201,422 research outputs found
Asystasia venui Anant Kumar, G. Krishna & Av. Bhattacharjee 2023, sp. nov.
No full textAsystasia venui Anant Kumar, G. Krishna & Av. Bhattacharjee sp. nov. FIGURES 2 & 3 Type:— INDIA. West Bengal, Howrah, Acharya Jagdish Chandra Bose Indian Botanic Garden, along bank of Janardanam Lake, 11.3 m, 22.55856° E & 88.29227° N, 20.11.2019, Anant Kumar, Gopal Krishna & Avishek Bhattacharjee 86184 (Holotype CAL, CAL0000033886; isotype CAL, CAL0000033887!). Diagnosis:— Asystasia venui is morphologically allied to A. atroviridis Anderson (1867: 526), but differs in having smaller calyx lobes (vs. longer calyx lobes); papillose ovary (vs. glandular hairy ovary); glabrous style throughout (vs. style pubescent basally); densely glandular pubescent capsules (vs. glabrous capsules). Description:—Erect or decumbent herbs, 30−60 cm high; stem purplish red, branched, quadrangular, sulcate, ribbed after drying, rooting at nodes on lower portion, pubescent when young, then glabrescent when old except for nodes. Leaves opposite, decussate, petiolate or uppermost pair sessile; petioles (0−) 0.5−8 cm long, sulcate, pubescent; lamina elliptic-ovate to elliptic-lanceolate, uppermost pair ovate to broadly ovate, smaller in size, 1.4−10 × 0.9−4.4 cm, chartaceous, base unequal, rounded, subcordate, attenuate, or decurrent onto petiole when young, margin entire, apex shortly acuminate, pubescent and green above, tuberculate, glabrous and whitish beneath, veins camptodromous, midvein prominent, impressed above, prominent below, pubescent, lateral veins 5−7 pairs, otherwise same as mid vein. Inflorescences terminal, condensed racemes, 1–4 cm long, 4−12-flowered, pubescent. Flowers ca. 2 cm across; pedicels slender, 1−1.2 cm long, pubescent. Bracts triangular, 1.2–1.5 mm long, apex acuminate, margin ciliate persistent; bracteoles ovate-lanceolate, 0.5–0.7 mm long, apex acute, margin ciliate, persistent. Calyx 5-lobed, pubescent and glandular-hairy outside, glabrous inside; tube 1–1.5 mm long; lobes linear-lanceolate, 3−3.5 mm long, apex acute. Corolla infundibuliform, ventricose, white, with a light violet-purple blotch on the middle lobe of lower lip, glandular-hairy outside, glabrous inside; tube 2–2.3 cm long, base cylindrical for 1.5–1.7 cm long, throat 5–6 mm long; lobes 5, elliptic-ovate, 5−7 × 4–4.5 mm, apex obtuse. Stamens 4, didynamous, inserted at base of throat, slightly exserted; filaments white, slender, shorter pair 5−5.5 mm long, longer pair 8−8.5 mm long, connate at the base in pairs, glabrous; anthers white with a vertical violet-black band on the sides, oblong, 1.2–1.5 cm long, spurred at base, connective beyond the anther cells, glabrous. Ovary green, oblong or columnar, compressed, 1.2−1.5 mm long, papillose, basally surrounded by fleshy, dull white, nectariferous disc, 2-celled; ovules 2 in each cell; style white, filiform, 2.4–2.6 cm long, glabrous; stigma shortly 2-lobed, smooth. Capsules green, clavate, compressed, 1.4–2.2 cm long, dehiscent, densely glandular hairy. Seeds 4, suborbicular, flattened, ca. 3 mm across, tuberculate, rugose, dentate along margins, borne on ca. 2 mm long, hook-like retinacula. Phenology:—Flowering and fruiting from September to December. Habitat: — The new species grows along lakes in shady area at an elevation of about 10 m. The association includes Rivina humilis L., Ruellia tuberosa L., Cardiospermum halicacabum L., Mikania micrantha Kunth and Plumbago zeylanica L. and grasses etc. Distribution:—The species is distributed in Howrah, West Bengal, India so far. Etymology:—The new species is named after Dr Potharaju Venu, Former Senior Scientist of Botanical Survey of India, for his significant contribution to the taxonomy of Indian Acanthaceae. Notes:— The Indian species of the genus can be categorized in two groups on the basis of shape of corolla tube, i.e. Group 1 comprises three species Asystasia