Impact of forest governance and enforcement on deforestation and forest degradation at the district level:A study in West Bengal State,India

According to the United Nations Environmental Programme(UNEP),the world loses 1.0×106hm2forest land through deforestation annually.About 1.6×106people who depend on forests for livelihood are negatively affected by deforestation and forest degradation.The paper attempts to study the impact of forest governance,enforcement and socio-economic factors on deforestation and forest degradation at the local level in West Bengal State,India.The study was based on questionnaire survey data during 2020–2021 collected from three western districts(Purulia,Bankura,and Paschim Medinipur)where deforestation and poverty rates are higher than other districts in West Bengal State.The total number of selected villages was 29,and the total sample households were 693.A stratified random sampling technique was used to collect data,and a questionnaire was followed.Forest governance and enforcement indices were constructed using United Nation Development Programme(UNDP)methodology and a step-wise logistic regression model was used to identify the factors affecting deforestation and forest degradation.The result of this study showed that four factors(illegal logging,weak forest administration,encroachment,and poverty)are identified for the causes of deforestation and forest degradation.It is observed that six indices of forest governance(rule of law,transparency,accountability,participation,inclusiveness and equitability,and efficiency and effectiveness)are relatively high in Purulia District.Moreover,this study shows that Purulia and Bankura districts follow medium forest governance,while Paschim Medinipur District has poor forest governance.The enforcement index is found to be highest in Purulia District(0.717)and lowest for Paschim Medinipur District(0.257).Finally,weak forest governance,poor socio-economic conditions of the households,and weak enforcement lead to the deforestation and forest degradation in the study area.Therefore,governments should strengthen law enforcement and encourage sustainable forest certification schemes to combat illegal logging.

Altitudinal Distribution of Papilionidae Butterflies along with Their Larval Food Plants in the East Himalayan Landscape of West Bengal, India

The altitudinal distribution of Papilionidae butterflies across the East Himalayan Landscape of West Bengal, India is presented here. 26 butterfly species are known to occur across 11 altitudinal belts. Species Richness (R) and Species Diversity (H′) are said to be highest between 1200 - 1400 masl (meters above sea level). In contrast, lowest values of Species Richness and Species Diversity occur at the highest altitude of 3000 masl and above. Maximum number of individuals occurs between 900 - 1100 masl while the minimum number of individuals was present at the highest altitude of 3000 masl or above. 35 species of plants belonging to 6 families served as the larval food plant of these butterflies. Thus the presence of suitable larval host plants probably governs the altitudinal distribution of these papilionid species of butterflies. 30.77% of butterfly species are strictly monophagous in nature.

Impact of Land Use and Aquatic Plants on the Water Quality of the Sub-Tropical Alpine Wetlands in India: A Case Study Using Neuro-Genetic Models

The suspended and dissolved waste in the incoming storm water of wetlands largely depends on the adjacent land use which can influence the quality of the water body. The micro- and macro-floral population of a wetland can absorb, convert, transform and release different organic or inorganic elements, which can also change or impact the overall quality of the wetland water. The present study investigates the influence of the land use and the plant species in the waterbed on the water quality of a high-altitude, sub-tropical wetland in India. The estimation capabilities of neuro-genetic models were utilized to identify the inherent relationships between the Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD), Dissolved Oxygen (DO), chlorine (Cl) and Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) with the land use and wetland zoology. A thematic map of the quality parameters was also generated based on the identified relationship to observe the influence that the morphological and biological diversity in and around the study area has on the quality parameters of the wetland. According to the results, the BOD, COD and Cl were found to vary with differences in land use and the presence of different plant species, whereas the DO was found to be largely invariant with changes in these parameters. The reasons may be contributed to the impact of uncontrolled eco-tourism activities around the wetland.

A detailed report on mycobacteriosis in Pampus argenteus along the coast of Bay of Bengal,West Bengal,India

Objective:To investigate granuloma associated mycobacteriosis in Pampus argenteus(P.argenteus)(silver pomfrets)and its seasonal prevalence in marine and coastal aquaculture systems of West Bengal,India.Methods:P.argenteus having granulomatous infection were sampled from coastal areas of East Midnapore District of West Bengal from January 2014 to December 2015,encompassing the various seasons.Tissue samples were collected for confirmation by biochemical studies and their prevalence and degree of infection and histopathology was conducted.Results:A total of 197 fishes having haemorrhage like infections in skin and viscera were confirmed for mycobacteria by biochemical analysis,with prevalence of 22.6%.Post-winter season showed higher prevalence(47.97%)followed by winter(35.25%),pre-winter(27.81%),summer(12.5%)and rainy season(2.57%)respectively.Histopathological assessment showed necrotic granuloma in skin,gills and some internal tissues.Ziehl-Neelsen staining of infected tissue samples showed the deposition of acid fast organisms causing swelling and haemorrhages in the tissues.Severity of infection was evaluated by mean cumulative granuloma score(7.89)score.Majority of the acid fast bacilli were recovered from skin,gills and other organs.Biochemical assessment of the acid fast rods confirmed the presence of Mycobacterium spp.Conclusions:The result suggests that the nontuberculous mycobacterial species are responsible for the granulomatous infection in P.argenteus.This infection seems to be influenced by environmental temperature,with the lower temperature favoring the pathogens.

