Hydrogeology,Stratigraphy and evolution of the Palaeo-Lagoon (kole land basin ) in the central Kerala coast, India

The present investigation on " Hydrology, stratigraphy, and evolution of the palaeo-lagoon (Koleland basin)in the Central Kerala coast, India" is an integrated approach based on hydrogeological,geophysical,hydrochemical and stratigraphic aspects.A strong scientific data base of the study area is generated using interpretation of well observation and water quality analysis. The salient findings of the present study are given to provide a holistic picture on the hydrogeology (including groundwater resource and its quality),stratigraphy and evolution of the palaeo-lagoon

Water characteristics and current structure of the intermediate waters in the arabian sea

At intermediate depths of the Arabian Sea, the circulation and characteristics of water are more influenced by the high saline waters from the north and low saline waters from the south of equator. The interaction of these waters which greatly differ in characteristics is less understood compared to that at the upper layers. An understanding of the nature of the intermediate waters is of vital importance not only because of the unusual characteristics of the waters but also due to the influx of the different water masses from the neighbouring Red Sea and Persian Gulf. Hence, in the present investigation, it is proposed to study the water characteristics and current structure of the intermediate waters in the Arabian Sea through the distribution of the water properties on the isanosteric surfaces of 100, 80, 60 and 4O—cl/t, vertical sections, and scatter diagrams An attempt is also made to present the potential vorticity between different steric levels to understand the circulation and mixing processes. Data collected during and subsequent to International Indian Ocean Expedition (IIOE) are used for this study. The thesis has been divided into six chapters with further sub divisions

Hydrogeology and hydrochemistry of the aquifer systems of Kuttanad area, Kerala: Their role in understanding the evolution of groundwaters

This is an attempt to understand the important factors that control the occurrence, development and hydrochemical evolution of groundwater resources in sedimentary multi aquifer systems. The primary objective of this work is an integrated study of the hydrogeology and hydrochemistry with a view to elucidate the hydrochemical evolution of groundwater resources in the aquifer systems. The study is taken up in a typical coastal sedimentary aquifer system evolved under fluvio-marine environment in the coastal area of Kerala, known as the Kuttanad. The present study has been carried out to understand the aquifer systems, their inter relationships and evolution in the Kuttanad area of Kerala. The multi aquifer systems in the Kuttanad basin were formed from the sediments deposited under fluvio-marine and fluvial depositional environments and the marine transgressions and regressions in the geological past and palaeo climatic conditions influenced the hydrochemical environment in these aquifers. The evolution of groundwater and the hydrochemical processes involved in the formation of the present day water quality are elucidated from hydrochemical studies and the information derived from the aquifer geometry and hydraulic properties. Kuttanad area comprises of three types of aquifer systems namely phreatic aquifer underlain by Recent confined aquifer followed by Tertiary confined aquifers. These systems were formed by the deposition of sediments under fluvio-marine and fluvial environment. The study of the hydrochemical and hydraulic properties of the three aquifer systems proved that these three systems are separate entities. The phreatic aquifers in the area have low hydraulic gradients and high rejected recharge. The Recent confined aquifer has very poor hydraulic characteristics and recharge to this aquifer is very low. The Tertiary aquifer system is the most potential fresh water aquifer system in the area and the groundwater flow in the aquifer is converging towards the central part of the study area (Alleppey town) due to large scale pumping of water for water supply from this aquifer system. Mixing of waters and anthropogenic interferences are the dominant processes modifying the hydrochemistry in phreatic aquifers. Whereas, leaching of salts and cation exchange are the dominant processes modifying the hydrochemistry of groundwater in the confined aquifer system of Recent alluvium. Two significant chemical reactions modifying the hydrochemistry in the Recent aquifers are oxidation of iron in ferruginous clays which contributes hydrogen ions and the decomposition of organic matter in the aquifer system which consumes hydrogen ions. The hydrochemical environment is entirely different in the Tertiary aquifers as the groundwater in this aquifer system are palaeo waters evolved during various marine transgressions and regressions and these waters are being modified by processes of leaching of salts, cation exchange and chemical reactions under strong reducing environment. It is proved that the salinity observed in the groundwaters of Tertiary aquifers are not due to seawater mixing or intrusion, but due to dissolution of salts from the clay formations and ion exchange processes. Fluoride contamination in this aquifer system lacks a regional pattern and is more or less site specific in natureThe lowering of piezometric heads in the Tertiary aquifer system has developed as consequence of large scale pumping over a long period. Hence, puping from this aquifer system is to be regulated as a groundwater management strategy. Pumping from the Tertiary aquifers with high capacity pumps leads to well failures and mixing of saline water from the brackish zones. Such mixing zones are noticed from the hydrochemical studies. This is the major aquifer contamination in the Tertiary aquifer system which requires immediate attention. Usage of pumps above 10 HP capacities in wells taping Tertiary aquifers should be discouraged for sustainable development of these aquifers. The recharge areas need to be identified precisely for recharging the aquifer systems throughartificial means.