atroviridis Anderson (1867: 526), A. neesiana (Wallich 1830: 73) Nees (1832: 89), A. venui Anant Kumar, G. Krishna & Av. Bhattacharjee sp. nov. having cylindrical, shortly funnelshaped corolla tube upwards, and Group 2 having 10 species A. chelonoides Nees (1832: 89), A. crispata Bentham (1852: 647), A. dalzelliana Santapau (1948: 276), A. gangetica (Linnaeus 1756: 3) Anderson (1860: 235), A. indica H.J. Chowdhery & Av. Bhattacharjee (2006: 211), A. macrocarpa Nees (1832: 89), A. mysorensis (Roth 1821: 303) Anderson (1867: 524), A. pusilla C.B. Clarke (1889: 55), A. travancorica Beddome (1872: 39), and A. variabilis (Nees 1847: 165) Trimen (1895: 324) with tubular-ventricose corolla tube (FIGURE 1). Out of these, five species are endemic to India, e.g., A. crispata, A. dalzelliana, A. indica, A. pusilla, and A. travancorica. Lindau (1895) erected a new genus Asystasiella Lindau (1895: 326) to accommodate the species of Group one with two species, viz. A. neesiana and A. atroviridis, and it was considered to be different from Asystasia by having a narrow cylindric corolla tube and stachel pollen (spheroidal with spines). Ensermu et al. (1992) discussed the delimitation of the genus based on pollen morphology. Since, the genus Asystasia encompasses considerable variation in inflorescence form, corolla morphology, and pollen type, therefore, the genus Asystasiella was included within Asystasia (Manzitto-Tripp et al. 2022). The generic circumscription of Asystasia, Asystasiella, Mackaya and other related genera should be delimitated by molecular phylogenetic study along with pollen morphology. Das (1939: 408) incorrectly transferred these three species from Asystasia to Mackaya as M. atroviridis (Anderson 1867: 526) Das (1939: 448), M. macrocarpa (Nees 1832: 89) Das (1939: 447), and M. neesiana (Wallich 1830: 73) Das (1939: 447), respectively. However, the genus Mackaya is characterized by two fertile stamens without spurs and with two staminodes, while Asystasia has all four fertile stamens with spur at the base of anthers. Deng and Wu (2009: 308) stated that these three species were quite different from Mackaya in having four stamens and they preferred to place them in Asystasia rather than in Mackaya. Based on the above mentioned reasons the new species fits with Asystasia instead of Mackaya and hence, we are describing it here under Asystasia. The new species was wrongly identified as Asystasia chelonoides Nees by Chowdhery and Pandey (2007). However, it can be easily distinguished from Asystasia chelonoides by its long tubular-cylindrical corolla and densely flowered racemes. Comparison of diagnostic characters of the new species with its most allied species is provided in detail in Table 1. Additional specimens examined (Paratypes):— INDIA. West Bangal: Acharya Jagdish Chandra Bose Indian Botanic Garden, along bank of Janardanam Lake, 10 m, 22.55847° E & 88.29214° N, 23.11.2020, Anant Kumar, Gopal Krishna & Avishek Bhattacharjee 86185 (CAL); Acharya Jagdish Chandra Bose Indian Botanic Garden, along bank of Janardanam Lake, 11 m, 22.55862° E & 88.29233° N, 20.11.2018, Anant Kumar, Gopal Krishna & Avishek Bhattacharjee 81601 (CAL); Acharya Jagdish Chandra Bose Indian Botanic Garden, Division 9, 12 m, 22.55746° E & 88.29357° N, 23.09.2010, Avishek Bhattacharjee 72736 (CAL).Published as part of Kumar, Anant, Krishna, Gopal & Bhattacharjee, Avishek, 2023, Asystasia venui (Justicieae: Acanthaceae): A new species from West Bengal, India, pp. 239-247 in Phytotaxa 600 (4) on pages 241-244, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.600.4.3, http://zenodo.org/record/809394
Fig. 1 in On the status of some species of Cheirostylis Blume (Orchidaceae) from India
