260 research outputs found
Impatiens keralensis Saravanan & Kaliamoorthy 2022, sp. nov.
No full textImpatiens keralensis Saravanan & Kaliamoorthy, sp. nov. (Figure 1) Impatiens keralensis is closely allied to I. modesta Wight (1837: 13) and I. mohana Ratheesh, Sujana & Anil Kumar (2012: 282) in having common characters of a scapigerous tuberous habit, radical leaves, ovate-cordate lamina, unequally trilobed wing petals, and a blunt spur. But differs from I. modesta by having multicellular trichomes on adaxial leaf surfaces (vs unicellular hairs on adaxial leaf surfaces in I. modesta), short petioles (vs long petioles in I. modesta), short scapes (vs long scapes in I. modesta) and 3–6-flowered inflorescence (vs many flowered inflorescence in I. modesta), white flowers (vs pinkish/whitish in I. modesta), pedicels longer than flowers, lateral united petals white with yellowish purple papillose at the base of mid-lobe (vs yellowish with a tuft of purple hairs in I. modesta), and basal lobes emarginate at apex (vs obtuse in I. modesta); Impatiens keralensis also differ from I. mohana by having multicellular trichomes on adaxial on leaf surface (vs multicellular trichomes on both adaxial and abaxial leaf surfaces in I. mohana), spinose at margins (vs absence of spinose in I. mohana), glabrous petiole (vs trichomatous in I. mohana), and white flowers (vs deep pinkish in I. mohana) (Table 1). Type:— INDIA. Kerala: Wayanad District, Kurichiarmala Reserve Forest, 11º36’1”N, 75º57’59”E, 1100–1320 m, 11 December 2019, Saravanan & Kaliamoorthy 136020 (holotype MH!). Scapigerous, tuberous acaulescent, epiphytic herbs, 5–10 cm tall. Tubers sub-globose, 0.8 × 0.7 cm, brownish white. Stem-less. Leaves radical, 2-3 per tuber, 1.5–4.2 × 1.0– 3.5 cm, broadly ovate to cordate in outline, deeply cordate to auriculate-cordate at base, crenate-serrate and spinose at margins, obtuse at apex, adaxially covered with multicellular white trichomes, greenish; abaxially glabrous, pale purplish green, with 3-4 pairs of lateral nerves; petioles 1.9–3.3 cm long, pale reddish with purple streaks, glabrous. Inflorescence racemose; peduncle longer than the leaves, ca 6.5 cm long, 3–6-flowered, glabrous, terete, pale reddish with purple streaks; Flowers 0.6–0.8 cm across, white; bracts 0.3 × 0.1 cm, slightly falcate, obtuse at apex, glabrous, green with purple streaks, thick and fleshy; pedicel longer than the flowers, ca 1.3 cm long, filiform, pale reddish with purple streaks, glabrous; lateral sepals 0.2 × 0.1 cm, obliquely oblong, obtuse at apex, glabrous; dorsal petal ca 0.2 × 0.2 cm, concave, orbicular to reniform, obtuse at apex, forming a hood above the androecium, dorsally humped at base, glabrous; wing petals free, unequally 3-lobed, 1.4–1.5 × 0.6–0.8 cm, white with a tuft of deep yellowish purple papillose at the base of mid-lobe; basal lobe ca 0.7 × 0.2 cm, oblong, broadest at the middle, slightly up-curved, emarginate at apex; mid-lobe ca 0.5 × 0.2 cm, oblong, obtuse to truncate at apex; distal lobe ca 0.7 × 0.2 cm, oblong, obtuse to truncate at apex; dorsal auricle absent; lower sepal ca 0.3 × 0.2 cm, ovate, obtuse at apex, concave, white, 0.1 cm deep, glabrous; spur ca 0.3 × 0.1 cm, straight, white, glabrous; stamens ca 0.2 cm long, curved; filaments ca 5, 1.3 mm long, narrow and free at base, fused and broad at apex, light pink to white; anthers 5, ca 1.0 × 0.4 mm, white, cohering above the pistil; pistil ca 1.2 × 0.3 mm; ovary broadly obclavate to ellipsoid, glabrous. Capsules 