Enter records

ID: 59745
Title: Carbonate formation of the Lower Carboniferous in central part of Volga-Ural basin.
Author: Anton Nikolaevich Kolchugin, Vladimir Petrovich Morozov, Eduard Anatolievich Korolev and Aleksey Aleksandrovich Eskin.
Editor: R. Srinivasan.
Year: 2014
Publisher: Current Science Association and Indian Academy of Sciences.
Source: Centre for Ecological Sciences
Reference: Current Science Vol. 107 (12) 2029-2035 (2014)
Subject: Current Science.
Keywords: Limestone, oil prospects, sedimentation, seabed topography, wave base level.
Abstract: Carbonate rocks of the Lower Carboniferous (Tournaisian stage) of the central Volga-Ural basin (the eastern portion of the East European platform) are of practical scientific interest to geologists, particularly because they contain large reserves of oil. Although such layers have been studied, various questions pertaining to development of sedimentation schemes for the rocks have not been answered. We have attempted to resolve these studying a wealth of drill core materials. The study involved structural and genetic analysis of rocks and facies reconstructions. The rocks are mainly represented by different types of shallow-water limestone. The thickness of coeval layers and their lithological structures changes from well to well within an oilfield, primarily due to the different environments of sedimentation during the Tournaisian stage. Therefore, to identify the characteristics of carbonate sedimentation, we have studied the sequences of different types limestone and analysed their thickness. As a result, we have developed principle schemes of sedimentation for shallow-water carbonate rocks of the Tournaisian stage. This may help in the predictive search for reservoir rocks in the region of study.
Location: TE 12 New Biology Building
Literature cited 1: Tihiy, V.N., Facies and prospects of oil in productive sequences of the southeast Russian platform. In Proceedings of the Scientific Council Session of the oil Institute, VNIGRI Pub., 1, 1947. Muslimov, R.H., Vasiasin, G.I., Shakirov, A.N. and Chendarev, V.V., Geology of Tournaisian Stage in Tatarstan Republic, Monitoring Publ, 1999,p.186.
Literature cited 2: Morozov, V.P. and Kozina, E.A., Carbonate Rocks of Tournaisian Stage Lower Carboniferous, Gart Pub., 2007, p. 201. Kolchugin, A.N., Morozov, V.P. and Korolev, E.A., Diagenesis of carboniferous carbonate reservoirs rocks.case study (Central Part of Volga-Ural Basin). World Appl. Sci.J., 2013, 24 (6)712-718.

ID: 59744
Title: Is Ganga the longest river in the Ganga Basin, India?
Author: Neelam Verma, Rahul Devrani and Vimal 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 (12) 2018-2022 (2014)
Subject: Current Science.
Keywords: Ganga Basin, drainage network, headwater, river length, source stream.
Abstract: The length of the main trunk in a river basin is an important morphometric parameter and it depends on the size of the drainage basin. The Ganga River Basin is one of the largest basins in the world with the Ganga River considered to be the main stem. Variable lengths of this river in the literature motivated us to study its exact length and also to test whether geomorphologically it is the longest river in the basin. The results show that the maximum river length of 2758 km is attained when source is considered as the headstream of the Tons River. This length is more than any of the traditional lengths of the Ganga River in the literature. We propose to call the longest segment of the river in Ganga Basin as the Himalayan Foreland River.
Location: TE 12 New Biology Building
Literature cited 1: Parua, P.K., The Ganga: Water Use in the Indian Subcontinental, Springer, Dordrecht, 2010. Gupta, N., Peter, M.A., and Paul, A.C., Decadal length changes in the fluvial platform of the River Ganga: bringing a mega -river to life with Landsat archives. Remote Sensing Lett., 2013, 4 (1) 1-9.
Literature cited 2: Singh, I.B., The Ganga River. In Large Rivers: Geomorphology and Management (ed Gupta, A.) John Wiley and Sons, U.K, 2008, p.347. Jain, S.K., Agarwal, P.K. and Singh, V.P., Ganga Basin. In Hydrology and Water Resources of India, Springer, The Netherlands, 2007.