Evaluation of major feed resources in crop-livestock mixed farming systems, southern Ethiopia: Indigenous knowledge versus laboratory analysis results

Evaluation of major feed resources was conducted in four crop-livestock mixed farming systems of central southern Ethiopia, with 90 farmers, selected using multi-stage purposive and random sampling methods. Discussions were held with focused groups and key informants for vernacular name identification of feed, followed by feed sampling to analyse chemical composition (CP, ADF and NDF), in-vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD), and correlate with indigenous technical knowledge (ITK). Native pastures, crop residues (CR) and multi-purpose trees (MPT) are the major feed resources, demonstrated great variations in seasonality, chemical composition and IVDMD. The average CP, NDF and IVDMD values for grasses were 83.8 (ranged: 62.9–190), 619 (ranged: 357–877) and 572 (ranged: 317–743) g kg^(−1) DM, respectively. Likewise, the average CP, NDF and IVDMD for CR were 58 (ranged: 20–90), 760 (ranged: 340–931) and 461 (ranged: 285–637)g kg^(−1) DM, respectively. Generally, the MPT and non-conventional feeds (NCF, Ensete ventricosum and Ipomoea batatas) possessed higher CP (ranged: 155–164 g kg^(−1) DM) and IVDMD values (611–657 g kg^(−1) DM) while lower NDF (331–387 g kg^(−1) DM) and ADF (321–344 g kg^(−1) DM) values. The MPT and NCF were ranked as the best nutritious feeds by ITK while crop residues were the least. This study indicates that there are remarkable variations within and among forage resources in terms of chemical composition. There were also complementarities between ITK and feed laboratory results, and thus the ITK need to be taken into consideration in evaluation of local feed resources.

Pyrohydrolysis-IRMS determination of silicate chlorine stable isotope compositions. Application to oceanic crust and meteorite samples

This contribution describes the optimization of chlorine extraction from silicate samples by pyrohydrolysis prior to the precise determination of Cl stable-isotope compositions (637 Cl) by gas source, dual inlet Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry (IRMS) on CH(3)Clg. The complete method was checked on three international reference materials for Cl-content and two laboratory glass standards. Whole procedure blanks are lower than 0. 5 mu mol, corresponding to less than 10 wt.% of most of the sample chloride analysed. In the absence of international chlorine isotope rock, we report here Cl extracted compared to accepted Cl contents and reproducibilities on Cl and delta Cl-37 measurements for the standard rocks. After extraction, the Cl contents of the three international references compared within error with the accepted values (mean yield = 94 +/-10%) with reproducibilities better than 12% (10). The laboratory glass standards - andesite SO100DS92 and phonolite S9(2) - were used specifically to test the effect of chloride amount on the measurements. They gave Cl extraction yields of 100 +/-6% (1 sigma-; n = 15) and 105 +/- 8% (1 sigma-; n = 7), respectively, with delta Cl-37 values of -0.51 0.14%o and -0.39 0.17%o (1g). In summary, for silicate samples with Cl contents between 39 and 9042 ppm, the Pyrohydrolysis/HPLC method leads to overall CI extraction yields of 100 8%, reproducibilities on Cl contents of 7% and on delta Cl-37 measurements of 0.12%o (all 1 sigma). The method was further applied to ten silicate rocks of various mineralogy and chemistry (meteorite, fresh MORB glasses, altered basalts and setpentinized peridotites) chosen for their large range of Cl contents (70-2156 ppm) and their geological significance. delta Cl-37 values range between -2.33 and -0.50%o. These strictly negative values contrast with the large range and mainly positive values previously reported for comparable silicate samples and shown here to be affected by analytical problems. Thus we propose a preliminary, revised terrestrial CI cycle, mainly dominated by negative and zero delta Cl-37 values. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Multitrophic links between arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and insect parasitoids

