Defence Life Science Journal
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Zero Energy Overwinter Storage of Apple Nursery Plants in trans-Himalayan Ladakh, India
Get PDFStudies were conducted during 2015 and 2016 to assess the effects of storage conditions on survival of nursery plants in trans-Himalayan Ladakh region. Apple nursery plants raised under warm climatic conditions of Solan (Himachal) were lifted from nurseries in first week of January and stored upto March in cold Ladakh region. Underground cellar-stored plants showed significantly higher plant survival (92 to 94%) than greenhouse-stored plants (37 to 56% survival). Low and constant temperature (-1.5±4.1 to 10.0±1.4ºC) and absence of light inside the cellar were favorable factors for storage of nursery plants. Lower survival rates of greenhouse-stored plants could be attributed to lower and greater fluctuations in temperature (-9.3±1.7to 25.1±1.9ºC) inside the greenhouse. Cellar-stored plants were less subjected to freezing injury as reflected from shoot electrolyte leakage studies. The underground cellar was found effective for overwinter storage of apple nursery plants for 3 to 4 months. The method described is easy and cost-effective, and can be a satisfactory alternative to refrigerated cold storage in trans-Himalayan region with severe winters.
Diversity, Distribution, Use Pattern and Evaluation of Wild Edible Plants of Uttarakhand, India
Get PDFWild edible plants are crucial not only for their role as a source of food and nutrition but are also integral part of culture and traditions of the Himalayan societies. Because of availability of diverse altitudinal, topographical and microclimatic conditions, the state of Uttarakhand supports a huge diversity of wild edible plants. Most of the species of wild edible plants in Uttarakhand are primarily consumed as a food by the local communities residing in remote hilly regions. However, several other species are consumed for their medicinal and health promoting benefits. The availability of enormous diversity of wild edible plants in the region has attracted attention of researchers. Consequently, research has been carried out on different aspects of wild edible plants. These include studies on distribution and use pattern, development of propagation protocols and bioprospecting and biochemical evaluation. As a result of this, some of the species are being utilized at commercial scale, and thus are considered capable of providing alternate options of livelihood for marginal communities residing in far flung areas of the state. However, there are several other promising species of wild fruits in the region, which need attention for conducting research on various aspects so that their optimum nutritional and economic potentials could be harnessed in sustainable manner
Food Nanotechnologies: Purchasing a Double Edge Sword
Get PDFRapid development of nanotechnology has revolutionsed various areas of conventional food science and food industry. The novel properties of nanoparticles (NPs) have led to increasing application of nanotechnology in food industry. Nanofood market have a variety of products like the creamy ice-cream, drinks with no fat, enhanced flavour with nutrients and better textured, coloured and fresh looking food. Continuous monitoring for food spoilage or contamination is possible too. Nanotechnology has transformed the food industries which claim health benefits along with better taste. With the increasing use of NPs especially in food products, where humans are in close contact of the engineered nanomaterials (NMs), it is important to ensure safety before use. Bio-nano interactions often result in novel reaction and formation of products leading to toxicity. NPs mediated toxicity mainly includes inflammation, oxidative damage and genotoxicity. Prolong use of these particles can cause detrimental effects on health. Presently, due to lack of appropriate guidelines and regulations for food nanotechnology there are uncertainties regarding risk identification. Hence, it is essential to evaluate the consequences of this technology in terms of general public and occupational health risks associated with the manufacture, use and disposal of NMs, before instigating the same in day to day use
Moral Identity and Moral Judgement of Subclinical Psychopaths in Normal Population
Get PDFSubclinical psychopaths are those individuals who have most of psychopath’s traits but doesn’t indulge in serious antisocial behavior and thus rarely get imprisoned1. Psychopaths have been generally reported to be low on ethical behaviours. This study is an attempt to see if subclinical psychopaths too are low on moral aspects like clinical psychopaths. For this study data of 279 young adults in the age group of 18 to 25 years were collected from various colleges and universities of Punjab. Correlation analysis revealed that subclinical psychopathy is negatively related to moral identity internalisation, however, no relation was found with moral judgement and moral identity symbolisation. When the two group subclinical psychopath’s ad non-subclinical psychopaths were compared they were found to differ on moral identity internalisation. With regression analysis subclinical psychopathy was found to be a significant predictor of moral identity internalisation
Personality and Resilience as Determinants of Psychological Well-being among Military Children
Get PDFThe military children are a population who are susceptible to psychological stress from the hardships of military life, such as frequent moves and separation from their parents during deployment. Military children are resilient as well as stress prone at the same time. Whilefrequent moves build resilience, combat deployments of their parents makes them vulnerable to the risks associated with psychological and emotional health, attachment problems and coping while overcoming traumatic grief due to death of a family member. The risk is highestright after the military personnel leaves for deployment and immediately upon return. In order to understand the psychological health of children of military personnel, it is important to understand their resilience and personality in relation to psychological well-being. In addition to being a personal trait, resilience is a product of the relationships between children and the resources around them. Despite needs to better understand the impact of deployment on military children and families and to provide proper support for them, rigorous research is deficient. A comprehensive approach based on strengths and problems, of military children and families, with a focus on the prevention, is the need of the hour. The present paper focuses on study of personality and resilience as determinants of psychological well-being. The study was conducted on military children (N= 124) of Army Public School, using HEXACO-PI, Brief Resilience Scale and Psychological Wellbeing Scale. The data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results and implications are discussed in the paper. Issues in need of further research are emphasized, especially research into programs that assist military children and families