ID: 59743
Title: Estimation of monthly average sunshine duration over China based on cloud fraction from MODIS satellite data.
Author: Yongjian He, Xinfa Qiu, Yun Cao and Yan Zeng.
Editor: R. Srinivasan.
Year: 2014
Publisher: Current Science Association and Indian Academy of Sciences.
Source: Centre for Ecological Sciences
Reference: Current Science Vol. 107 (12) 2013-2018 (2014)
Subject: Current Science.
Keywords: Absolute and relative bias error, cloud cover, moderate-resolution imaging spectroradiometer, sunshine duration.
Abstract: The sunshine duration (SSD) model described herein combines meteorological observation data from an extensive network of weather stations, MODIS satellite cloud cover data, and a high-resolution SSD maps of China. The model yielded low difference between the measured and estimated values at 672 standard weather stations. The mean absolute bias error (MABE) of the monthly mean daily SSD for 2001-2003 was 0.15-0.26 h and the relative bias error (RABE) was 2.34-4.64%. To further validate the model, the observation data from the intensive weather stations (with high spatial resolution) in Jiangsu and Qinghai not used in the calculations, were used for comparison with the estimated values. The annual mean MABE values in Jiangsu and Qinghai during 2001-2003 were less than 0.5 h, and the annual mean RABE values below 5%. Thus, one can conclude that the SSD model is reliable and stable. The spatial distribution of the SSD was also examined, which indicated that the macroscopic distribution of SSD in China determined using MODIS satellite data was more objective and more detailed than the distribution by interpolation of weather station observations of SSD.
Location: TE 12 New Biology Building
Literature cited 1: Angell, J.K, Variation in United States cloudiness and sunshine duration between 1950 and the drought year of 1988. J.Climate, 1990, 3, 296-308. Monteith, J.L., Climate and the efficiency of crop production in Britain.Philos.Trans.R.Soc., London Ser.B, 1977, 281, 277-294.
Literature cited 2: Murray, S.J., Watson, I.M. and Prentice, I.C., The use of dynamic global vegetation models for stimulating hydrology and the potential integration of satellite observations. Prog.Phys.Geogr., 2012; doi: 10.1177/0309133312460072. Weng, D.M.Studies on Radiation Climate of Beijing (in Chinese), China, China Meteorological Press, 1997.

ID: 59742
Title: Assessment of vulnerability to cyclones and floods in Odisha, India: a district-level analysis.
Author: Chandra Sekhar Bahinipati
Editor: R. Srinivasan.
Year: 2014
Publisher: Current Science Association and Indian Academy of Sciences.
Source: Centre for Ecological Sciences
Reference: Current Science Vol. 107 (12) 1997-2007(2014)
Subject: Current Science.
Keywords: Cyclone and flood, district-wise, integrated approach, Odisha, Vulnerability.
Abstract: Most of the districts in Odisha, India are prone to both cyclones and floods. However, the existing studies have assessed vulnerability manly for the coastal districts, and are largely focused on the biophysical components. Therefore, a comprehensive vulnerability assessment will help unravel the scale of vulnerability across the districts of odisha, and provide a better understanding of the adaptive capacity of households towards these extreme events. An ' integrated approach ' was adopted to assess vulnerability which is viewed as a function of exposure, sensitivity and adaptive capacity. A number of proxy indicators were considered to represent these components, and a normalization procedure was adopted in order to aggregate them into a single value. Three key observations emerged. First components like sensitivity and adaptive capacity were found to act as the major determinants of vulnerability. Secondly, eight districts were found to have a higher vulnerability score, and surprisingly, some of the districts are non-coastal. Thirdly, factors like demography, agriculture and economic capacity emerged as the major cause for increasing vulnerability. These results have policy implications in the context of prioritizing limited resources among the vulnerable districts and determinants through the disaster risk management programme at state and district level.
Location: TE 12 New Biology Building
Literature cited 1: Bhatta, B.B., The natural calamities in odisha in the 19th century, Common Wealth Publishers, New Delhi, 1997. Chittibabu, P. et al., Mitigation of flooding and cyclone hazard in Orissa, India.Nat.Hazards, 2004, Orissa, India.Nat.Hazards, 2004, 31 (2), 455-485.
Literature cited 2: Human Development Report 2004, Orissa, Planning and Co-Ordination Department, Government of Odisha, Bhubaneshwar, 2004. Various Annual Reports on Natural Calamities 2001-2011, Special Relief Commissioner, Revenue and Disaster Management Department, Government of Odisha, Bhubaneshwar.

