The first multituberculate mammal from India

Mesozoic deposits of the former Gondwanaland are depauperate in early mammals, in general, and multituberculate mammals, in particular. Until now, the oldest multituberculate mammals known from the Gondwanan continents come from the Early Cretaceous of Morocco, NW Africa. Here, we report the presence of a new multituberculate mammal, Indobaatar zofiae gen. et sp. nov., from the Lower/Middle Jurassic Kota Formation, Pranhita-Godavari valley in peninsular India. This is the first record of a multituberculate from the Mesozoic rocks of India and possibly predates the oldest known multituberculates from Gondwanan continents. The new specimen, representing an upper premolar (P⁴), compares well with the upper premolar morphology of Eobaatariinae multituberculates known from the Early Cretaceous of Mongolia, China, England, and Spain. Together with the recent findings of cimolodontan multituberculates from the Early Cretaceous of Australia and Late Cretaceous of South America, the new discovery indicates a wide temporal and spatial distribution for multituberculate mammals in the former Gondwanaland.     

COVID-19, the firestone in 21st century: a review on coronavirus disease and its clinical perspectives

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) outbreak began in late 2019 in Wuhan, China, and have since spread globally. Deep...     

Spatial distribution of organic geochemical record in the core sediments along the prominent zones of Central Kerala,India

The study investigated the origin, quality, composition, and trophic state of sedimentary organic matter (SOM) in core samples collected from three zones (Munambam, Vypin, Chettuva) of Central Kerala, India. The SOM exhibited enhanced levels for carbohydrate (CHO) followed by protein (PRT) and lipid (LPD); and phytopigment in the sediment followed the trend: Pheophytin (Pheo) > Carotenoid (carotend) > Chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) > Chlorophyll-b (Chl-b) > Chlorophyll-c (Chl-c). The low PRT: CHO ratio indicated a large amount of nonliving or aged organic matter in the sedimentary environment. Whereas the low Chl-a: Pheo ratio interprets the abundance of dead plant materials in the sediments. Correlation matrix showed strong association between organic matter and clay fraction of sediment. Furthermore, the strong interrelationships between biochemical components and chloropigments in all the zones suggested that SOM is strictly connected to phytodetritus deposition. Vypin zone near Vallarpadam Container Terminal revealed the presence of high biopolymeric carbon content. Besides, the PRT: CHO > 1 reflected the eutrophic condition at the same site but the low PRT: CHO ratio in the remaining stations displays the oligotrophic nature.     

Aptamers are an innovative and promising tool for phytoplankton taxonomy and biodiversity research

Nucleic acid aptamers are small-size ligands that selectively bind to molecular segments even when they protrude from cell surfaces. Due to their high specificity, aptamers are widely used in biomedical research and as probes for different applications. Here, we tested whether aptamers can also discriminate among phytoplankton cells. As a proof of concept we focused on the widespread centric diatom Leptocylindrus danicus and generated two aptamers that selectively bind to its cell surface. The aptamers did not bind to other diatoms tested, which included both pennate (Pseudo-nitzschia multistriata) and centric (Skeletonema marinoi, Chaetoceros socialis) species. They also showed negative binding to closely related species (Tenuicylindrus belgicus, Leptocylindrus aporus, Leptocylindrus convexus), which are hardly recognizable with microscopy techniques. In addition, aptamers discriminated also among cells of the same clone, suggesting a potential use of aptamers as clone-specific/stage-specific probes to track phytoplankton life stages in their natural environment. While the method still needs to be tested with natural algal samples, it can complement in a unique way the existing approaches to discriminate among species and possibly life stages of marine phytoplankton. The method can find useful application in taxonomic and ecological studies as well as in environmental monitoring including early warning strategies.     

Heavy metals in the polychaete Glycera longipinnis from the southwest of India

Metal concentrations in sediment and in whole tissue of the benthic polychaete Glycera longipinnis collected along the southwest coast of India were analysed. Relative seasonal accumulation of metals (Cu, Pb, Cr, Ni, Zn, Cd, Hg) was studied by categorising the habitat as less polluted or highly polluted based on metal contamination routed through industrial and urban sources. The metal content in tissues varied seasonally in the ranges, Cu: 2.21–27.08 μg·g^?1, Pb: 0.06–4.92 μg·g^?1, Cr: 1.73–29.20 μg·g^?1, Ni: 1.60–4.61 μg·g^?1, Zn: 14.72–82.30 μg·g^?1, Cd: 0.04–1.38 μg·g^?1and Hg: below decetable limits to 0.86 μg·g^?1. Concentration of heavy metals was found to be high in the whole body of G. longipinnis pooled from the polluted transects. The results of this study suggest that G. longipinnis may act as a useful biological indicator for heavy metal pollution along the southwest coast of India.     

