Tribal institutions and conservation of the bioculturally valuable ‘tasat’ (Arenga obtusifolia) tree in the eastern Himalaya

This study reports on the biocultural dimensions of the tasat (Arenga obtusifolia Griff.) tree and its conservation by various informal institutions of the Adi tribe of Arunachal Pradesh, India. The study included 240 Adi community members (120 men and 120 women) residing in 12 villages of the East Siang and Upper Siang districts of Arunachal Pradesh. The study was conducted using personal interviews and participatory methods. Results indicated that the stem of tasat is used as a traditional food during droughts and in preparing an ethnic beverage. Tasat is being conserved by the Adi tribe in various habitats. Plant populations of tasat were observed relatively higher in Upper Siang than the East Siang district. The study found differences in the status of biocultural knowledge between genders and different age groups. Kebang and reglep are two indigenous institutions of men and women, respectively, and play leading roles in sustaining tasat plants in various habitats. Women of the Upper Siang district still maintain a knowledge network for diffusing biocultural knowledge related to tasat, among others, through a barter system. Changing land use patterns in agriculture affects tasat conservation. The value addition for tasat based products, and rewarding women who conserve tasat, can enhance the sustainability of tasat based on biocultural knowledge and institutions.     

Remediation of fly ash landfills through plantation

In India, a significant area of land is occupied by preexisting coal‐fired thermal power plants (TPPs) for the storage of fly ash slurry in ash ponds. However, the area available for storage of fly ash at these TPPs is limited. In addition, this type of fly ash disposal poses a problem due to restricted land availability and potential contamination issues. A viable alternative is the reclamation of fly ash ponds by plantation. A study at the Ramagundam Super Thermal Power Station (RSTPS) in Andhra Pradesh, India, on reclamation of a portion of an ash‐filled, low‐lying area has been performed. This article describes the characteristics of the RSTPS pond ash, ash leachates, and improvements in the fertility status of the reclaimed area over a three‐year period. Furthermore, morphometric observations of different planted species indicate that these types of ash‐filled, low‐lying areas can be suitably reclaimed and the nutrient‐rich leachate from ash‐filled areas potentially can be used for irrigation purposes. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Surveying macro-invertebrate diversity in the Tons river,Doon Valley,India

A survey of macro-invertebrates and their monthly variations occupying the Tons river in Doon Valley was conducted from August 2003–July 2004. Macro-invertebrate collections and water samples were taken from three sampling stations every month during the period of study. All the hydrological attributes were measured monthly for 1 year. The present study showed that the water velocity, hydromedian depth, turbidity and dissolved oxygen and nature and size of the bottom substrates do play a major role in determining the macro-invertebrate diversity of Tons river. The ecological relevance of the measured hydrological attributes was investigated by comparing their degree of correlation with invertebrate density and diversity. The Shannon–Wiener index (H′) of macro-invertebrates was found to be highest (3.60) during spring season (February and March) and lowest (2.59) during monsoon season (July and August). The high values of diversity index of macro-invertebrates at all the three sampling sites indicate diverse macro-invertebrate communities in the Tons river in Doon Valley, India.     

Understanding the multifunctionality in Cu-doped BiVO4 semiconductor photocatalyst

A visible light-induced, Cu-doped BiVO_4 photocatalyst was synthesized by a microwave hydrothermal method. The photocatalytic efficiency was investigated in the degradation of model water pollutants like Methylene Blue(dye) and ibuprofen(pharmaceuticals), as well as the inactivation of Escherichia coli(bacteria). The Cu-doped BiVO4 samples showed better efficiency than undoped BiVO_4, and the 1 wt.% Cu-doped BiVO_4 sample showed the best efficiency. The degradation of Methylene Blue reached 95%, while the degradation of ibuprofen reached 75%, and the inactivation of E. coli reached 85% in irradiation with visible light. The appearance of additional absorption band shoulders and widening of the optical absorption in the visible range makes the prepared powder an efficient visible light-driven photocatalyst. Moreover, the formation of an in-gap energy state just above the valance band as determined by density functional theory(DFT) first principle calculation, facilitates the wider optical absorption range of the doped system. Similarly, this in-gap energy state also acts as an electron trap, which is favorable for the efficient separation and photoexcited charge carriers' transfer process. The formation of oxygen vacancies due to doping also improved the separation of the charge carrier, which promoted the trapping of electrons and inhibited electron hole recombination, thus increasing the photocatalytic activity. No decrease in the efficiency of the 1 wt.% Cu-doped BiVO_4 photocatalyst in the degradation of ibuprofen over three consecutive cycles revealed the stability of the photocatalyst towards photocorrosion. These findings highlight the multifunctional applications of Cu-doped BiVO_4 in wastewater containing multiple pollutants.     