Photocatalytic Degradation of 4-chlorophenol by CuMoO₄-doped TiO₂Nanoparticles Synthesized by Chemical Route

The photocatalytic degradation of 4-chlorophenol (4-CP) in aqueous solution was studied using Cu-MoO4- doped TiO2 nanoparticles under Visible light radiation. The photocatalysts were synthesized by chemical route from TiO2 with different concentration of CuMoO4 (CuxMoxTi1-xO6;where, x values ranged from 0.05 to 0.5). The prepared nanoparticles are characterized by XRD, BET surface area, TEM, UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectra, Raman spectroscopy, XPS and EDAX spectroscopy were used to investigate the nanoparticles structure, size distribution, and qualitative elemental analysis of the composition. The CuxMoxTi1-xO6 (x = 0.05) showed high activity for degradation of 4-CP under visible light. The surface area of the catalyst was found to be 101 m2/g. The photodegradation process was optimized by using CuxMoxTi1-xO6 (x = 0.05) catalyst at a concentration level of 1 g/l. A maximum photocatalytic efficiency of 96.9% was reached at pH = 9 after irradiation for 3 hours. Parameters affecting the photocatalytic process such as catalyst loading, concentration of the catalyst and the dopant concentration, solution pH, and concentration of 4-CP have been investigated.

Human Rights and Jainism A Comparative Study

My research paper tries to investigate certain pertinent questions which are very important for the solution of today＇s problems which we are facing in a globalised world. They are as follows： （1） By following Jain principles, how one can promote and preserve rights of the individual; （2） In what ways Jain teachings prescribed preventive measures against the violation of human rights; （3） Chronology of Indian political thought and Comparison between Jain and Gandhian human rights. Today, we are facing the problems of infringement, misuse of rights in all walks of our life. We are confronting with the problems of social, economic, and political rights, discrimination between men and women in third world countries. Inequality is rampant. To establish equality-protection, promotion, and preservation of human rights is utmost important need of the day. It is one of ways that by following Jain teachings and principles we can be able to establish equality of rights and peace in the contemporary world. So my research paper will be aptly related with the Congress main theme, the politics in the world of inequality. My paper is an interpretative study which is viewed from the socio-political dimension not from the religious or metaphysical point of view.

Identification of Black Dragon forest fire in Amur River Basin Using Satellite Borne NDVI Data and Its Impact on Long Range Transport of Pollutants:A Case Study

The Greater Hinggan Forest was the world’s largest stand of evergreens,along the Black Dragon River(also known as Amur),which forms the border between Chinese Manchuria and Soviet Siberia.Black Dragon fire ranks as one of the worst environmental disasters of the 20th century and it burned about 18 million acres of conifer forest.In the 2nd week of May,1987,we observe more than 10K rise in brightness temperature over a wide region in the China-Russia border.The weekly mean NDVI data shows the changes in greenness after the forest fire broke out.The NDVI value is positive with persistent greenness and vegetation in the Amur River valley,but from the 2nd week of May onwards the reddish patch appears to spread over the entire region,indicates the burned areas.In addition,we observe the impact of Black Dragon forest fire on tropospheric ozone concentration,aerosol index away from the location over North Pacific Ocean.A clear increase in atmospheric pollutants can be noticed after the forest fire event and the long range transports are confirmed with 72 hours NOAA HYSPLIT forward trajectory analysis.

Corrigendum to'Cancer chemotherapy and beyond:Current status,drug candidates,associated risks and progress in targeted therapeutics'[Genes&Diseases 10(2023)1367-1401]

In the published article,there was an error in the affiliation information about the first author Uttpal Anand[a].Instead of"Department of Life Sciences,Ben-Gurion University of the Negev,Beer-Sheva 84105,Israel",it should be"CytoGene Research&Development LLP,K-51,UPSIDA Industrial Area,Kursi Road(Lucknow),Dist.Barabanki,225001,Uttar Pradesh,India".The authors would like to apologize for any inconvenience caused and state that this does not change the scientific conclusions of thearticle inanyway.