Guest Editorial
Get PDFIn the modern era of emerging trends and technologies, the psychology has received further attention which played an imperative role in lives of human beings, their development and overall well-being in emerging society. The rising trend in varied fields of psychology such as health psychology, positive psychology, military psychology, clinical psychology, industrial psychology, organisational behaviour and counseling reflect the pace of growth of the subject in the country. In India, Defence Research and Developmental Organisation (DRDO) established under the aegis of ministry of defence is dedicated towards research and developmental activities for enhancing self-reliance in various areas of military technology. Among 52 laboratories spread across the country, the Defence Institute of Psychological Research (DIPR) has a major role in the areas of personnel selection, training and follow-up of Indian Armed Force
Seabuckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides L.) in trans-Himalayan Ladakh, India
Get PDFSeabuckthorn (SBT) is an ecologically and economically important plant species of trans-Himalayan Ladakh. Once considered a thorny menace, SBT is now looked upon as a means for sustainable development of the trans-Himalayan region. Several antioxidant rich SBT-based products are being developed and commercialized. SBT berry collection from natural habitat has become an important activity in the region since the year 2001. Currently, the demand for SBT exceeds the supply capacity of the region. Cultivation of SBT on 2500 ha would result in annual net income of Rs 491 crore. Anticipating the high demand for SBT, studies are underway to meet the long term goal to introduce plantation of SBT on vast barren land. Potential of the lesser-known shrub has been recognized by several R&D organizations. In recent years a number of research institutes in India are working on the lesser known shrub. This article summarizes the advancement of research on SBT of trans-Himalayan Ladakh origin
Immobilization of lactic acid bacteria and application of bacteriocin for preservation of fruit juices and bacteriocin production
No full textLactic acid bacteria are generally recognized as safe (GRAS) organisms producingbacteriocins that help in inhibiting foodborne pathogens. However, its narrow spectrum activity is a major limitation for food applications. Thus, a combination of different methods were attemptedto broaden the antimicrobial spectrum of bacteriocins produced using lactic acid bacteria. Initially, the antimicrobial activity of bacteriocin from various combinations of mixed lactic acid bacteria and single culture were determined after 56 hours at 35ºC to select the desirable combination with maximum antimicrobial activity. Combination of bacteriocin produced by Lactobacillus plantarum DFR4, Enterococcus faecalis DFR4 and E.Faecalis DFRP1 showed maximumactivity against Listeria monocytogenes with zone of 31.24±0.33 mm in agar disc diffusion assay. The specific activity and purification of bacteriocins produced by these isolates werefound to be highest in gel permeation chromatography whereas, the yield was highest in 80 percent acetone precipitation. The partially purified bacteriocins were further investigated for the effect of pH, enzymes and temperature stability and were found to be thermostableand active at pH range of 3 to 5. Proteolytic enzymes such as protease and papain inactivedthe bacteriocinswhile amylase had no inhibitory effect. The antimicrobial activity of bacteriocin produced from bamboo (Bambusa vulgaris) fibre immobilized Lactobacillus plantarum DFR4 was found to be more (zone size=20.91±0.35 mm) in comparison to free cells (zone size=8.52±0.26 mm) after 24 h of incubation at 37°C. Further, immobilization of Lactobacillus plantarum DFR4, Enterococcus faecalis DFR4 and E. Faecalis DFRP1 using bamboo fibre aided in faster production of bacteriocins in 24 h.Mosambi juice (Citrus limetta) supplemented with bacteriocins (produced from mixed bacterial isolates) had a shelf life of 26 days at 5ºC.
Nutritional requirement at high-altitude with special emphasises to behaviour of gastro-intestinal tract and hormonal changes
Get PDFWhen people are exposed to the extreme environmental conditions, such as high altitude (HA) where there is decrease in temperature and partial pressure of oxygen induces fatigue, insomnia, loss of appetite and increased cardiac output. Hence there is need to improve the appetite through the diet and digestion clout of the individual. In the present review paper we have discussed the efficiency of digestion is compromised at HA. Also about, Hypoxia, resulting by decreased partial pressure of oxygen can be classified into acute hypoxia and chronic hypoxia based on the exposure time. There is increased formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) due to less oxygen available in the air at HA which leads to oxidative stress. Lipid peroxidation caused by oxidative stress. Hypoxia is mediated through hypoxia inducible factors which maintain oxygen haemostasis in the body. At HA diet rich in carbohydrates have been found to be beneficial as it increases glucose metabolism. Requirement of nutrients such as vitamin A, vitamin E and vitamin C as well as micronutrients such as zinc, iron, selenium, copper and manganese will be required at HA. Hypoxia effect on the intestine leads to malabsorption and the lipid storage is stimulated and lipid catabolism is inhibited through β-oxidation
Enhancing properties of polyvinyl alcohol film using sorghum starch nanocrystals – A cost effective filler from natural source
No full textPoly Vinyl Alcohol (PVA) nanocomposite films with Sorghum Starch Nanocrystals (SSN) were prepared by incorporating various concentrations of SSN in PVA. SSN was isolated using acid hydrolysis of sorghum starch. The morphological studies of SSN using Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) revealed that the particle size varied from 65 to 68 nm. The mechanical properties of PVA-SSN nanocomposite films indicated an improvement in tensile strength and percentage elongation at break when compared to that of PVA films. This can be attributed to the stronger interaction of PVA with SSN due to hydrogen bonding. Besides this, PVA-SSN nanocomposite films also exhibited good thermal properties. Thus, the use of SSN (a cost effective filler from natural source) imparted superior properties to the PVA nanocomposite films, which will be beneficial for applications such as food packaging.