Grass and herb photosynthesis and productivity in a resource-limited Eucalyptus woodland under elevated atmospheric CO2

It has been suggested that plant species from the warmer ecosystems will show different and potentially larger photosynthesis and productivity responses to elevated CO2 (eCO2, ambient + 150 ppm) compared to those from the cold temperate ecosystems, on the basis of higher average annual temperature and greater water deficits in the former ecosystems. Based on these expectations, it has further been predicted that the warm water-limited ecosystems may have a greater potential to sequester the extra C that has been assimilated under eCO2. However, empirical evidences testing these expectations are scarce. The overall aim of this thesis was to investigate the effects of eCO2 on photosynthesis and productivity responses of the evergreen C3 herbaceous species from the understory of a periodically water-limited warm-temperate Eucalyptus woodland. In a three-year field study conducted at the Eucalyptus free-air CO2 enrichment experiment (EucFACE), I investigated how eCO2-induced enhancement of photosynthetic rates (Anet) in herbaceous species varied with seasonal water availability. During the second and third year of CO2 fertilisation at EucFACE, I measured the seasonal photosynthetic acclimation responses to eCO2 in two dominant species- a C3 forb and a C3 grass, and measured responses of peak above-ground biomass to eCO2 for total forbs and grasses. In a glasshouse experiment, I tested whether the species or functional groups growing under similar water inputs and nutrient availability differed in their photosynthetic or biomass allocation and growth responses to eCO2 for two C3 forbs and two C3 grasses. also evidence of photosynthetic acclimation under eCO2 in the dominant C3 herbaceous species, especially during the peak growing season of spring. Also, there was no proportional stimulation of peak above-ground biomass in the understory grasses and forbs, which may have been a result of lack of a ‘water-savings effect’ of eCO2 and/or higher soil nutrient limitation. C3 grasses and C3 forbs differed in their photosynthetic and biomass allocation responses to eCO2. Differences in leaf N content, N allocation and changes in above-ground biomass allocation likely affected the CO2 responsiveness in these functional groups. In particular, there was an ability to maintain greater leaf area index, N allocation to photosynthesis and avoid down-regulation under eCO2 by the grasses but not by the forbs. Findings from the current study suggest that interactions between seasonal water-availability eCO2 will be critical in determining relative Anet enhancement response in herbaceous species from a water-limited ecosystem. However, the enhancement response may not be mediated via a ‘water-savings effect’ of eCO2, which contrasts with the earlier findings from cold temperate ecosystems. Furthermore, evidence of photosynthetic capacity down-regulation in the dominant species and lack of relative increase in biomass under eCO2, suggest a limited capacity of the understory herbaceous species from a grassy woodland to respond to eCO2 and ultimately act as an aboveground C sink in future

Transient Myeloproliferative Disorder and Down Syndrome Is there a link?

An extremely premature male neonate presented with an unusual multisystem dysfunction within the first 24 to 48 hours of life. The unfolding of clinical events and investigations revealed a transient myeloproliferative disorder (TMD). TMD was the main indication for karyotyping of this premature infant without clinical symptoms of Down syndrome. The awareness of TMD in a newborn warrants karyotype analysis to look for trisomy 21 and a close surveillance because of its potential progression to true leukaemia.

DEVELOPMENT AND CHARACTERIZATION OF DORZOLAMIDE LOADED NOVASOMES FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF GLAUCOMA

A chronic eye condition called glaucoma is characterized by damage to the retinal nerve and progressive vision loss, primarily brought on by high intraocular pressure (IOP). It is one of the main causes of permanent blindness in the world. Currently, the first line of treatment for glaucoma involves pharmacological reduction of IOP through topical administration of drugs. However, because of the anatomical and physiological barriers in the eye, less than 5% of the injected dose usually reaches intraocular tissues. The goal of the research was to develop novasomes to create an efficient medication delivery system for ocular targeting. The solvent evaporation approach was used to develop dorzolamide novasomes utilizing different ratios of cholesterol and free fatty acids (linoleic acid). It was optimized by 32 factorial design. Free fatty acid and cholesterol concentrations were the factors under investigation, along with their effects on particle size, polydispersity index, zeta potential, entrapment efficiency, and in vitro drug release. Particle size of all factorial batches was found between 54.1 nm to 434 nm. Batch F6 containing cholesterol and linoleic acid 1:2 proportion showed highest entrapment (98%). The amount of dorzolamide released in vitro from the prepared novasomal dispersions loaded with dorzolamide ranged from 62.76 to 99.76 % and release profile of novasomal batches comparing to eye suspension were better . Ex vivo chicken eye irritation study was performed to check irritation potential of dorzolamide loaded novasomes. In summary, dorzolamide novasomes is an efficient and versatile drug delivery approach which demonstrates significant potential in controlling glaucoma