0.5–0.8 cm long, broadly ellipsoid, greenish, glabrous; seeds minute, comose with tuft of hairs at both ends. Phenology:—Flowering & fruiting: August–November. Ecology:—Growing on moss covered wet tree trunks in evergreen forests, along with Impatiens veerapazhasii Ratheesh, Sujanapal & Meera (2011: 154), Oberonia bicornis Lindl. (1830: 16) and Oberonia swaminathanii Ratheesh, Manudev & Sujanapal (2010: 713), at an elevation of 1310 m. Conservation Status:— Impatiens keralensis is only known from the type locality with about 10–12 mature individuals. The population is well conserved within the boundaries of protected forest areas. However, considering the lesser number of individuals in a single population size distributed in an area of hardly 0.3 km, the species described here is assessed as Critically Endangered (CE) by applying the criterion d (IUCN 2019). Etymology:—The species is named after the Kerala state, India, where the type locality is present. Notes:— Impatiens keralensis is also allied to I. dendricola C. E. C. Fisch. (1935:157), in having a tuberous scapigerous epiphytic habit, radical leaves, flowers in racemose scapes, white flowers and presence of spur, but differs in the size and shape of the bract (slightly falcate in Impatiens keralensis vs ovate in I. dendricola), lateral sepals (obliquely oblong in Impatiens keralensis vs asymmetrically ovate in I. dendricola), dorsal petal (obtuse at apex in Impatiens keralensis vs retuse at apex in I. dendricola), wing petals (papillose at the base of mid-lobe in Impatiens keralensis vs hairs at the base in I. dendricola), spur (straight in Impatiens keralensis vs clavate in I. dendricola), and dorsal auricle (absent in Impatiens keralensis vs present in I. dendricola).Published as part of Saravanan, Thokuluva Santharam & Kaliamoorthy, Seventhilingam, 2022, Two new epiphytic species of Impatiens L. (Balsaminaceae) from the southern Western Ghats, India, pp. 107-114 in Phytotaxa 552 (1) on pages 107-110, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.552.1.10, http://zenodo.org/record/667313
Osbeckia yercaudensis Saravanan & Kaliamoorthy 2023, sp. nov.
No full textOsbeckia yercaudensis Saravanan & Kaliamoorthy, sp. nov. (Figure 1) Osbeckia yercaudensis is morphologically close to Osbeckia mehrana Giri & Nayar and Osbeckia wightiana Bentham ex Wight & Arnott in being perennial woody shrubs with ovate lamina and bracts, pentamerous flowers, campanulate hypanthium and capsule, obovate, pink to purple petals. However, Osbeckia yercaudensis differs from O. mehrana in its height (up to 60 cm tall vs 3 m tall), size of the leaves (0.9–2.4 × 0.6–1.6 cm vs 1.5–4.6 × 0.8–3.0 cm), inflorescence (2–3-flowered terminal cymes vs 5–7-flowered terminal or axillary panicles), sepals (oblong to slightly falcate, irregularly emarginate apex vs triangular, acute apex), style (2.1 cm long vs 1.2–1.7 cm long) and seeds (cochleate or U shaped, minutely toothed vs curved, muricate). It also shows similarities with O. wightiana, but differs by its height (up to 60 cm tall vs up to 3 m tall), size of the leaves (0.9–2.4 × 0.6–1.6 cm vs 3.1–7.1 × 2.1–3.5 cm), inflorescence (2–3-flowered terminal cymes vs 3–7-flowered terminal cymes), sepals (oblong to slightly falcate, apex with long white hairs vs subulate, apex with stellate emergences), style (2.1 cm long vs 1.1–1.5 cm long), and seeds (cochleate or U shaped vs curved) (Table 1). Type:— INDIA. Tamil Nadu: Salem District, Yercaud, Shevaroy Hills, MALCO mines, 