ID: 59741
Title: Post-independence science policy and science funding in India.
Author: Dipankar Mukhopadhyay
Editor: R. Srinivasan.
Year: 2014
Publisher: Current Science Association and Indian Academy of Sciences.
Source: Centre for Ecological Sciences
Reference: Current Science Vol. 107 (12) 1983-1987(2014)
Subject: Current Science.
Keywords: Inclusive growth, innovation, science funding, science policy.
Abstract: The present article traces the course of science policy formulation and science funding in India. While in the pre-independence period the private trusts and endowments played a pioneering role in encouraging higher studies and research in science, it is the Government which has been the major fund provider since independence. This article further highlights the thrust areas in various science and technology policy resolutions adopted since independence. While underlining the mechanism of state funding of science research in our country, it has drawn an analogy with the same in the United States.
Location: TE 12 New Biology Building
Literature cited 1: Gupta, A., The 5-year plans and the role of CSIR in the development of the country.J.Sci.Ind.Res., 2003, 62, 428-435. Approach to the 12th Plan. Planning Commission, Government of India, October 2011.
Literature cited 2: Report of the working Group on Science and Technology set up by the Planning Commission for the 12th Five-Year Plan, September 2011. Report of the Task Force on Scince Policy, Committee on Science and Technology, House of Representatives, Ninety Ninth Congress-A History of Science Policy in the United States 1940-1985, September 1986.

ID: 59740
Title: Design and construction of a confocal laser scanning microscope for biomolecular imaging.
Author: S.Arunkarthick, M.M. Bijeesh, Anand Satya Vetcha, Nishith Rastogi, P.Nandakumar and Geetha K.Varier
Editor: R. Srinivasan.
Year: 2014
Publisher: Current Science Association and Indian Academy of Sciences.
Source: Centre for Ecological Sciences
Reference: Current Science Vol. 107 (12) 1965-1969(2014)
Subject: Current Science.
Keywords: Design and construction, confocal laser scanning microscope, biomolecular imaging
Abstract: Confocal fluorescence microscopy has established itself now as an indispensable tool for biomedical and biomolecular research. However, the rigid design and high cost of the commercially available confocal microscopes have limited its wider usage. Here we report on the development of a confocal microscopes have limited its wider usage. Here we report on the development of a confocal laser scanning microscope and demonstrate the three-dimensional sectioning capability of the microscope. The design is versatile and cost-effective, and can be constructed using components normally available in an optics laboratory with minimum amount of additional expenditure. Detailed description of the design and alignment procedure is given so that this note can serve as a primer for construction of a simple confocal microscope.
Location: TE 12 New Biology Building
Literature cited 1: Paddock, S.W.and Eliceiri, K.W., Methods Mol.Biol., 2014, 1075, 9-47. Stephens, D.J. and Allan, V.J., Science, 2003, 300, 82-86.
Literature cited 2: Nwaneshiudu, A., Kuschal, C., Sakamoto, F.H., Anderson, R.R., Schwarzenberger, K.and Young, RT.C., J.Invest.Dermatol., 2012, 132, e3. Pawley, J.B., Handbook of Biological Confocal Microscopy, Springer, New York, 2006.

