA and ISRO ' s chandrayan-1 missions to examine the characteristics and origin of multiple relatively fresh, Coaxial , superposed viscous flows spotted inside the Lowell crater on the far side of the Moon . Various considerations apparently rule out the possibility of these melts being derived from nearby areas. An associated likely source crater and affecting different ages but emanating from the same crater and affecting different flows have also been located-exhibiting tectono-volcanic relationship . These features provide evidences of likely volcanic activity in the region not too far in the past, are consistent with recent results that the Moon may not be internally dead, and thus have implications to the thermal history and present -day geologic nature of the Moon.
Location: TE 12 New Biology Building
Literature cited 1: Head, J.W., Lunar Volcanism in space and time .Rev. Geophys. Space phys., 1976, 14, 265-300. Schultz, P.H. and spudis, P.D., The beginning and end of lunar mare volcanism .Nature, 1983, 302, 233-236.
Literature cited 2: Head, J.W. and Wilson, L., Lunar mare volcanism: Stratigraphy, eruptions conditions, and the evolution of secondary crusts.Geochim.Cosmochim.Acta, 1992, 56, 21552175. Spudis, P.D., Volcanism of on the Moon. In Encyclopedia of Volcanoes (eds Sigurdsson, H. et al.), Academic press, New York, 2000, pp.697-708.

ID: 59651
Title: Species abundance distributions of selected communities in the Myristica swamp forests of southern Kerala.
Author: Joyce Jose, T.J. Roby, K.K. Ramachandaran and P. Vijayakumaran Nair.
Editor: R. Srinivasan.
Year: 2014
Publisher: Current Science Association and Indian Academy of Sciences.
Source: Centre for Ecological Sciences
Reference: Current Science Vol. 107 (3) 447-453 (2014)
Subject: Current Science.
Keywords: Amphibians, conservation, Myristica Swamps, reptiles, species abundance distribution, trees.
Abstract: The species abundance distribution (SAD) utilizes all the information gathered in a community and is the most complete mathematical description of the data. Myristica swamp forests are an endemic, highly fragmented ecosystem, naturally restricted due to systematic destruction and the special abiotic conditions required for their survival. Species diversity of amphibians, reptiles and trees in the Myristica swamp forests of southern Western Ghats in Kerala was documented using standard protocols for two years. Conventional species abundance distribution models could not be fitted into the data sets of this study. Graphical representations of the distribution models could not be fitted into the datasets of this study .Graphical representations of the distribution of the data set suggest that existence of multiple peaks on a log scale does not reject the universal hollow curve law on the arithmetic scale, but it will reject all SAD models producing unimodal curves. Various studies using SAD as a tool for community and ecosystem studies were reviewed and it was found that the presence of many species of intermediate abundance and decrease in rare species in our datasets could be an indication of natural distributions moving apart under disturbance and enrichment. Deconstruction and identification of resident and transient groups was done. We suggest that the Myristica swamps, which are situated in an area with high potential for rare species, may be in a transition due to disturbance and fragmentation. Ground truthing and previous studies already indicate these swamp forests as highly fragmented and disturbed.
Location: TE 12 New Biology Building
Literature cited 1: Magurran, A. E., Ecological Diversity and its Measurements, Chapman and Hall, London, 1988. Mc Gill, B.J. et al., Species abundance distributions: moving beyond single prediction theories to integration within an ecological framework. Ecol. Lett., 2007, 1(10), 995-1015.
Literature cited 2: Preston, F.W., Time and space and the variation of species. Ecology, 1960, 41, 611-627. Magurran, A.E., Species abundance distributions over time. Ecol. Lett., 2007, 10, 347-354.