11º49’17”N, 78º13’29”E, 1350–1540 m, 20 December 2021, Saravanan & Kaliamoorthy 136010 (holotype MH!; isotypes MH!). Erect, perennial shrubs, up to 60 cm tall. Stems woody, branched, sub-quadrangular, densely covered with patent, long, ascending brown hairs in younger branches, greenish; mature branches glabrous due to hairs falling off, brownish. Leaves simple, opposite, petiolate, greenish when young, brownish at maturity; lamina ovate, acute at apex, obtuse at base, 0.9–2.4 × 0.6–1.6 cm, margins ciliate, 5-nerved (prominent beneath), both surfaces densely covered with ascending to patent, thin, long hairs (0.3 cm long); petioles 0.6 cm long, densely covered with long ascending hairs. Inflorescence 2–3-flowered terminal cymes, subtended by a pair of leaves. Flowers pentamerous, pedicellate; bracts broadly ovate, acute at apex, obtuse at base, 0.8 × 0.9 cm, margins ciliate, dorsally covered with long ascending hairs; pedicels 0.7 cm long, densely covered with ascending to patent, thin, long hairs. Hypanthium 1.2 cm length × 1.5 cm diameter, campanulate, densely covered with stellate, stalked emergences; intersepalar emergences 0.3 cm long, stalked, stalk terete with many patent long hairs, head disc-like with stellate long patent hairs, persistent in fruits. Sepals oblong to slightly falcate, apex irregularly emarginate with a tuft of long hairs, base truncate, 0.7 × 0.3 cm, margins ciliate, prominently 1-nerved with many patent hairs confined to nerves on dorsal surface. Petals obovate, 2.8 × 2.5 cm, pink to purple, margins ciliate, caducous. Stamens 10, equal; filaments 1.1 cm long, pale yellow, glabrous; anthers 0.9 cm long, narrowly ovate to oblong, twisted, pore oblique on ventral side at the apex, yellow; connective prolonged into a small, indistinctly lobed collar. Ovary 5-locular, adnate to hypanthium for about half of the length, 0.9 cm long, densely covered with long white hairs; style 2.1 cm long, glabrous, slightly curved; stigma green, capitate, papillose. Capsules 1.1 × 1.0 cm, campanulate; seeds 0.1 cm long, numerous, cochleate or U shaped, margins minutely toothed, pale straw-coloured when young, blackish at maturity. Phenology:—Flowering & fruiting: September–February. Ecology:—Occurs at borders of semi evergreen forests and in rock crevices, in association with Alstonia venenata Brown (1810: 64), Bauhinia purpurea Linnaeus (1753: 375), Crotalaria longipes Wight &Arnott (1834a: 183), Psydrax dicoccos Gaertner (1788: 125), Solanum myriacanthum Dunal (1813: 218) etc., between 1350–1540 m elevation. Conservation Status:— Osbeckia yercaudensis is only known from the type locality with about 15–20 individuals in an area of about 1 km 2. However, the present habitat is prone to forest fires and faces threats from grazing, mining and other anthropogenic factors. Due to its rarity and threats to the habitat, the species falls under the category Critically Endangered (CR B1 ab (i, ii, v); 2ab (i, ii, iv); D) in accordance with the IUCN guidelines (IUCN 2019). Etymology:—The species is named after the type locality, Yercaud, Salem District in Tamil Nadu, India.Published as part of Saravanan, Thokuluva Santharam & Kaliamoorthy, Seventhilingam, 2023, Osbeckia yercaudensis (Melastomataceae) a new species from the Eastern Ghats, India, pp. 292-296 in Phytotaxa 583 (3) on pages 292-295, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.583.3.8, http://zenodo.org/record/762155
Impatiens kurichiarmalayana Saravanan & Kaliamoorthy 2022, sp. nov.