ID: 59739
Title: Assessment of the Sunkoshi (Nepal) landslide using multitemporal satellite images.
Author: Priyom Roy, Tapas R.Martha, K.Vinod Kumar.
Editor: R. Srinivasan.
Year: 2014
Publisher: Current Science Association and Indian Academy of Sciences.
Source: Centre for Ecological Sciences
Reference: Current Science Vol. 107 (12) 1961-1964(2014)
Subject: Current Science.
Keywords: Assessment of Sunkoshi, Nepal landslide, multitemporal satellite images.
Abstract: Nepal occupies about one-third of the Himalayan mountain arc. As a consequence of rugged topography, complex rock types and high rainfall, landslides are a common phenomenon in Nepal. The sharp change of elevation from the southern plains (~60 m amsl) to the mountainous northern parts of the country (~8000 m amsl) has resulted in steep slopes that are highly prone to slope failures. On 2 August 2014, a massive landslide occurred near the Jure Village, close to Mankha, located in Sunkoshi River valley in the Central Region of Nepal. Sunkoshi River valley in the Central Region of Nepal. Sunkoshi River is one of the main tributaries of the Kosi River (as it enters India) and is perennially prone to floods. Reports suggest that the instantaneous down-slope movement of debris buried about 24 houses and accounted for the lives of at least 33 people. It is believed that there may be about 150 more people buried in the landslide, whose bodies may not be retrievable.
Location: TE 12 New Biology Building
Literature cited 1: Upreti, B.N. and Dhital, M.R., Land-slide Studies and Management in Nepal, ICIMOD, Nepal, 1996, p.87. www.icimod.org/?q=14356.
Literature cited 2: Chalise, S.R.and Khanal, N.R., In Landslide Hazards, Mitigation to the Hindukush-Himalayas (eds Tianchi, L., Chalise, S.R. and Upreti, B.N.). ICIMOD, Kathmandu, 2001, pp. 63-70. Alford, D., Hydrological aspects of the Himalayan region. Occasional Paper No. 18, ICIMOD, Kathmandu, 1992, p. 68.

ID: 59738
Title: Bats in Indian coffee plantations: doing more good than harm.
Author: Claire Wordley, John Altringham and T.R. Shankar Raman.
Editor: R. Srinivasan.
Year: 2014
Publisher: Current Science Association and Indian Academy of Sciences.
Source: Centre for Ecological Sciences
Reference: Current Science Vol. 107 (12) 1958-1960(2014)
Subject: Current Science.
Keywords: Bats, Indian coffee, Plantations.
Abstract: Many bat species occur in Indian coffee plantations and despite sporadic reports of damage to commercial coffee crops, the literature shows little evidence for these claims. Measures that have been proposed to ' control ' fruit bats are likely to be ineffective and even counter -productive. Instead, insect eating bats should be encouraged by planters as they help to control herbivorous and disease-carrying insects, while fruit bats pollinate flowers and disperse seeds of many useful plants and shade tree species. More research is needed to quantify any crop damage caused by bats and to look for sustainable solutions where necessary.
Location: TE 12 New Biology Building
Literature cited 1: Uma, M.S., Rahiman, P.A., Ranjth, B. V. and Ramamurthy, N., Indian Coffeee, 2013, 77 (4), 14-15. Boyles, J.G., Cryan, P.M., McCracken, G.F. and Kunz, T.H., Science, 2011, 332, 41-42.
Literature cited 2: Cleveland, C.J. et al., Front. Ecol.Environ., 2006, 4, 238-243. Bates, P.J.J., In Mammals of South Asia.Volume I. (eds Johnsingh, A.J.T. and Manjrekar, N.,) Universaties Press, Hyderabad, 2013, pp. 68-93.