Study of atmospheric stagnation, recirculation and ventilation potential at Narora Atomic Power Station NPP site

The atmosphere is an important pathway to be considered in assessment of the environmental impact of radioactivity releases from nuclear facilities. The estimation of concentration of released effluents in air and possible ground contamination needs an understanding of relevant atmospheric dispersion. This paper describes the meteorological characteristics of Narora Atomic Power Station (NAPS) Nuclear Power Project site by using the integral parameters developed by Allwine and Whiteman (Atmospheric Environment 28(4):713–721, 1994). Meteorological data measured during the period 2006–2010 were analysed. The integral quantities related to the occurrence of stagnation, recirculation and ventilation characteristics were studied for the NAPS site to assess the dilution potential of the atmosphere. Wind run and recirculation factors were calculated for a 24-h transport time using 5 years of hourly surface measurements of wind speed and direction. The occurrence of stagnation, recirculation and ventilation characteristics during 2006–2010 at the NAPS site is observed to be 33.8, 19.5 and 34.7 % of the time, respectively. The presence of strong winds with predominant wind direction NW and WNW during winter and summer seasons leads to higher ventilation (48.1 and 44.3 %) and recirculation (32.6 % of the summer season). The presence of more dispersed light winds during pre-winter season with predominant wind directions W and WNW results in more stagnation (59.7 % of the pre-winter season). Thus, this study will serve as an essential meteorological tool to understand the transport mechanism of atmospheric radioactive effluent release from any nuclear industry during the pre-operational as well as operational phase.     

Assessment of flubendiamide residues in pigeon pea in different agro-climatic zones of India

Supervised field trials were conducted at the research farms of four agricultural universities located at different agro-climatic zones of India to find out the harvest time residues of flubendiamide and its des-iodo metabolite on pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan) during the year 2006-2007. Two spray applications of flubendiamide 20 WDG at 50 g (T(1)) and 100 g (T(2)) a.i./ha were given to the crop at 15-days interval. The foliage samples at different time intervals were drawn at only one location, however, the harvest time samples of pigeon pea grain, shell, and straw were drawn at all the four locations. The residues were estimated by HPLC coupled with UV-VIS variable detector. No residues of flubendiamide and its des-iodo metabolite were found at harvest of the crop at or above the LOQ level of 0.05 μg/g. On the basis of the data generated, a pre-harvest interval (PHI) of 28 days has been recommended and the flubendiamide 20 WDG has been registered for use on pigeon pea by Central Insecticide Board and Registration Committee, Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India and the MRL has been fixed by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India under Prevention of Food and Adulteration as 0.05 μg/g on pigeon pea grains.     

Spatial distribution of aerosol black carbon over India during pre-monsoon season

Aerosol black carbon (BC) mass concentrations ([BC]), measured continuously during a mutli-platform field experiment, Integrated Campaign for Aerosols gases and Radiation Budget (ICARB, March–May 2006), from a network of eight observatories spread over geographically distinct environments of India, (which included five mainland stations, one highland station, and two island stations (one each in Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal)) are examined for their spatio-temporal characteristics. During the period of study, [BC] showed large variations across the country, with values ranging from 27 μg m^?3 over industrial/urban locations to as low as 0.065 μg m^?3 over the Arabian Sea. For all mainland stations, [BC] remained high compared to highland as well as island stations. Among the island stations, Port Blair (PBR) had higher concentration of BC, compared to Minicoy (MCY), implying more absorbing nature of Bay of Bengal aerosols than Arabian Sea. The highland station Nainital (NTL), in the central Himalayas, showed low values of [BC], comparable or even lower than that of the island station PBR, indicating the prevalence of cleaner environment over there. An examination of the changes in the mean temporal features, as the season advances from winter (December–February) to pre-monsoon (March–May), revealed that: (a) Diurnal variations were pronounced over all the mainland stations, with an afternoon low and a nighttime high; (b) At the islands, the diurnal variations, though resembled those over the mainlands, were less pronounced; and (c) In contrast to this, highland station showed an opposite pattern with an afternoon high and a late night or early morning low. The diurnal variations at all stations are mainly caused by the dynamics of local Atmospheric Boundary Layer (ABL). At the entire mainland as well as island stations (except HYD and DEL), [BC] showed a decreasing trend from January to May. This is attributed to the increased convective mixing and to the resulting enhanced vertical dispersal of species in the ABL. In addition, large short-period modulations were observed at DEL and HYD, which appeared to be episodic. An examination of this in the light of the MODIS-derived fire count data over India along with the back-trajectory analysis revealed that advection of BC from extensive forest fires and biomass-burning regions upwind were largely responsible for this episodic enhancement in BC at HYD and DEL.     

Assessing links between crop diversity and food self-sufficiency in three agroecological regions of Nepal

Increasing on-farm crop diversity is one agroecological approach to enhancing food self-sufficiency that helps small-scale farmers keep their food systems stable by reducing risks associated with stressors, such as a pest outbreaks or droughts. But understanding how crop diversity and food self-sufficiency are related is unknown. To explore this complex relation, this study presents household data (n = 1664) from Nepal to test the hypothesis that families with high crop diversity enjoy greater household food self-sufficiency. Data are presented for three districts that are representative of three distinct agroecological regions of the country: (1) Sarlahi, which is affluent, market-oriented, and on the plains; (2) Makwanpur District in the hills, which has well-developed integrated farm production; and (3) the mountainous District of Humla, which has the poorest quality environment and is the most remote. Results show that in the Humla District, families with greater crop diversity were more self-sufficient. In contrast, farmers in Makwanpur, who have already established a high degree of crop diversity based on vegetable production, do not benefit from additional crop diversity in terms of their ability to provide for themselves. Finally, data from Sarlahi show that families’ food self-sufficiency benefits from crop diversification. We conclude that boosting crop diversity is a viable strategy for maintaining stability in food systems, but this varies depending on the accessibility of a farm and, in particular, access to markets.