No full textImpatiens kurichiarmalayana Saravanan & Kaliamoorthy, sp. nov. (Figure 2) Impatiens kurichiarmalayana is similar to I. mankulamensis K. M. P. Kumar, R. Jagad. & Nagaraj (2017: 281) and I. panduranganii K. M. P. Kumar, R. Jagad. & G. Prasad (2017: 285) in having common characters viz., rosulate leaves, umbellate cyme inflorescence, unequally bilobed wing petals and shorter basal lobes. But differs from I. mankulamensis by having ovate-lanceolate leaves (vs elliptic, lanceolate-oblanceolate in I. mankulamensis), lateral sepals white with dark purple tinges at the apex (vs white with brown tinges at tip in I. mankulamensis), dorsal petal white (vs pale purple in I. mankulamensis), presence of dorsal auricle (vs absence in I. mankulamensis) and absence of spur (vs present in I. mankulamensis); Impatiens kurichiarmalayana also differs from I. panduranganii by having white flowers with dark purple spot at the base of the wing petals (vs white with light purple dots in I. panduranganii), dorsal petal keeled at apex (vs not keeled in I. panduranganii), distal lobe spreading and broadly obovate (vs not spreading and shoe shaped in I. panduranganii), lower sepal white with yellow mark at middle and dark brown streaks horizontally (vs white with yellow tinges in I. panduranganii) (Table 2). Type:— INDIA. Kerala: Wayanad District, Kurichiarmala Reserve Forest, 11º36’2”N, 75º57’57”E, 1200–1320 m, 11 December 2019, Saravanan & Kaliamoorthy 136030 (holotype & isotype MH!). Epiphytic tuberous herbs. Stem simple, erect, to 19.5 cm tall, succulent, yellowish green in lower portion, distally reddish purple, leaves bearing portion greenish, glabrous. Tubers ca 0.9 × 0.5 cm, oblong, pale brownish white. Leaves crowned at top; lamina 0.9–2.6 × 0.4–1.2 cm, elliptic-ovate to lanceolate, obtuse or apiculate to retuse at apex, attenuate at base, apiculate-crenate at margins, light green and hairy only on nerves adaxially, purplish green and glabrous abaxially; lateral nerves 3–4 pairs; petioles 1.1–2.5 cm long, purplish, glabrous. Inflorescence a subumbellate racemes; peduncle 7.5–9.7 cm long, 3–4-flowered, dark purplish red, glabrous. Flowers 1.7–1.9 cm across, white with dark purple spots at base of distal and basal lobes, glabrous; pedicels ca 0.9 cm long, purplish green, glabrous; bracts ca 0.4 × 0.1 cm, ovate to oblong-lanceolate, acuminate and mucronate at apex, concave, pale greenish with purple lines, glabrous; lateral sepals ca 0.5 × 0.2 cm, elliptic-oblong, acuminate and mucronate at apex, slightly concave, mid nerve pale purplish with dark purple apex; dorsal petal ca 0.6 × 0.3 cm, broadly ovate-orbicular, obtuse, concave, margins wavy, dorsally keeled; keel mucronate at apex; mucro ca 0.1 cm long; wing petals unequally 2-lobed, 1.5–1.7 × 0.5–0.7 cm; claw 0.3–0.4 cm long, glabrous; basal lobe much smaller than distal lobe, ca 0.5 × 0.2 cm, triangular-ovate in outline, acute-acuminate at apex; distal lobe ca 1.2 × 0.5 cm, broadly obovate, obtuse to truncate at apex, notched towards inner side much below the apex; dorsal auricle ca 0.1 cm long, triangular, obtuse at apex, yellowish; lower sepal saccate, ca 0.6 × 0.4 cm, ca 0.2–0.3 cm deep, ovate, obtuse and mucronate at apex, white with yellowish mark at middle, and dark purple streaks horizontally; spur absent; stamens ca 0.4 × 0.2 cm, slightly curved; filaments 5, ca 0.3 × 0.1 cm, creamy white; anthers ca 0.1 × 0.1 cm; ovary ca 0.2 × 0.1 cm, glabrous. Capsules 0.7–1.0 × 0.2–0.3 cm, ellipsoid-clavate, greenish, glabrous; seeds minute, 0.1 cm long, sub-globose, pale yellow, with short white hairs scattered all over the surface. Phenology:—Flowering & fruiting: June–September. Ecology:—Growing on moss covered wet tree trunks in evergreen forests, in association with Bulbophyllum fischeri Seidenf. (1974: 202), Eria albiflora Rolfe (1893: 170) and Oberonia brunoniana Wight (1851: 1622), at an elevation of 1319 m. Conservation Status:— Impatiens kurichiarmalayana is only known from the type locality with about 10–15 mature individuals. The population is well conserved within the boundaries of protected forest areas. However, considering the lesser number of individuals in a single population size distributed in an area of hardly 0.3 km, the species described here is assessed as