Research Papers
Agriculture biomass in India: Part 1. Estimation and characterization
Cardoen Dennis, Joshi Piyush, Diels Ludo , Sarma Priyangshu M, Pant Deepak
| 2015
Biomass residues or wastes generated in the agricultural sector represent a source of potentially sustainable feedstock for bio-refineries. The strategy toward such a bio-based economy will only succeed if enough biomass and adequate qualities can be provided not only to produce bioenergy but also to fulfil the food security and health requirements of the growing population. In India, the majority of the biomass generated come from agriculture sector.
Aging and the human gut microbiota—from correlation to causality
Saraswati Sitaraman, Sitaraman Ramakrishnan
| 2015
The human gastrointestinal (GI) tract harbors the largest number and concentration of microbes found in the human body. Perturbations in the gut microbial ecosystem have also been associated with conditions as diverse as chronic GI diseases (e.g., Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis), metabolic disorders (e.g., diabetes types 1 and 2, obesity) and antibiotic use (for a review see Sekirov et al., 2010). Metagenomic culture-independent methods have enabled the unraveling of the complexity of the gut microbiota (Rajilic-Stojanovic et al., 2009).
Africa Rising: What does it Mean for African Citizens?
Masawi Rumbidzai Faith
| 2015
The past decade has seen African economies registering headline gross domestic product growth rate. Will GDP growth lift Africa’s bottom pyramid populace which is a majority of its citizens? Even more, will GDP growth effectively contain the risks imposed by climate change? The paper observes that too many of Africa’s citizens remain ensnared in poverty despite the du jour GDP growth. African countries are also the most vulnerable to climate risk in terms of adaptation and disaster preparedness.
A Study on Socio-Economic Assessment and Adoption of Scientific Technologies by the Muga Rearers of Assam
Goswami Naba Kumar, Nath Premananda, Saharia Dipankar
| 2015
The muga culture plays an important role in the socio-economic development of the weaker sections of the rural population in terms of employment generation, but it is not getting the momentum of development due to non-availability quality DFLs, high incidence of disease and pests, non-adoption of modern technologies, prevailing adverse climatic condition etc. The reasons for non-adoption of scientific technologies are lack of awareness and preference to traditional method of rearing of silkworm.
Vehicular exhaust emissions under current and alternative future policy measures for megacity Delhi, India
Jain Suresh,Aggarwal Preeti, Sharma Prateek, Kumar Prashant
| 2016
This study analyses the impact of integrated mass rapid transit system (IMRTS) and other policy measures on air emissions from vehicular sources in Delhi region. The impacts have been studied for the passenger and goods vehicles separately. For this purpose three alternative scenarios for the passenger vehicles and two alternative scenarios for the goods vehicles have been analysed for the year 2021.
Valuing setting-based recreation for selected visitors to national forests in the southern United States
Sardana Kavita, Bergstromb John C. , Bowker J.M.
| 2016
In this study we estimate selected visitors' demand and value for recreational trips to settings such as developed vs. undeveloped sites in U.S. national forests in the Southern United States using the travel cost method. The setting-based approach allows for valuation of multi-activity trips to particular settings.
Urban domestic water pricing in India and China
Lee Frederick, Aggarwal Veena, Nickumc James
| 2016
Despite significant differences in political and administrative structures, recent reforms in urban domestic water tariff regimes in India and China have had similar trajectories with important but sometimes nuanced differences. In both countries there has been a devolution of operational authority to municipal governments and acceptance of greater reliance on cost recovery through user fees.
Thermal performance evaluation of a mineral-based cement tile as roofing material
Kiran Kumar D.E.V.S., Puranik Sanket
| 2016
In tropical climates like India, solar radiation is the major source of heat gain through roofs as they are exposed to the sun throughout the day. As the ambient conditions are dynamic, it is important to look at periodic variation of heat flow through roofs. In this context, apart from U-values that the Energy Conservation Building Code of India (ECBC-2007) prescribes for envelopes, more specific performance indicators should be considered for designing energy efficient buildings.
The Role of DNA Restriction-Modification Systems in the Biology of Bacillus anthracis
Sitaraman Ramakrishnan
| 2016
Restriction-modification (R-M) systems are widespread among prokaryotes and, depending on their type, may be viewed as selfish genetic elements that persist as toxin-antitoxin modules, or as cellular defense systems against phage infection that confer a selective advantage to the host bacterium. Studies in the last decade have made it amply clear that these two options do not exhaust the list of possible biological roles for R-M systems. Their presence in a cell may also have a bearing on other processes such as horizontal gene transfer and gene regulation.
The isolation and identification of new microalgal strains producing oil and carotenoid simultaneously with biofuel potential
Minhas Amritpreet Kaur, Hodgson Peter, Barrow Colin J., Sashidhara Burla , Adholeya Alok
| 2016
Taxonomy and phylogeny of twenty two microalgal isolates were examined using both universal and newly designed molecular primers. Among the isolates, Scenedesmus bijugus, Coelastrella sp., Auxenochlorella protothecoides, and Chlorella sp. were particularly promising in terms of producing lipids as measured by fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) analysis and significant concentration of carotenoids. A comparative experiment showed that S. bijugus and Chlorella sp.