Methane emissions from a coastal lagoon: Vembanad Lake,West Coast,India

An attempt has been made to estimate methane fluxes from a tropical coastal wetland the Vembanad Lake, a lagoon along the West Coast of India. It has been found that Vembanad Lake contributes significant amount of methane to the atmosphere. Average emissions varied spatially within the lake. Methane emissions were 193.2 +/- 24.5 mg m(-2) h(-1) at Kumaragam (fresh water) as compared to 9.3 +/- 9.6 mgm(-2) h(-1) at Pullot (brackish water) site. Seasonal variation was significant between pre- and post-monsoons. Soil temperature, time of the day, salinity sediment organic carbon, all control the rate of methane emissions from the Vembanad Lake.     

Adsorption and photocatalytic degradation of bisphenol A using TiO2 and its separation by submerged hollowfiber ultrafiltration membrane

This study evaluates the adsorption ability ofbisphenol A（BPA） on titanium dioxide（TiO2） and its effect on the photocatalysis by advanced oxidation process using UV radiation and TiO2 photocatalyst. Degradation of BPA was also evaluated for the system without adsorption prior to photocatalytic reaction. The separation of TiO2 from BPA solution treated by pilot-scale photocatalytic reactor （capacity 0.16 m^3） was studied using submerged ultrafiltration （UF） membrane. It was found that although adsorption capacity of BPA was not high, adsorption played an important role in improving the efficiency ofphotocatalysis. On the other hand, during the separation of TiO2 particles from aqueous suspension, the permeate flux of the membrane was strongly affected by transmembrane pressure and TiO2 dose. The permeate turbidity was decreased below 1 NTU.     

工业生态学：一种新的清洁生产战略

提出了将工业生态学的原则在系统水平上应用到清洁生产计划中所使用的概念、战略和工具.为了使工业系统向可持续性发展,应该有系统地稳定废品和副产品的价格,把扩散的损失降至最小,使经济非物质化,并且由碳氢化合物之外的来源生产能源.作者在印度进行了许多研究,旨在检验并采用"工业的新陈代谢"方法论.     

Nanotechnology and groundwater remediation: A step forward in technology understanding

Nanotechnology application to contaminated site remediation, and especially the use of nanoscale zero‐valent iron particles to treat volatile organic compound (VOC)‐impacted groundwater, is now recognized as a promising solution for cost‐effective in situ treatment. Results obtained during numerous pilot tests undertaken by Golder Associates between 2003 and 2005 in North America (United States and Canada) and Europe have been used to present a synthetic cross‐comparison of technology dynamics. The importance of a comprehensive understanding of the site‐specific geological, hydrogeological, and geochemical conditions, the selection of appropriate nanoscale particles, the importance of monitoring geochemical parameters during technology application, and the potential of nanoparticle impact on microbial activity are discussed in this article. The variable technology dynamics obtained during six pilot tests (selected among numerous other tests) are then presented and discussed. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Enumeration of methanogens with a focus on fluorescence in situ hybridization

Methanogens, the members of domain Archaea are potent contributors in global warming. Being confined to the strict anaerobic environment, their direct cultivation as pure culture is quite difficult. Therefore, a range of culture-independent methods have been developed to investigate their numbers, substrate uptake patterns, and identification in complex microbial communities. Unlike other approaches, fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) is not only used for faster quantification and accurate identification but also to reveal the physiological properties and spatiotemporal dynamics of methanogens in their natural environment. Aside from the methodological aspects and application of FISH, this review also focuses on culture-dependent and -independent techniques employed in enumerating methanogens along with associated problems. In addition, the combination of FISH with micro-autoradiography that could also be an important tool in investigating the activities of methanogens is also discussed.     

Cadmium and copper toxicity in three marine macroalgae: evaluation of the biochemical responses and DNA damage

Marine macroalgae have evolved a different mechanism to maintain physiological concentrations of essential metal ions and non-essential metals. The objective of the present work was to evaluate the antioxidant response and DNA damage of copper and cadmium ions in three halophytes, namely, Acanthophora spicifera, Chaetomorpha antennina, and Ulva reticulata. Accumulation of copper was significantly higher (P?P?U. reticulata > A. spicifera > C. antennina. DNA damage index analysis supported that copper was significantly (P?相似文献