Critically Endangered (CE) by applying the criterion d (IUCN 2019). Etymology:—The specific epithet is named after the type locality, Kurichiarmala evergreen forests, Wayanad district, Kerala, India. Notes:— Impatiens kurichiarmalayana shows also similarities with I. travancorica Bedd. (1874: 29), in having a rosulate leaves, sub-umbellate raceme inflorescence, white flowers with dark purple patches near the base of the wing petals, sub-globose seeds with short hairs all over, but differs by its habit (Epiphytic tuberous herbs in I. kurichiarmalayana vs annual herbs in I. travancorica), size and shape of the lateral sepals (elliptic-oblong in I. kurichiarmalayana vs obliquely ovate in I. travancorica), dorsal petal (broadly ovate-orbicular in I. kurichiarmalayana vs cucullate in I. travancorica), dorsal auricle (present in I. kurichiarmalayana vs absent in I. travancorica) and spur (absent in I. kurichiarmalayana vs present in I. travancorica).Published as part of Saravanan, Thokuluva Santharam & Kaliamoorthy, Seventhilingam, 2022, Two new epiphytic species of Impatiens L. (Balsaminaceae) from the southern Western Ghats, India, pp. 107-114 in Phytotaxa 552 (1) on pages 110-111, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.552.1.10, http://zenodo.org/record/667313
Policies are never implemented, but negotiated : analyzing integration of policies in managing water resources in the Indian Himalayas using a Bayesian network
No full textAuthor name used in this publication: Saravanan. V.SubramanianAuthor name used in this publication: David, Ip2009-2010 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalAccepted ManuscriptPublishedGreen (AAM
A web-based screening tool for near-port air quality assessments
Get PDFAuthor(s): Isakov, Vlad; Barzyk, Timothy M; Smith, Elizabeth R; Arunachalam, Saravanan; Naess, Brian; Venkatram, Akul
Psychological well-being on thyroid hormone replacement
Get PDFDespite 100 years after the discovery of thyroxine, controversy still exists regarding optimal thyroid hormone replacement therapy. Several anecdotal reports suggest that thyroxine alone therapy does not normalise psychological wellbeing. My cross-sectional study (n=1922) provided the first evidence in support of the hypothesis that a small proportion of patients on thyroxine alone therapy have increased psychological morbidity despite having normal TSH (publication 1). My second study was the largest randomised placebo controlled study to date to compare the effects of thyroxine alone and combined T3/T4 therapy over a 12 months period. This categorically proved that thyroxine alone therapy should be the first choice for hypothyroid patients (publication 2). Further genetic analysis of the deiodinase genes showed that a sub-group of hypothyroid patients with an SNP on D2 gene do have reduced psychological wellbeing on thyroxine alone therapy and improve on combined T3/T4 therapy compared to those without (publication 5). Both these findings were shown only by our study and were possible because of the large size (n=700). Detailed analysis of the various thyroid hormones and their ratio from our study showed that in addition to TSH, free T4 should be taken into account when treating hypothyroid patients (publication 4). My pharmacokinetic study provided the crucial and first evidence of the profiles of thyroid hormones on once a day combined T3/T4 therapy, highlighting the need to use either slow-release T3 or multiple doses of T3 in a day (publication 3). Our invited commentary and review (publications 6-8 & 10) have highlighted the importance of “individualised set points” for thyroid hormones, the complexity of thyroid hormone transport and actions as well as an algorithm for approaching hypothyroid patients. My other work (publication 9) was the first to test the possibility and provided the first evidence of deiodinase gene polymorphisms affecting circulating thyroid hormone levels and their possible role in psychological wellbeing in normal population. Thus, my work in the area, “Psychological wellbeing in patients of thyroid hormone replacement therapy” has provided several landmark findings, resulting in 10 publications including 4 in JCEM, 2 in Lancet and 1 in Clinical Endocrinology
A need for new accident theories in Malaysia?