The effects of arbuscular mycorrhizal colonization of Leucanthemum vulgare on parasitism of a leaf-mining insect was studied in a field and a laboratory experiment. In the field, parasitism of Chromatomyia syngenesiae by Diglyphus isaea was lower on mycorrhizal plants, compared with plants where the association was reduced. A laboratory experiment, in which L. vulgare was inoculated with three species of AM fungi, showed that the effects on parasitism rates were mycorrhizal species-dependent. Some fungal combinations increased parasitism, some decreased it, while others had no effect. It is concluded that the most likely cause of these differences is plant size, with parasitoid searching efficiency being reduced on the larger plants, resulting from certain mycorrhizal species combinations. However, a mycorrhizal effect on herbivore-produced plant volatiles cannot be ruled out.

Misidentification of two Brazilian triatomes, Triatoma arthurneivai and Triatoma wygodzinskyi, revealed by geometric morphometrics

Triatoma arthurneivai Lent & Martins and Triatoma wygodzinskyi Lent (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) are two Brazilian species found in the sylvatic environment. Several authors may have misidentified T. arthurneivai and consequently published erroneous information. This work reports the use of geometric morphometric analysis on wings in order to differentiate T. arthurneivai and T. wygodzinskyi, and thus to detect possible misidentifications. Triatomines collected from the field in the states of Minas Gerais and Sao Paulo, and from laboratory colonies, were used. Analyses show a clear differentiation between specimens of T. arthurneivai and T. wygodzinskyi. This indicates that T. arthurneivai populations from Sao Paulo state were misidentified and should be considered as T. wygodzinskyi. This study also suggests that T. arthurneivai is an endemic species from Serra do Cipo, Minas Gerais state.

Assessing the impact of deforestation and climate change on the range size and environmental niche of bird species in the Atlantic forests, Brazil

Aim Habitat loss and climate change are two major drivers of biological diversity. Here we quantify how deforestation has already changed, and how future climate scenarios may change, environmental conditions within the highly disturbed Atlantic forests of Brazil. We also examine how environmental conditions have been altered within the range of selected bird species. Location Atlantic forests of south-eastern Brazil. Methods The historical distribution of 21 bird species was estimated using Maxent. After superimposing the present-day forest cover, we examined the environmental niches hypothesized to be occupied by these birds pre- and post-deforestation using environmental niche factor analysis (ENFA). ENFA was also used to compare conditions in the entire Atlantic forest ecosystem pre- and post-deforestation. The relative influence of land use and climate change on environmental conditions was examined using analysis of similarity and principal components analysis. Results Deforestation in the region has resulted in a decrease in suitable habitat of between 78% and 93% for the Atlantic forest birds included here. Further, Atlantic forest birds today experience generally wetter and less seasonal forest environments than they did historically. Models of future environmental conditions within forest remnants suggest generally warmer conditions and lower annual variation in rainfall due to greater precipitation in the driest quarter of the year. We found that deforestation resulted in a greater divergence of environmental conditions within Atlantic forests than that predicted by climate change. Main conclusions The changes in environmental conditions that have occurred with large-scale deforestation suggest that selective regimes may have shifted and, as a consequence, spatial patterns of intra-specific variation in morphology, behaviour and genes have probably been altered. Although the observed shifts in available environmental conditions resulting from deforestation are greater than those predicted by climate change, the latter will result in novel environments that exceed temperatures in any present-day climates and may lead to biotic attrition unless organisms can adapt to these warmer conditions. Conserving intra-specific diversity over the long term will require considering both how changes in the recent past have influenced contemporary populations and the impact of future environmental change.