Dynamics of a delay-induced prey-predator system with interaction between immature prey and predators

In biological pest control systems,several pests(including insects,mites,weeds,etc.)are controlled by biocontrol agents that rely primarily on predation.Following this biocontrol management ecology,we have created a three-tier prey-predator model with prey phase structure and predator gestation delay.Several studies have demonstrated that predators with Holling type-II functional responses sometimes consume immature prey.A study of the well-posedness and local bifurcation(such as saddle-node and transcritical)near the trivial and planer equilibrium points is carried out.Without any time lag,the prey development coeficient has a stabilizing impact,while increasing attack rate accelerates instability.Energy transformation rate and handling time are shown to cause multiple stability switches in the system.Numerical results demonstrate time delay is the key destabilizer that destroys stability.Our model can replicate more realistic events by including time-dependent factors and exploring the dynamic behavior of nonautonomous systems.In the presence of time delay,sufficient conditions of permanence and global attractivity of the nonautonomous system are derived.Finally,MATLAB simulations are performed to validate the analytical findings.

Cancer chemotherapy and beyond:Current status,drug candidates,associated risks and progress in targeted therapeutics

Cancer is an abnormal state of cells where they undergo uncontrolled proliferation and produce aggressive malignancies that causes millions of deaths every year.With the new understanding of the molecular mechanism(s)of disease progression,our knowledge about the disease is snowballing,leading to the evolution of many new therapeutic regimes and their successive trials.In the past few decades,various combinations of therapies have been pro-posed and are presently employed in the treatment of diverse cancers.Targeted drug therapy,immunotherapy,and personalized medicines are now largely being employed,which were not common a few years back.The field of cancer discoveries and therapeutics are evolving fast as cancer type-specific biomarkers are progressively being identified and several types of cancers are nowadays undergoing systematic therapies,extending patients’disease-free survival thereafter.Although growing evidence shows that a systematic and targeted approach could be the future of cancer medicine,chemotherapy remains a largely opted therapeutic option despite its known side effects on the patient’s physical and psychological health.Chemother-apeutic agents/pharmaceuticals served a great purpose over the past few decades and have remained the frontline choice for advanced-stage malignancies where surgery and/or radiation therapy cannot be prescribed due to specific reasons.The present report succinctly reviews the existing and contemporary advancements in chemotherapy and assesses the status of the enrolled drugs/pharmaceuticals;it also comprehensively discusses the emerging role of specific/targeted therapeutic strategies that are presently being employed to achieve better clinical success/survival rate in cancer patients.

Nonlinear Dispersive and Dissipative Electrostatic Structures in Two-Dimensional Electron-Positron-Ion Quantum Plasma

The nonlinear features of two-dimensional ion acoustic(IA) solitary and shock structures in a dissipative electron-positron-ion(EPI) quantum plasma are investigated. The dissipation in the system is taken into account by incorporating the kinematic viscosity of ions in plasmas. A quantum hydrodynamic(QHD) model is used to describe the quantum plasma system. The propagation of small but finite amplitude solitons and shocks is governed by the Kadomtsev-Petviashvili-Burger(KPB) equation. It is observed that depending on the values of plasma parameters(viz.quantum diffraction, positron concentration, viscosity), both compressive and rarefactive solitons and shocks are found to exist. Furthermore, the energy of the soliton is computed and possible solutions of the KPB equation are presented numerically in terms of the monotonic and oscillatory shock profiles

Nonlinear Structures in an Ion-Beam Plasmas Including Dust Impurities with Nonthermal Nonextensive Electrons

The properties of dust ion acoustic waves are investigated in an unmagnetized multicomponent plasma system consisting of ion beam, charged positive and negative ions, electrons obeying nonthermal-Tsallis distribution and stationary negatively charged dust grains by the conventional Sagdeev pseudopotential method, through which the condition for existence of several nonlinear structures is analyzed theoretically. The dispersion relation for electrostatic waves is derived and analyzed and an expression of the energy integral equation is obtaJned. It is reported here that our plasma model supports solitions, double layers and supersoliton solutions for certain range of parameters. Finally, the effects of different physical plasma parameters on these nonlinear structures are studied numerically. The present theory should be helpful in understanding the salient features of the electrostatic waves in space and in laboratory plasmas where two distinct groups of ions and non-Maxwellian distributed electrons are present.