No full textFig. 1. – Comparison plate: 'Cheirostylis chinensis var. glabra Bhaumik & M. K. Pathak'. A. Labellum; B. Petal; C. Column with anther-cap – Cheirostylis moniliformis (Griff.) Seidenf.; D-E. Labellum; F. Petal; G. Column – 'Cheirostylis seidenfadeniana C. S. Kumar & F. N. Rasm.'; H. Labellum – Cheirostylis parvifolia Lindl.; I-J. Labellum. [A-C: after BHAUMIK & PATHAK, 2006; D, F-G: A. Bhattacharjee 34819 A, CL; E: A. Bhattacharjee 34819 B, CAL; H: after SATHISH KUMR & RASMUSSEN, 1987; I: Sathish Kumar s.n., TBGT, spirit; J: A. Bhattacharjee 38142 A, CAL]Published as part of Bhattacharjee, Avishek, 2012, On the status of some species of Cheirostylis Blume (Orchidaceae) from India, pp. 31-35 in Candollea 67 (1) on page 33, DOI: 10.15553/c2012v671a3, http://zenodo.org/record/570865
Determinants of the severity of household food insecurity among the slums of Dhaka city, Bangladesh
No full textAccording to the National Food Policy of Bangladesh, the urban slum dwellers are the most vulnerable group to ensure food security. Their condition has not been materially improved over three decades. In our study, we present the current food insecurity scenario in the slums of Dhaka city using the most recent ‘Bangladesh–Urban Informal Settlements Baseline Survey’ dataset of the World Bank. Afterwards, we analyse the determinants of the household food calorie gap by applying the Inverse Hyperbolic Sine transformed Double Hurdle model. The determinants are organised to represent the three pillars of food security (food availability, access, and utilisation) and all three pillars have emerged as significant factors in determining the food calorie gap. From our empirical results, we highlight some vital gaps in the National Food Policy and recommend broad areas of interventions for the betterment of the food security status among the slum dwellers of Dhaka
Thermodynamic relations for DNA phase transitions
No full textThe force induced unzipping transition of a double stranded DNA is considered from a purely thermodynamic point of view. This analysis provides us with a set of relations that can be used to test microscopic theories and experiments. The thermodynamic approach is based on the hypothesis of impenetrability of the force in the zipped state. The melting and the unzipping transitions are considered in the same framework and compared with the existing statistical model results. The analysis is then extended to a possible continuous unzipping transition
Cheirostylis moniliformis Seidenf.
No full textCheirostylis moniliformis (Griff.) Seidenf. in Dansk Bot. Ark. 32: 69. 1978. Ξ Goodyera moniliformis Griff., Itin. Pl. Khasyah Mts.: 143, no. 679. 1848. Typus: BHUTAN “ Bootan ”: Griffith A 679 (holo-: K [K000 387624], photo!;iso-: OXF). = Cheirostylis chinensis var. glabra Bhaumik & M. K. Pathak in Bull. Bot. Surv. India 47: 183. 2006. Typus : INDIA. Arunachal Pradesh: Dibang Valley district, Bejari, 150 m, 5.III.2004, Bhaumik & Tham 104752[A] (holo-: CAL!; iso-: ASSAM!, 2 sheets [B] [C]), syn. nov. Specimens examined. – INDIA. Arunachal Pradesh: Lohit District, Minzong-yasang, 3.X.1985 [flowered on 11.III.1986 at Sessa], A. N. Rao 21463, 21489 (Orchid Herbarium Tipi); West Kameng District, 2 km from Munna Camp (towards Dirang), 1491 m, 16.IV.2006, A. Bhattacharjee 34819 A, 34819 B (CAL). Note. – BHAUMIK & PATHAK (2006) described C. chinensis var. glabra based on collections from Arunachal Pradesh and distinguished it from the type variety in having glabrous bracts and ovary, acuminate petals and epichile with 2 broad green patches at the base. But these authors overlooked the earlier described C. moniliformis which is identical (Fig. 1) with their variety. Thus, C. chinensis var. glabra is treated here as a heterotypic synonym of C. moniliformis.Published as part of Bhattacharjee, Avishek, 2012, On the status of some species of Cheirostylis Blume (Orchidaceae) from India, pp. 31-35 in Candollea 67 (1) on page 32, DOI: 10.15553/c2012v671a
Gastrochilus pseudocalceolaris S. Dey, L. Phom, Av. Bhattacharjee, Moaakum & K. Eshuo 2022, sp. nov.