Harvesting Image Databases from The Web

The research work presented here includes data mining needs and study of their algorithm for various extraction purpose. It also includes work that has been done in the field of harvesting images from web. Here the proposed method is to harvest image databases from web. We can automatically generate a large number of images for a specified object. By applying concept of data mining and the algorithm from data mining which is used for extraction of data or harvesting images. A multimodal approach employing text ,metadata and visual  features is used to gather many high-quality images from the web. The modules can be made to find query images by selecting images where nearby text is top ranked by the topic i.e., formation of image clusters then download associate images by using approaches like web search, image search and Google images. Apply re-ranking algorithm and then filtering process to harvest the images.Currently, image search gives a very low precision (only about 4%) and is not used for the harvesting experiments. Since the movements of the technologies are growing rapidly the kinds of work also need to be grown up. This work shows an approach to harvest a large number of images of a particular class automatically and to achieve this with high precision by providing training databases so that a new object model can be learned effortlessly. Many other tools also are available for harvesting images from web .An approach in this paper is original and up to the mark. Keywords: Legacy code, re-engineering, class diagrams, Aggregation, Association, Attribute

Field Measurements of Terrestrial and Martian Dust Devils

Surface-based measurements of terrestrial and martian dust devils/convective vortices provided from mobile and stationary platforms are discussed. Imaging of terrestrial dust devils has quantified their rotational and vertical wind speeds, translation speeds, dimensions, dust load, and frequency of occurrence. Imaging of martian dust devils has provided translation speeds and constraints on dimensions, but only limited constraints on vertical motion within a vortex. The longer mission durations on Mars afforded by long operating robotic landers and rovers have provided statistical quantification of vortex occurrence (time-of-sol, and recently seasonal) that has until recently not been a primary outcome of more temporally limited terrestrial dust devil measurement campaigns. Terrestrial measurement campaigns have included a more extensive range of measured vortex parameters (pressure, wind, morphology, etc.) than have martian opportunities, with electric field and direct measure of dust abundance not yet obtained on Mars. No martian robotic mission has yet provided contemporaneous high frequency wind and pressure measurements. Comparison of measured terrestrial and martian dust devil characteristics suggests that martian dust devils are larger and possess faster maximum rotational wind speeds, that the absolute magnitude of the pressure deficit within a terrestrial dust devil is an order of magnitude greater than a martian dust devil, and that the time-of-day variation in vortex frequency is similar. Recent terrestrial investigations have demonstrated the presence of diagnostic dust devil signals within seismic and infrasound measurements; an upcoming Mars robotic mission will obtain similar measurement types