Morphological and behavioural variation in CNS innate defence cell microglia is development and age sensitive

Aim:Microglia,the innate defence cells in central nervous system(CNS),alters their shapes and function with age.We observed and identified these morphological changes and functional association throughout the developmental gradient until adulthood in rat brain.Methods:Early and late embryonic stages,neonates and adult brains of albino rats were sectioned for routine Haematoxylin Eosin(HE)staining and specialized silver-gold staining to show distribution and morphological variation in situ.Isolated microglia from different age groups was subjected to scanning electron microscopy(SEM)for observing ultrastructural shapes of microglial cells.The Viability of isolated cells was measured by trypan blue staining and their cellular identity by immuno-staining for CD11b.Finally,phagocytic limitations of the cells in normally developing brain were assessed by carbon particle ingestion and oxidative burst through nitroblue tetrazolium assay to investigate microglial age-sensitivity behavioural response.Results:HE staining spotted overall cellular distribution in the brain and cells with monocytic appearance among the other CNS cells.On contrary,silver-gold staining showed variable morphologies of microglia in various age groups and also showed the appearance of ramified microglia in adult.Nearly 90%of isolated cells were viable and positive for CD11b.SEM showed variable shapes of amoeboid and ramified forms.Immunofluoresence confirms microglial identity.Functionally,microglia showed an age dependent baseline phagocytic capacity in normal condition which changes with developmental phase and age with most active phagocytic behaviour around perinatal phase.Conclusion:In normally developing brains,microglia shows variability in morphology and baseline phagocytic activity that changes with age.These results may represent the normal physiology of CNS development and function.

Notes,outline and divergence times of Basidiomycota

The Basidiomycota constitutes a major phylum of the kingdom Fungi and is second in species numbers to the Ascomycota.The present work provides an overview of all validly published,currently used basidiomycete genera to date in a single document.An outline of all genera of Basidiomycota is provided,which includes 1928 currently used genera names,with 1263 synonyms,which are distributed in 241 families,68 orders,18 classes and four subphyla.We provide brief notes for each accepted genus including information on classification,number of accepted species,type species,life mode,habitat,distribution,and sequence information.Furthermore,three phylogenetic analyses with combined LSU,SSU,5.8s,rpb1,rpb2,and ef1 datasets for the subphyla Agaricomycotina,Pucciniomycotina and Ustilaginomycotina are conducted,respectively.Divergence time estimates are provided to the family level with 632 species from 62 orders,168 families and 605 genera.Our study indicates that the divergence times of the subphyla in Basidiomycota are 406-430 Mya,classes are 211-383 Mya,and orders are 99-323 Mya,which are largely consistent with previous studies.In this study,all phylogenetically supported families were dated,with the families of Agaricomycotina diverging from 27-178 Mya,Pucciniomycotina from 85-222 Mya,and Ustilaginomycotina from 79-177 Mya.Divergence times as additional criterion in ranking provide additional evidence to resolve taxonomic problems in the Basidiomycota taxonomic system,and also provide a better understanding of their phylogeny and evolution.

Fungal diversity notes 1387-1511:taxonomic and phylogenetic contributions on genera and species of fungal taxa