No full textGastrochilus pseudocalceolaris S. Dey, L. Phom, Av. Bhattacharjee, Moaakum & K. Eshuo, sp. nov. FIGURE 1, 2 Types:— INDIA. Nagaland, Longleng district, Yingyushang Mountain, 1854 m, 7 April 2022, S. Dey 1342 (holotype CAL!, barcode CAL0000217503; isotype CAL!, barcode CAL0000217504) Diagnosis: — Gastrochilus pseudocalceolaris is morphologically allied to G. calceolaris, but differs in having much shorter stem and a labellum-epichile without long, papillose hairs on its adaxial surface, and epichile with shortly erose margins. Description: —Epiphytic, pendent herbs, 12–16 cm long (including leaves). Roots velamenous, up to 12 cm long, thin. Stem 1–3 cm long, 0.5–1 cm thick, internodes clasped with sheathing leaf bases. Leaves 4–5, narrowly oblong to linear-lanceolate, 6–15 × 0.6–2 cm, fleshy, nearly flat, with narrower bases, unequally bifid at apex, sheathing and articulate at base. Inflorescences lateral, 1–2.5 cm long, subumbellate, 4–6-flowered. Floral bracts ovate-triangular, ca. 0.2 × 0.15 cm, much shorter than pedicel plus ovary, pale pinkish-brown, acute to subacute at apex. Flowers 1.7–2.3 cm long, 1.2–1.5 cm across, faintly fragrant; sepals and petals yellowish-green blotched with reddish-brown; hypochile greenish-yellow, spotted with purplish-red; epichile white except the yellow, subtriangular disc near center, blotched with purplish-red; pedicel plus ovary 1.3–1.6 cm long. Sepals subequal, obovate-oblong to obovate-lanceolate, 0.5–0.7 × 0.18–0.24 cm, spreading, obtuse at apex, laterals slightly narrower. Petals obliquely oblong-obovate to oblongspathulate, 0.5–0.65 × 0.18–0.22 cm, spreading, obtuse at apex. Labellum adnate to lower half of column; hypochile cup-shaped, 0.6–0.7 × 0.5–0.6 cm, rim of hypochile forming almost oblique to subvertical front edges with the base of epichile; epichile subreniform to subovate, 0.2–0.25 × 0.4–0.4.8 cm, without any long, papillose hair on adaxial surface, with a few minute blister-like protuberances near central cushion, with a cavity at base of cushion, abaxial surface glabrous, shortly erose at margins. Column 0.2–0.3 cm long. Anther 0.16–0.2 × 0.18–0.2 cm; pollinia 2, ovoidelliptic, 0.07–0.09 × 0.04–0.07 cm, monoporate; stipe linear, 0.14–0.18 cm long, hyaline; viscidium oblong-elliptic, 0.05–0.08 × 0.04–0.06 cm. Capsule ca. 2 × 0.6 cm, with 4 ridges, dark brown in maturity. Flowering & Fruiting: —Both observed in April. Habitat: —On tree trunks and branches in subtropical semi evergreen forest at 1854 m elevation; abundance rare. Distribution: — INDIA: Nagaland (Endemic) Etymology: —The specific epithet is derived from the Greek ‘ pseudo-’ (false) and after ‘ Gastrochilus calceolaris ’ referring to its close similarity with G. calceolaris. Note: —Though Gastrochilus pseudocalceolaris apparently looks alike to G. calceolaris, it can be distinguished by its much shorter stem (1–3 cm long), labellum-epichile without numerous, long, papillose hairs on its adaxial surface, and epichile with shortly erose margins (FIGURE 1, 2, 3 D, E). G. calceolaris is a highly variable species which is reported from Nepal to Hainan and West Malesia (Liu et al. 2019, Govaerts et al. 2022). Bhattacharjee et al. (2021) reported variations (based on freshly collected as well as herbarium-specimens) in G. calceolaris with respect to stem length (4–10 cm long); size of the leaves and nature of apex; number and size of the flowers; size, density and intensity of blotches on perianth; texture and thickness of sepals, petals and labellum; the cupular hypochile with or without a rim at the juncture with the epichile; density and distribution of papillate hairs on epichile; shape and margins of epichile; and presence or absence of purplish spots on the yellow cushion on the epichile. Though in all studied specimens of G. calceolaris, numerous, long, papillose hairs on the epichile are prominent (FIGURE 3 A, B), these are completely lacking in G. pseudocalceolaris and is