Dust Devil Tracks

Dust devils that leave dark- or light-toned tracks are common on Mars and they can also be found on the Earth’s surface. Dust devil tracks (hereinafter DDTs) are ephemeral surface features with mostly sub-annual lifetimes. Regarding their size, DDT widths can range between ∼1 m and ∼1 km, depending on the diameter of dust devil that created the track, and DDT lengths range from a few tens of meters to several kilometers, limited by the duration and horizontal ground speed of dust devils. DDTs can be classified into three main types based on their morphology and albedo in contrast to their surroundings; all are found on both planets: (a) dark continuous DDTs, (b) dark cycloidal DDTs, and (c) bright DDTs. Dark continuous DDTs are the most common type on Mars. They are characterized by their relatively homogenous and continuous low albedo surface tracks. Based on terrestrial and martian in situ studies, these DDTs most likely form when surficial dust layers are removed to expose larger-grained substrate material (coarse sands of ≥500 μm in diameter). The exposure of larger-grained materials changes the photometric properties of the surface; hence leading to lower albedo tracks because grain size is photometrically inversely proportional to the surface reflectance. However, although not observed so far, compositional differences (i.e., color differences) might also lead to albedo contrasts when dust is removed to expose substrate materials with mineralogical differences. For dark continuous DDTs, albedo drop measurements are around 2.5 % in the wavelength range of 550–850 nm on Mars and around 0.5 % in the wavelength range from 300–1100 nm on Earth. The removal of an equivalent layer thickness around 1 μm is sufficient for the formation of visible dark continuous DDTs on Mars and Earth. The next type of DDTs, dark cycloidal DDTs, are characterized by their low albedo pattern of overlapping scallops. Terrestrial in situ studies imply that they are formed when sand-sized material that is eroded from the outer vortex area of a dust devil is redeposited in annular patterns in the central vortex region. This type of DDT can also be found in on Mars in orbital image data, and although in situ studies are lacking, terrestrial analog studies, laboratory work, and numerical modeling suggest they have the same formation mechanism as those on Earth. Finally, bright DDTs are characterized by their continuous track pattern and high albedo compared to their undisturbed surroundings. They are found on both planets, but to date they have only been analyzed in situ on Earth. Here, the destruction of aggregates of dust, silt and sand by dust devils leads to smooth surfaces in contrast to the undisturbed rough surfaces surrounding the track. The resulting change in photometric properties occurs because the smoother surfaces have a higher reflectance compared to the surrounding rough surface, leading to bright DDTs. On Mars, the destruction of surficial dust-aggregates may also lead to bright DDTs. However, higher reflective surfaces may be produced by other formation mechanisms, such as dust compaction by passing dust devils, as this may also cause changes in photometric properties. On Mars, DDTs in general are found at all elevations and on a global scale, except on the permanent polar caps. DDT maximum areal densities occur during spring and summer in both hemispheres produced by an increase in dust devil activity caused by maximum insolation. Regionally, dust devil densities vary spatially likely controlled by changes in dust cover thicknesses and substrate materials. This variability makes it difficult to infer dust devil activity from DDT frequencies. Furthermore, only a fraction of dust devils leave tracks. However, DDTs can be used as proxies for dust devil lifetimes and wind directions and speeds, and they can also be used to predict lander or rover solar panel clearing events. Overall, the high DDT frequency in many areas on Mars leads to drastic albedo changes that affect large-scale weather patterns

Envisioning a Decolonial Digital Mental Health

The field of digital mental health is making strides in the application of technology to broaden access to care. We critically examine how these technology-mediated forms of care might amplify historical injustices, and erase minoritized experiences and expressions of mental distress and illness. We draw on decolonial thought and critiques of identity-based algorithmic bias to analyze the underlying power relations impacting digital mental health technologies today, and envision new pathways towards a decolonial digital mental health. We argue that a decolonial digital mental health is one that centers lived experience over rigid classification, is conscious of structural factors that infuence mental wellbeing, and is fundamentally designed to deter the creation of power differentials that prevent people from having agency over their care. Stemming from this vision, we make recommendations for how researchers and designers can support more equitable futures for people experiencing mental distress and illness

Detailed stratigraphy and bed thickness of the Mars north and south polar layered deposits

The Mars polar layered deposits (PLD) likely hold an extensive record of recent climate during a period of high-amplitude orbit and obliquity cycles. Previous work has detected limited evidence for orbital signatures within PLD stratigraphy, but data from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) permit renewed analysis of PLD stratigraphy at sub-meter scale. Topography derived from HiRISE images using stereogrammetry resolves beds previously detectable only as alternating light and dark bands in visible images. We utilize these data to measure the thickness of individual beds within the PLD, corrected for non-horizontal bed orientation. Stratigraphic columns and bed thickness profiles are presented for two sites within the NPLD, and show several sets of finely bedded units 1–2 m thick; isolated marker beds 3–4 m thick; and undifferentiated sections. Bed thickness measurements for three sites within the SPLD exhibit only one bed type based on albedo and morphology, and bed thicknesses have a larger mean and variance compared to measurements for the NPLD. Power spectra of brightness and slope derived along the measured stratigraphic sections confirm the regularity of NPLD fine bed thickness, and the lack of a dominant SPLD bed thickness. The regularity of fine bed thickness of the NPLD is consistent with quasiperiodic bed formation, albeit with unknown temporal period; the SPLD thickness measurements show no such regularity