Global climate change is affecting biodiversity and ecological processes. We coupled a general circulation model that uses global datasets with terrain-based analyses to identify potential climate refugia in two conservation landscapes in Nepal for climate changeintegrated conservation planning. The results indicate that lower and mid-montane forests are vulnerable to climate change, but the temperate upper montane and subalpine forests are more resilient and represent macrorefugia.

The CERES (Crop Estimation through Resource and Environment Synthesis)-rice model incorporated in DSSAT version 4.5 was calibrated for genetic coefficients of rice cultivars by conducting field experiments during the kharif season at Jorhat, Kalyani, Ranchi and Bhagalpur, the results of which were used to estimate the gap in rice yield.

Original Source

Discharge of untreated textile effluents containing heavy metals is a serious environmental issue. Biosorption is a promising method for the removal of heavy metals. The present study analyses the biosorption of Cr(VI) from synthetic textile effluent onto tamarind bark biomass as a function of initial metal ion concentration, contact time, pH, sorbent dosage, shaking speed and temperature.

Original Source

Cr, Pb, Zn, Cd, Ni, Cu, Co and Fe content in the surface sediments was studied at three sites along a 20 km stretch on the Bidyadhari River (situated at the gateway to Indian Sundarban mangrove ecosystem) starting from the sewage outfall zone of the Kolkata metropolis (northern limit of Sundarban) during the dry (March) and wet (August) seasons in the year 2011.

The production of biofuels from synthesis gas that utilizes a wide variety of biomass is an emerging concept, particularly with the focus on biomass-based economy. Biomass is converted to synthesis gas via gasification, which involves partial oxidation of the biomass at high temperature. This route of ethanol or liquid biofuel production has the advantage of utilizing the entire biomass, including the lignin content. Though the technology is yet to be established, there is a major breakthrough in understanding the microbial route of synthesis gas conversion.

In this article we review how different management technologies like integrated nutrient management, tillage practices, mulching, addition of clay, surface compaction, conservation tillage, use of polymers, etc. can favourably modify the soil physical properties like bulk density, porosity, aeration, soil moisture, soil aggregation, water retention and transmission properties, and soil processes like evaporation, infiltration, run-off and soil loss for better crop growth and yield.

I have posed 50 questions each to the founders of 50 young Indian biomedical firms that are less than 5 years old. The questions were on the following themes: the backgrounds of the founders and their employees, the area of work of the company, its location and incubation experience, its funding and expenditure, its IP and licensing, its clients, and its risks and challenges. Several are doing pioneering work and the overall picture is impressive. The country should become a source of appropriate, high quality and affordable biomedical products and services in a few year.

Kandi block of Murshidabad district, West Bengal is situated in the Mayurakshi–Dwarka Plain. This is one of the maximum flood-affected blocks in Murshidabad. The average frequency of occurrence of floods in the last decade is 8. This study prepares a vulnerability map of Kandi block at village level combining physical, social and economic indicators of flood hazard. PCA analysis has been applied for computation of vulnerability indices. The results reveal that there is a difference in biophysical exposure and vulnerability index.

Rice is consumed by half of the world’s population. It is a model monocotyledonous crop. In this communication, the effect of 1-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) on the growth, yield attributes and yield is elaborated. Results show that NAA, a synthetic auxin, when applied in spray influences the life cycle of rice via metabolic processes to manifest beneficially through translocating assimilates from source to sink, and hence the yield.

Original Source

This study was aimed to monitor and quantify the metals present in the groundwater of Ranchi city, state capital of Jharkhand, India. Samples were collected from 44 locations during three seasons. The results show that arsenic concentration ranged from 0 to 0.2 and 0 to 0.015 mg/l in monsoon and pre-monsoon seasons respectively, but was below detection limit in the post-monsoon season. Manganese varied from 0 to 4.199, Nickel from 0 to 0.077, Selenium from 0 to 0.14, and Fe varied from 0 to 0.047 mg/l.