the most prominent diagnostic character of the new species. Based on morpho-molecular studies, Liu et al. (2019) separated two new species from G. calceolaris and described G. changjiangensis Q. Liu & M.Z. Huang and G. zhenyuanensis Q. Liu & D.P. Ye., but they did not report any specimen of G. calceolaris without numerous, long, papillose hairs. Gastrochilus pseudocalceolaris is also close to G. acaulis (Lindley 1833: 227) Kuntze (1891: 661), but the shape of sepals and petals are different (broadly obovate to spathulate and much incurved) in G. acaulis and it has a projection inside the hypochile (FIGURE 3C) which is absent in the new species.Published as part of Dey, Santanu, Phom, Limamanen, Bhattacharjee, Avishek & Eshuo, Kazhuhrii, 2022, Gastrochilus pseudocalceolaris, a new species of epiphytic orchid from India, pp. 295-300 in Phytotaxa 574 (4) on pages 295-299, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.574.4.5, http://zenodo.org/record/738910
A measure of data collapse for scaling
No full textData collapse is a way of establishing scaling and extracting associated exponents in problems showing self-similar or self-affine characteristics as, for example, in equilibrium or non-equilibrium phase transitions, in critical phases, in dynamics of complex systems and many others. We propose a measure to quantify the nature of data collapse. Via a minimization of this measure, the exponents and their error-bars can be obtained. The procedure is illustrated by considering finite-size-scaling near phase transitions and quite strikingly recovering the exact exponents
Complete phase diagram of DNA unzipping: Eye, Y fork and triple point
No full textWe study the unzipping of double stranded DNA by applying a pulling force at a fraction s (0 leq s leq 1) from the anchored end. From exact analytical and numerical results, the complete phase diagram is presented. The phase diagram shows a strong ensemble dependence for various values of s. In addition, we show the existence of an eye phase and a triple point
Square-tiling model for the glass transition: transfer-matrix approach for the competing energy
No full textWe introduce the correlation length for the square-tiling model for the glass transition through the transfer-matrix approach developed earlier [S. M. Bhattacharjee and E. Helfand, Phys. Rev. A 36, 3332 (1987)] for this model. We show that this transfer-matrix approach, in the limit when the competing internal energy reduces the model to the hard-square gas problem with nearest- and next-nearest-neighbor exclusion, is equivalent to the conventional row-to-row transfer matrix. Based on this, we propose that the transitions for other values of the coupling constant for the competing term are also nonuniversal, as is known for the hard-square gas problem
Beyond the Annual and Aggregate Measurement of Household Inequality: The Case Study of Lake Naivasha Basin, Kenya
No full textThis paper investigates household seasonal food expenditure inequality in the rural Lake Naivasha Basin, Kenya using the extended decomposition of Gini and primary data referred from February 2018 to January 2019. The new elements introduced by the paper are the disaggregation of the food expenditure by source of access (purchase, auto-consumption, and gifts); inclusion of traditional species in the food categories; the features of the area investigated; a novel focus on household economic disparities in flower enclave; and the comparison between the annual and monthly level of inequality to understand the seasonality in household inequality. The results highlight the positive contribution of the subsistence sector to the reduction of inequality during the harvesting period of respective food category; and the need for a well-coordinated set of poverty, food security and agricultural development policies to contribute to the achievement of the first goal of Agenda 2030
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