ID: 59737
Title: Accurate location and focal mechanism of small earthquakes near Idukki Reservoir, Kerala: implication for earthquake genesis.
Author: Utpal saikia, S.S. Rai, M.Subrahmanyam, Satyajit Dutta, Somasish Bose, Kajaljyoti Borah and Rishikesh Meena.
Editor: R. Srinivasan.
Year: 2014
Publisher: Current Science Association and Indian Academy of Sciences.
Source: Centre for Ecological Sciences
Reference: Current Science Vol. 107 (11) 1885-1891(2014)
Subject: Current Science.
Keywords: Earthquake location, fault plane solution, reservoir, tectonics.
Abstract: Earthquake waveform from a new temporary network of 21 seismic stations in South India has been used to significantly improve the detection threshold and parameters of small earthquakes near Idukki Reservoir, Kerala. We present here precise location of 16 earthquakes in this region with a local magnitude of 1.5-3.6 and focal depth 7.2-9.9 km. Fault plane solutions of the selected best six earthquakes show strike-slip faulting and right lateral movement. Reservoir loading usually leads to generation of stress and there -fore earthquakes in the shallow depth (<5 km), that are absent in the region of Idukki Reservoir. Recorded earthquakes are confined to a NW-SE trending fault close to Karur-Kamabam-Painavu-Trichur (KKPT) shear zone. These observations suggest that the earth-quakes in Idukki region are tectonic in nature and have no linkage with the reservoir.
Location: TE 12 New Biology Building
Literature cited 1: Rai, S.S. et al., South India Precambrian crust and shallow lithospheric mantle: initial result from the India Deep Earth Imaging Experiment (INDEX). J.Earth Syst.Sci., 2013, 122, 1435-1453. Paul, J. et al., Stability of Peninsular India 1864-1994.Proc. Indian Acad.Sci. (Earth Planet. Sci.,), 1995, 104, 131-146.
Literature cited 2: Rajendran, K., Rajendran, C.P., Kesavan, S. and Naveen, R.,Recent micro tremors near the Idukki Reservoir, Kerala,South India.Curr.Sci., 2012, 102, 1446-1451. Padale, J.G. and Das, P.B., A note on the recent seismic activity in the Idukki District, Kerala. Report, Central Water and Power Research Station, Pune, 1988, p. 12.

ID: 59736
Title: Biogeophysical signatures of microbial natural gas accumulation.
Author: Kushal P.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 (11) 1880-1884 (2014)
Subject: Current Science.
Keywords: Biophysical techniques, electrical potential, methanogenesis, natural gas.
Abstract: Natural gas is produced by subsurface thermogenic and biogenic processes. Although the contribution of microbial processes in the formation of methane gas accounts for more than 20 % of the global natural gas resources, microbial contribution to natural gas accumulation is rarely considered n geophysical exploration .Thus, a laboratory study has been under-taken to investigate the possibility of monitoring and detecting the microbial formation of methane by electrical potential (EP) technique. Distinct EP observed from acetoclastic and hydrotropic methanogenesis suggests that the detection and monitoring of biogenic formation of methane is possible by employing biogeophysical techniques.
Location: TE 12 New Biology Building
Literature cited 1: Bhattacharya, P.K. and Patra, H.P., Direct Current Geoelectric Sounding, Elsevier Science, Amsterdam, 1968. Telford, W.M. et al., Applied Geophysics, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1990.
Literature cited 2: Reynolds, J., An Introduction to Applied and Environmental Geophysics, John Wiley, Chichester, 1997. Revil, A., et al., Applications of the self-potential method to hydrological problems. In Applied Hydrogeophysics, NATO Science Series: Earth and Environmental Science (eds Vereecken, H. et al)., Springer, The Netherlands, 2006, pp.255-292.