This article is the 13th contribution in the Fungal Diversity Notes series,wherein 125 taxa from four phyla,ten classes,31 orders,69 families,92 genera and three genera incertae sedis are treated,demonstrating worldwide and geographic distri-bution.Fungal taxa described and illustrated in the present study include three new genera,69 new species,one new com-bination,one reference specimen and 51 new records on new hosts and new geographical distributions.Three new genera,Cylindrotorula(Torulaceae),Scolecoleotia(Leotiales genus incertae sedis)and Xenovaginatispora(Lindomycetaceae)are introduced based on distinct phylogenetic lineages and unique morphologies.Newly described species are Aspergillus lan-naensis,Cercophora dulciaquae,Cladophialophora aquatica,Coprinellus punjabensis,Cortinarius alutarius,C.mammil-latus,C.quercoflocculosus,Coryneum fagi,Cruentomycena uttarakhandina,Cryptocoryneum rosae,Cyathus uniperidiolus,Cylindrotorula indica,Diaporthe chamaeropicola,Didymella azollae,Diplodia alanphillipsii,Dothiora coronicola,Efibula rodriguezarmasiae,Erysiphe salicicola,Fusarium queenslandicum,Geastrum gorgonicum,G.hansagiense,Helicosporium sexualis,Helminthosporium chiangraiensis,Hongkongmyces kokensis,Hydrophilomyces hydraenae,Hygrocybe boertmannii,Hyphoderma australosetigerum,Hyphodontia yunnanensis,Khaleijomyces umikazeana,Laboulbenia divisa,Laboulbenia triarthronis,Laccaria populina,Lactarius pallidozonarius,Lepidosphaeria strobelii,Longipedicellata megafusiformis,Lophiotrema lincangensis,Marasmius benghalensis,M.jinfoshanensis,M.subtropicus,Mariannaea camelliae,Mel-anographium smilaxii,Microbotryum polycnemoides,Mimeomyces digitatus,Minutisphaera thailandensis,Mortierella solitaria,Mucor harpali,Nigrograna jinghongensis,Odontia huanrenensis,O.parvispina,Paraconiothyrium ajrekarii,Par-afuscosporella niloticus,Phaeocytostroma yomensis,Phaeoisaria synnematicus,Phanerochaete hainanensis,Pleopunctum thailandicum,Pleurotheciella dimorphospora,Pseudochaetosphaeronema chiangraiense,Pseudodactylaria albicolonia,Rhexoacrodictys nigrospora,Russula paravioleipes,Scolecoleotia eriocamporesi,Seriascoma honghense,Synandromyces makranczyi,Thyridaria aureobrunnea,Torula lancangjiangensis,Tubeufia longihelicospora,Wicklowia fusiformispora,Xenovaginatispora phichaiensis and Xylaria apiospora.One new combination,Pseudobactrodesmium stilboideus is pro-posed.A reference specimen of Comoclathris permunda is designated.New host or distribution records are provided for Acrocalymma fici,Aliquandostipite khaoyaiensis,Camarosporidiella laburni,Canalisporium caribense,Chaetoscutula juniperi,Chlorophyllum demangei,C.globosum,C.hortense,Cladophialophora abundans,Dendryphion hydei,Diaporthe foeniculina,D.pseudophoenicicola,D.pyracanthae,Dictyosporium pandanicola,Dyfrolomyces distoseptatus,Ernakula-mia tanakae,Eutypa flavovirens,E.lata,Favolus septatus,Fusarium atrovinosum,F.clavum,Helicosporium luteosporum,Hermatomyces nabanheensis,Hermatomyces sphaericoides,Longipedicellata aquatica,Lophiostoma caudata,L.clematidis-vitalbae,Lophiotrema hydei,L.neoarundinaria,Marasmiellus palmivorus,Megacapitula villosa,Micropsalliota globocys-tis,M.gracilis,Montagnula thailandica,Neohelicosporium irregulare,N.parisporum,Paradictyoarthrinium diffractum,Phaeoisaria aquatica,Poaceascoma taiwanense,Saproamanita manicata,Spegazzinia camelliae,Submersispora variabi-lis,Thyronectria caudata,T.mackenziei,Tubeufia chiangmaiensis,T.roseohelicospora,Vaginatispora nypae,Wicklowia submersa,Xanthagaricus necopinatus and Xylaria haemorrhoidalis.The data presented herein are based on morphological examination of fresh specimens,coupled with analysis of phylogenetic sequence data to better integrate taxa into appropriate taxonomic ranks and infer their evolutionary relationships.

FungalTraits:a user-friendly traits database of fungi and fungus-like stramenopiles

The cryptic lifestyle of most fungi necessitates molecular identification of the guild in environmental studies.Over the past decades,rapid development and affordability of molecular tools have tremendously improved insights of the fungal diversity in all ecosystems and habitats.Yet,in spite of the progress of molecular methods,knowledge about functional properties of the fungal taxa is vague and interpretation of environmental studies in an ecologically meaningful manner remains challenging.In order to facilitate functional assignments and ecological interpretation of environmental studies we introduce a user friendly traits and character database FungalTraits operating at genus and species hypothesis levels.Combining the information from previous efforts such as FUNGuild and FunFun together with involvement of expert knowledge,we reannotated 10,210 and 151 fungal and Stramenopila genera,respectively.This resulted in a stand-alone spreadsheet dataset covering 17 lifestyle related traits of fungal and Stramenopila genera,designed for rapid functional assignments of environmental stud-ies.In order to assign the trait states to fungal species hypotheses,the scientific community of experts manually categorised and assigned available trait information to 697,413 fungal ITS sequences.On the basis of those sequences we were able to summarise trait and host information into 92,623 fungal species hypotheses at 1%dissimilarity threshold.

Correction to:FungalTraits:a user friendly traits database of fungi and fungus-like stramenopiles

Correction to:Fungal Diversity(2020)105:116 https://doi.org/10.1007/s13225-020-00466-2 There were errors in the name of author LászlóG.Nagy and in affiliation no.31 in the original publication.The original article has been corrected.