X-ray transmission through nanostructured and microstructured CuO materials

This study presents a comparison of the X-ray transmission through microsized and nanosized materials. For this purpose CuO nanoparticles, with 13.4 nm average grain size, and CuO microparticles, with a mean particle size of 56 mu m, were incorporated separately to beeswax in a concentration of 5%. Results show that the transmission through the above material plates with microsized and nanosized CuO was almost the same for X-ray beams generated at 60 and 102 kV tube voltages. However, for the radiation beams generated at 26 and 30 kV tube voltages the X-rays are more attenuated by the nanostructured CuO plates by a factor of at least 14%. Results suggest that the difference in the low energy range may be due to the higher number of particles/gram in the plates designed with CuO nanoparticles and due to the grain size effect on the X-ray transmission. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Distribution of Ra-226, Th-232 and K-40 in soils and sugar cane crops at Corumbatai river basin, São Paulo State, Brazil

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Interaction between resistant tomato genotypes and plant extracts on Bemisia tabaci (Genn.) biotype B

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Changes of metabolic and inflammatory markers in HIV infection: glucose, lipids, serum Hs-CRP and myeloperoxidase

Objective: HIV infection is exacerbated through additional pro-atherogenic mechanisms related to the processes of immune activation, inflammation, coagulation, and the modification of lipoproteins (e.g., particles of high density lipoprotein), contributing to increased cardiovascular risk. The aim of this study was to analyze the serum concentrations of myeloperoxidase (MPO) and other laboratory parameters in HIV-infected patients treated or not with antiretroviral drugs compared to non-infected individuals.Materials/Methods: The study included 154 volunteers: 47 non-infected individuals (control group - CON), 27 infected and untreated individuals (NTARv group) and 80 treated individuals (TARV group). We analyzed the counts of CD4+ lymphocytes and the viral load of the infected patients, along with the blood count, fasting glucose, total serum cholesterol (CHOL), HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, MPO and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (CRP) of all study participants.Results: There were significant increases in glucose, CHOL, LDL cholesterol, and triglycerides in the TARV group and significant reductions in the levels of HDL cholesterol for the TARV and NTARV groups. Significantly elevated levels of Hs-CRP were observed only in the TARV group, while levels of MPO were significantly higher in the TARV and NTARV groups compared to the control group. A correlation of MPO with Hs-CRP (r = 0.21, p = 0.032) was observed for HIV-infected patients, but MPO did not correlate significantly with the other analyzed parameters.Conclusions: The investigation of early biomarkers for cardiovascular risk evaluation, such as MPO, contributes to the clinical monitoring of HIV-infected individuals. The serum levels of MPO correlated with Hs-CRP and were high in HIV-infected individuals, indicating a possible predictor of cardiovascular events in these patients. (c) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Development of phantom for radiographic image optimization of standard patient in the lateral view of chest and skull examination

We present the construction of a homogeneous phantom to be used in simulating the scattering and absorption of X-rays by a standard patient chest and skull when irradiated laterally. This phantom consisted of Incite and aluminium plates with their thickness determined by a tomographic exploratory method applied to the anthropomorphic phantom. Using this phantom, an optimized radiographic technique was established for chest and skull of standard sized patient in lateral view. Images generated with this optimized technique demonstrated improved image quality and reduced radiation doses. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Phantom development for radiographic image optimization of chest, skull and pelvis examination for nonstandard patient

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)