ID: 59735
Title: Evaluation of weather-based crop insurance products for kharif groundnut.
Author: S. Kokilavani, V. Geethalakshmi, K.Bhuvaneswari and A.Lakhsmanan.
Editor: R. Srinivasan.
Year: 2014
Publisher: Current Science Association and Indian Academy of Sciences.
Source: Centre for Ecological Sciences
Reference: Current Science Vol. 107 (11) 1866-1870 (2014)
Subject: Current Science.
Keywords: Insurance companies, payout, product design, strike events.
Abstract: Weather-based crop insurance scheme (WBCIS) products proposed by four insurance providers was compared and evaluated using historical weather data for piloting WBCIS on kharif groundnut in Coimbatore, Dharmapuri, Theni, Tirunelveli and Virudhunagar districts of Tamil Nadu. Water deficits during the vegetative phases of groundnut crop generally delay flowering and maturity thereby reducing the crop growth and yield. The study revealed that the deficit rainfall risk was more pronounced in all the above-mentioned districts, whereas the risk of excess rainfall impact could be clearly observed in Theni district. Though the occurrence of strike events was for phase-1 of deficit rainfall cover, the rate per mm of rainfall fixed by IFFCO-TOKYO was quit low. The product designed for HDFC-ERGO and MS-Cholamandalam was similar, whereas the product for AIC and IFFCO-TOKYO was designed with little variation in context rainfall cover and consecutive dry days. The compensation benefit realized by the farmers of Virudhunagar and Dharmapuri districts was higher followed by Theni because the compensation rate per mm of rainfall fixed by the company was higher, which favours the farmers.
Location: TE 12 New Biology Building
Literature cited 1: Baweja, P.K., Rainfall variability and probability for crop planning in Solan, Himachal Pradesh. J. Farm Sci., 2011, 1 (1), 75-88. Report of the working Group on Risk Management in Agriculture for Eleventh Five Year Plan (2007-12), Planning Commission, Government of India.
Literature cited 2: Reddy, T.Y., Reddy, V.R. and Anbumozhi, V., Physiological responses of groundnut (Arachis hypogeal L) to drought stress and its amelioration: a critical review. Plant Growth Regul., 2003, 41, 75-88. Mahul, O., Verma, N. and Clarke, D.J., Improving famer ' s access to agricultural insurance in India, World Bank, Mimeo, 2011.

ID: 59734
Title: Amla (Phyllanthus emblica L) enhances iron dialysability and uptake in in vitro models.
Author: Padma Venkatasubramanian, Indu Bala Koul, Reeja Kochuthekil Varghese, Srividya Koyyala and Arun Shivakumar.
Editor: R. Srinivasan.
Year: 2014
Publisher: Current Science Association and Indian Academy of Sciences.
Source: Centre for Ecological Sciences
Reference: Current Science Vol. 107 (11) 1859-1866 (2014)
Subject: Current Science.
Keywords: Anaemia, amla, iron bioavailability, in vitro digestion model.
Abstract: Phyllanthus emblica L. (Indian gooseberry or amla) is a well-known dietary supplement (Rasayana) in Ayurveda used in the management of iron deficiency anaemia (Pandu). Amla is said to act by regulating the ' metabolic fire ' (agni), which is important for proper digestion and absorption of nutrients. In the present study standard cell-free and cell-based models that are employed in biomedical sciences to study digestion and bioavailability of nutrients were used to examine the influence of amla fruit juice on iron dialystability and uptake. Amla juice contained 0.35 % ascorbic acid (AA), 0.33 % tannins (gallic acid equivalent), 0.13 % gallic acid, 0.58 % total organic acid and 0.002 % iron on a w/w basis. Amla juice exhibited a dose response to iron dialysability with an optimum at 1: 0.25 molar ratio of Fe: amla juice (AA equivalent) in the cell-free digestion model and 1: 0.5 in both Caco-2 and HepG2 cell lines. Amla juice increased the dialyzable iron three times more than the FeSO4 alone control in the cell-free digestion model. Ion uptake in Caco-2 and HepG2 cell lines increased 17.18 and 18.71 times more than the control respectively, in the presence of amla juice. AA, a known Fe bioavailability enhancer, at the same molar ratios showed an enhancement only by 1.45 times in the soil-free model and 13.01 and 12.48 times in the Caco-2 and HepG2 models respectively. As a dietary supplement that enhances iron dialysability and uptake, amla fruits can be explored further as a low-cost intervention in the management of iron deficiency anaemia.
Location: TE 12 New Biology Building
Literature cited 1: WHO, Nutrition for health and development: a global agenda for combating malnutrition. Department of Nutrition for Health and Development, World Health Organization, Geneva, 2000, pp. 16-17. Benito, P. and Miller, D., Iron absorption and bioavailability: an updated review. Nutr. Res., 1998, 18, 581-603.
Literature cited 2: Dreosti, I.E., Recommended dietary intakes of iron, zinc and other inorganic nutrients and their chemical form and bioavailability.Nutrition, 1993, 9, 542-545. Allen, L.H. and Ahluwalia, N., Improving Iron Status through Diet. The Application of knowledge Concerning Dietary Iron Bioavailability inhuman Populations. John Snow, Inc/OMNI, United Startes Agency for International Development (USAID), 1997, pp.13-22; pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/pnacb908.pdf (accessed 0n 7 November 2013).

