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Background: Tropical forests play a crucial role as source and sink in global carbon cycle. Development and other anthropogenic activities have led to degradation of forest land, and ultimately, it results in loss of biodiversity and increases concentration of CO 2 in atmospheres. Therefore, there is urgent need to estimate regional and national level carbon stock for making forest-based policies and strategies for mitigation of CO 2 . Patchy and sporadic information is available on biomass and carbon stock of Indian forests. The paper presents a systematic review and comprehensive account of studies conducted in different forest types in India.Result: There are six major forest types found in India consisting of 15 groups and other subgroups with peculiar characteristics. Methodologies used by researchers for biomass/carbon stock estimation are destructive, nondestructive, tree inventories data, species-specific biomass estimation, and remote sensing. Majority of estimates are based on nondestructive allometric equation approach. Studies showed positive correlation between tree species, diameter at breast height, and biomass/carbon stock. Small-and medium-sized growing trees, invasive species, mixed forest, Agroforestry, and Agrosilviculture also play an important role in atmospheric carbon assimilation. The results of diverse forest carbon stock studies are broadly categorized in North, Central, and Southern India. Present review will be helpful for developing conservation policies and decision to increase carbon stock and also REDD+ program for particular forest ecosystem.

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One of the most fundamental questions in ecology is how many species inhabit the Earth. However, due to massive logistical and financial challenges and taxonomic difficulties connected to the species concept definition, the global numbers of species, including those of important and well-studied life forms such as trees, still remain largely unknown. Here, based on global ground-sourced data, we estimate the total tree species richness at global, continental, and biome levels. Our results indicate that there are ∼73,000 tree species globally, among which ∼9,000 tree species are yet to be discovered. Roughly 40% of undiscovered tree species are in South America. Moreover, almost one-third of all tree species to be discovered may be rare, with very low populations and limited spatial distribution (likely in remote tropical lowlands and mountains). These findings highlight the vulnerability of global forest biodiversity to anthropogenic changes in land use and climate, which disproportionately threaten rare species and thus, global tree richness.

Aim: To design a nanocarrier platform for enhanced transdermal drug permeation. Materials & methods: Gel-based high permeation vesicles (HPVs) were developed and their performance in terms of transdermal flux improvement, in vitro release and skin irritancy was assessed. The mechanistic insights of permeation enhancement were explored using confocal laser scanning microscopy, ATR-FTIR, DSC and P31 NMR. Results: HPVs exhibited as vesicles with uniform size (∼150 nm), extended drug-release profile (∼48 h) and improved transdermal flux. HPVs were also nontoxic and nonirritant to skin. Enhanced vesicle deformability, improved vesicle membrane fluidity and synergistic permeation enhancement action of synergistic combination of permeation enhancer components was found to be responsible for HPV-mediated permeation enhancement. Conclusion: Overall, the study established that HPVs demonstrate a promising therapeutic advantage over conventional transdermal drug carriers.

The present investigation was undertaken to assess the pharmacological effects of Cressa cretica on learning and memory in mice. Morris water maze was used to test learning and memory. Two doses (200 and 400 mg/kg, p.o.) of ethanolic extract of Cressa cretica were administered for 28 successive days in mice. The dose of 400 mg/kg p.o. of CCE (Cressa cretica extract) significantly enhanced learning and memory of mice. This dose significantly opposed the memory loss caused by Scopolamine (0.4 mg/kg, i.p.). The effect of CCE on whole brain MDA, SOD, GSH, Catalase, NO activity was estimated to analyze how CCE shows nootropic activity. CCE reduced whole brain MDA, NO levels. Antioxidant properties and presence of flavonoids in Cressa cretica may be responsible for nootropic activity. Piracetam (200 mg/kg, i.p) was utilized as standard nootropic drug. Hence Cressa cretica seems to be a potent candidate for enhancing learning and memory and it would be beneficial for the treatment of amnesia and Alzheimer's disease.

Dielectric capacities and losses were measured, in the temperature (50-170°C) and frequency (01-100 kHz range), for undoped and acrylic acid (AA) doped ethyl cellulose (EC) films (thickness about 20 µm) with progressive increase in the concentration of dopant in the polymer matrix. The variation of capacity with temperature is attributed to thermal expansion in the lower temperature region to the orientation of dipolar molecules in the neighbourhood of glass transition temperature (T g) and random thermal motion of molecules above T g. The dielectric losses exhibit a broad peak. Doping with AA is found to affect the magnitude and position of the peak. AA is found to have a twofold action. Firstly, it enhances the chain mobility and secondly, it increases the dielectric loss by forming charge transfer complexes.