ID: 59650
Title: Carbon nanotubes and grapheme-based chemical sensors.
Author: Abha Misra.
Editor: R. Srinivasan.
Year: 2014
Publisher: Current Science Association and Indian Academy of Sciences.
Source: Centre for Ecological Sciences
Reference: Current Science Vol. 107 (3) 419-429 (2014)
Subject: Current Science.
Keywords: Carbon nanotubes, chemical sensors, electron donors and acceptors, grapheme.
Abstract: The chemical sensing behavior o the carbon nanotube and graphene-based sensors for detecting various chemical analytes is presented in this article. A focus on detection mechanisms has been provided to assess their relative potential under different environmental conditions. The performance of these two carbon allotropes is compared based on their sensitivity towards various types of electron donating and accepting molecules. Although these carbon materials still have to meet crucial challenges in fabrication and optimization, continued progress in this field may lead to a sensor with superior sensitivity for a wide range of applications.
Location: TE 12 New Biology Building
Literature cited 1: Chen, Z., Appenzeller, J., Knoch, J., Knoch, J., Lin, Y.M.and Avouris, P., The role of metal -nanotube contact in the performance of carbon nanotube field-effect transistors. Nano Lett., 2005, 5, 1497-1502. Dresselhaus, M.S., Dresselhaus, G. and Avouris, P., Carbon Nanotubes: synthesis, Structure, properties and Applications, springer, Berlin, 2001, vol.80
Literature cited 2: Tans, S. J., Verschurn, A.R.M. and Dekker, C., Room temperature transistor based on a single carbon nanotube. Nature, 1998, 393, 49-52. Martel, R., Schmidt, T., Shea, H.R., Hertel, T. and Avouris, P., single-and multi-wall carbon nanotube field-effect transistors. Appl. Phys. Lett., 1998, 73, 2447-2449.

ID: 59649
Title: Technology management through intellectual property rights.
Author: A.K. Kashyap.
Editor: R. Srinivasan.
Year: 2014
Publisher: Current Science Association and Indian Academy of Sciences.
Source: Centre for Ecological Sciences
Reference: Current Science Vol. 107 (3) 371-379 (2014)
Subject: Current Science.
Keywords: Academia, Intellectual property, IP cell, Non-Indian entities, technology management.
Abstract: In this article, intellectual property (IP), its various types and the rights of patentee are defined. Challenges for Indian IP professionals at academia and IP firms are also identified. India ' s preparedness in IP matters is almost pathetic, which has further been compounded by factors such as excessive filing by non-Indian entities, the myths Indian Entities (IEs) are shrouded in and strategy by non-practicing entities. Role of Indian academia in preparing the IP ambience has been highlighted .IEs have been advised to adopt correct IP practices. The preparedness of IEs in the IP matters has been analysed and the gap areas have been identified. Need for a fully functional IP cell at IE has been established. Such an IP cell will provide the required support to the inventors and help IE handle its IP obligations. Technology Transfer Office can be a possibility after successfully operation of IP Cell at IE.
Location: TE 12 New Biology Building
Literature cited 1: http://www.wipo.int/about-ip/en/ http://www.wipo.int/export/sites/www/freepublications/en/intproperty/450/wipo_pub__450.pdf.
Literature cited 2: Section 48 in http://ipindia.nic.in/ipr/patent/manual/main%20link.htm Appendix-D of http://ipindia.gov.in/cgpdtm/ar_2001_02.pdf.

ID: 59648
Title: Degree of polyembrony among the accessions of Commiphora Wightii collected from different natural habitats of India.
Author: AARTI KAWANE, K.A. GEETHA, M.N. REDDY, SATYABRATA MAITI
Editor: R. Srinivasan.
Year: 2014
Publisher: Current Science Association and Indian Academy of Sciences.
Source: Centre for Ecological Sciences
Reference: Current Science Vol. 107 (3) 361-364 (2014)
Subject: Current Science.
Keywords: Polyembryony, Commiphora wightii, natural habitats.
Abstract: Polyembroyny, having more than one embryo in a single seed, was first discovered by Leeuwenhoek in 1719 in Citrus. Later, various researchers reported and described it in detail .The additional embryos in polyembryony are either Zygotic or non-zygotic origin and the latter is also known as adventitious polyembrony. Adventive polyembryony is reported from a number of tropical trees species, viz. Garcinia, Citrus, Shorea, Prunus and commiphora. The degree of polyembryony varies greatly species and also within the cultivars of the same species as revealed in Citus.
Location: TE 12 New Biology Building
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