ID: 59733
Title: Entropy application to evaluate the stability of landscape in Kunur River Basin, West Bengal, India.
Author: Sujay Bandopadhyay, Subhajit Sinha, N.C.Jana and Debasis Ghosh.
Editor: R. Srinivasan.
Year: 2014
Publisher: Current Science Association and Indian Academy of Sciences.
Source: Centre for Ecological Sciences
Reference: Current Science Vol. 107 (11) 1842-1853 (2014)
Subject: Current Science.
Keywords: Dynamic equilibrium, landscape stability, longitudinal profile, potential energy, thermodynamic entropy.
Abstract: The river network analysis using thermodynamic entropy approach has been studied over the past several decades to decipher the behaviour of streams and landscape stability. The entropy-based study has been taken up in Kunnur River Basin of eastern India to verify the level of adjustment for its present longitudinal profile to the calculated and equilibrium longitudinal profiles adopting Yang ' s (1971) theory of average river fall. The verification reveals that the fall ratio is less than 1, which indicates the basin has not yet reached the dynamic equilibrium phase and the whole process-response system sustains tremendous human pressure. It is inferred from the thermodynamic river profiles that there is poor agreement between observed data and the law of average stream fall, and the concave river profile emerging from several scales of process-form interaction is characterized by human interference. The present analyses also demonstrate that the lithological control, gain size and channel morphology influence the gradient in short term and climate induced hydrological changes control the long-term stability of the total landscape.
Location: TE 12 New Biology Building
Literature cited 1: Leopold, L.B. and Langbein, W.B., The concept of entropy in landscape evolution. US Geol. Surv.Prof.Pap.Ser.A., 1962, 500, A1-A20. Scheidegger, A.E., A complete thermodynamic analog for land-scape evolution. Int. Assoc.Sci.Hydrol., Bull, 1967, 12 (4), 57-62.
Literature cited 2: Yang, C.T., Potential energy and stream morphology. Water Resour.Res., 1971, 7 (2), 311-322. Fiorentino, M., Claps, P. and Singh, V.P., An entropy-based morphological analysis of river basin networks. Water Resour.Res., 1993, 29 (4), 1215-1224.