No full textWorkplace accident is a big challenges for a safety professional. Workplace accidents may lead from minor to serious
effects to both employees and employers alike. Accident is an unexpected and undesirable event, especially those
resulting in damage, harm or unforeseen incidents. This paper also discussed all available accident theories that are
commonly used in workplace as fundamental to mitigating accident. Throughout this paper, the author justified that a
new or updated accident theory is needed in Malaysia. The author stated that current accident theories are based on
different environments and are different in terms physical of the employee who involved in the accident. This author
also stated that technology changes is also another factor which can be supporting the new or updated accident
theory needed in Malaysia
Thin Cloud Length Scales Using CALIPSO and CloudSat Data
Get PDFThin clouds are the most difficult cloud type to observe. The recent availability
of joint cloud products from the active remote sensing instruments aboard CloudSat and
the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite (CALIPSO) facilitates the
study of these clouds. Using one of these joint cloud products, 2B-GEOPROF-Lidar,
and a post-processing algorithm designed to find horizontally continuous thin clouds
within the cloud product, the locations, length scales, and vertical distributions by length
of thin clouds are determined. It is found that thin clouds vary in length from a few km
to over 2900 km and tend to be longer in the tropical upper troposphere than lower in
the atmosphere and at higher latitudes. In the upper troposphere between 0�� and 40��N,
over 20% of all thin cloud measurements in the 2B-GEOPROF-Lidar product are
contributed by thin clouds that are longer than 500 km. In fact, in this latitude range,
over 65% of all thin cloud measurements are contributed by clouds longer than 100 km.
Also, thin cloud length and frequency differ between the four seasons in the year of data
used here
Analysis of Precipitation Using Satellite Observations and Comparisons with Global Climate Models
Get PDFIn this study, the space-time relationship of precipitation fields is examined by testing the Taylor's "frozen field" hypothesis (TH). Specifically, the hypothesis supposes that if a spatio-temporal precipitation field with a stationary covariance
Cov(r,tau) in both space r and time tau, moves with a constant velocity v, then the temporal covariance at time lag tau is equal to the spatial covariance at space lag v tau, that is, Cov(0;tau) = Cov(v tau, 0). Of specific interest is whether there is a cut-off or decorrelation time scale for which the TH holds for a given mean
flow velocity v. The validity of the TH is tested for precipitation fields using high-resolution gridded
NEXRAD radar reflectivity data over southeastern United States by employing two different statistical approaches. The first method is based upon rigorous hypothesis
testing while the second is based on a simple correlation analysis, which neglects possible dependencies in the correlation estimates. The data-set has an approximate
horizontal resolution of 4 km x 4 km and a temporal resolution of 15 minutes, while the time period of study is 4 days. The results of both statistical methods suggest
that the TH might hold for the shortest space and time scales resolved by the data (4 km and 15 minutes), but that it does not hold for longer periods or larger spatial
scales.
The fidelity of global climate models in accurately simulating seasonal mean precipitation in the tropics is investigated by comparisons with satellite observations. Specifically, six-year long (2000-2005) simulations are performed using a high-resolution (36-km) Weather Research Forecast (WRF) model and the Community
Atmosphere Model (CAM) at T85 spatial resolution and the results are compared with satellite observations from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM). The primary goal is to study the annual cycle of rainfall over four land regions of the tropics namely, the Indian monsoon, the Amazon, tropical Africa and the North American monsoon. The results indicate that the WRF model systematically underestimates the magnitude of monthly mean rainfall over most Tropical land regions but
gets the seasonal timing right. On the other hand, CAM produces rainfall magnitudes that are closer to the observations but the rainfall peak leads or lags the observations by a month or two. Some of these regional biases can be attributed to erroneous circulation and moisture surpluses/deficits in the lower troposphere in both models. Overall, the results seem to indicate that employing a higher spatial resolution (36 km) does not significantly improve simulation of precipitation. We speculate that a combination of several physics parameterizations and lack of model tuning gives rise
to the observed differences between the models and the observations
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