ID: 59732
Title: Membrane lipid peroxidation and its conflict of interest: the two faces of oxidative stress.
Author: Soumen Bhattacharjee.
Editor: R. Srinivasan.
Year: 2014
Publisher: Current Science Association and Indian Academy of Sciences.
Source: Centre for Ecological Sciences
Reference: Current Science Vol. 107 (11) 1811-1823 (2014)
Subject: Current Science.
Keywords: Adaptive response, cell signaling, membrane lipid peroxidation, oxidative damage, reactive lipid species.
Abstract: Membranes are the most vital structure for all organisms which not only molecular trafficking but also perceive environmental cues and transducer it in response. Membrane lipid peroxidation, which is normally associated with natural course of ageing, senescence and environmental stresses, is mechanistically important as it is on e of the very few examples of carbon-centered radical production in cell. Chemically, it involves the formation and propagation of lipid radicals, the uptake of molecular oxygen and arrangement of double bonds in the unsaturated lipids and eventually their destruction, with subsequent production of variety of breakdown products, with subsequent production of a variety of breakdown products, including alcohol, ketones, alkanes, aldehydes and ethers. The process is considered as the main event involved in oxidative damage to cell, which may eventually cause cell death. A significant proportion of oxidized lipids are electrophillic in nature. Recent studies suggest that reactive lipid species formed through lipid peroxidation can benefit cells in a number of ways. There are strong evidences in support of the view that reactive lipid species-mediated signaling participates in several physiological pathways including apoptosis, induction of antioxidative defence, membrane repair, proteosomal pahway, etc. The activation of cell signaling pathways by reactive lipid species is hierarchical and largely depends on intrinsic chemical reactivity of electrophiles, thiol-containing signaling domains and the subsequent signaling cascades. An effort has been made to provide an update on membrane lipid peroxidation while addressing the conflicting roles of membrane lipid peroxidation in deteriorative oxidative damage and adaptive cell signaling.
Location: TE 12 New Biology Building
Literature cited 1: Feussner, I and Wasternack, C., The lipoxygenase pathway. Annu.Rev.Plant Biol., 2004, 53, 275-297. Spiteler, G., Lipid peroxidation in aging and age dependent disease.Exp.Gerantol., 2001, 36, 1425-1456.
Literature cited 2: Dianzani, M.and Barrera, G., Pathology and physiology of lipid peroxidation and its carbonyl products. In Free Radical Pathophysiology (eds Alvarez, S. and Evelson, P.), Transworld Research Network, Kerala. India, 2008, pp. 19-38; ISBN: 978-81-7895-311-3. Farooqui, T. and Farooqui, A., Lipid-mediated oxidative stress and inflammation n the pathogenesis of Parkinson ' s disease. Parkinson ' s disease, 2011, 01-09; doi: 10.4061/2011/247467.

ID: 59731
Title: Distribution functions to describe the variation of the present per capita electricity consumption in India and future needs with respect to the population.
Author: S.P. Sukhatme.
Editor: R. Srinivasan.
Year: 2014
Publisher: Current Science Association and Indian Academy of Sciences.
Source: Centre for Ecological Sciences
Reference: Current Science Vol. 107 (11) 1806-1810 (2014)
Subject: Current Science.
Keywords: Distribution function, equitable distribution, future electricity needs per capita electricity consumption.
Abstract: The present mean annual per capita consumption of electricity in India is only around 800 to 900 kWh. This is a low value and it is accepted that it will have to increase in the future to a mean value which could range from 1840 to 4000 kWh. This article is concerned with an aspect which has not received attention so far, viz. the nature of distribution of the consumption around the mean with respect to the population. Since no direct data are available, an attempt is made to deduce the present distribution in India from data available for the world as a whole. It is shown that the present variation can be approximated to be a Poisson-like Weibull distribution which is highly inequitable. The study also suggests a distribution for the future in which not only is the mean annual per capita value higher, but the variation can be approximated by a Gaussian-like Weibull distribution which is more equitable.
Location: TE 12 New Biology Building
Literature cited 1: Goldemberg, J., Johansson,T.B., Reddy, A.K.N. and Williams , R. H., Basic needs and much more with one kilowatt per capita. Ambio, 1985, 14, 190-200. Goldemberg, J., Johansson, T.B., Reddy, A.K.N. and Williams, R. H., Energy for a sustainable World, Wiley Eastern Ltd, New Delhi, 1988.
Literature cited 2: Pasternak, A.D., Global energy futures and human development: a framework for analysis. Report No. UCRL-ID-140773, Lawrence Livemore National Laboratory, USA, 2000; https:// e-reportsext.11nl.gov/pdf239193.pdf Sukhatme, S.P., Can India ' s future needs of electricity be met by renewable energy sources? A revised assessment. Curr. Sci, 2012, 103, 1153-1161.