Larvae (15 to 21 d post hatch, dph) of the Asian sea bass Lates calcarifer (Bloch) suffered heavy mortalities (60 to 90%) during the hatchery-rearing phase. Darkened and moribund larvae showed no evidence of bacterial or parasitic infections. Tissue sections of brain and spinal cord showed clear necrotic vacuolation. Electron microscopy revealed membrane-bound viral particles in the cytoplasm of the nerve cells. The viral particles measured 28 to 30 nm in diameter. Primer sets, designed for the amplification of the RNA2 segment of the piscine nodavirus coat protein gene, were used in the RT-PCR analysis of moribund larvae of 20 and 21 dph which produced the amplified product of 430 bp. The clinical manifestations, pathology and electron microscopy observations supported by the RT-PCR analysis suggest that the nerve necrosis was due to nodavirus infection in the larvae. This is the first report of piscine nodavirus infection from the Indian sub-continent. KEY WORDS: Nodavirus · Lates calcarifer · Larvae · RT-PCR · Histopathology · Nervous necrosis virus Resale or republication not permitted without written consent of the publisherDis Aquat Org 63: [113][114][115][116][117][118] 2005 geographical locations have been reported to be susceptible to the virus (Glazebrook et al. 1990, Yoshikoshi & Inoue 1990, Mori et al. 1992, Muroga 1995, Comps et al. 1996, Munday & Nakai 1997, Castric et al. 2001. The disease has also been reported in freshwater aquarium fish from Singapore (Hegde et al. 2003).Histology and RT-PCR are the common methods used for diagnosis of the virus in fish (Mori et al. 1991, Munday et al. 1992, Nishizawa et al. 1994, Grotmol et al. 1995, Lai et al. 2001, Johansen et al. 2002, Hegde et al. 2003. Diagnosis of piscine nodavirus using RT-PCR for the T4 region (427 bp) of SJNNV coat protein gene (RNA2) has been widely used and many workers have reported positive amplification for the presence of the nodavirus in fish species from different geographical locations (Nishizawa et al. 1994, Castric et al. 2001, Curtis et al. 2001, Lai et al. 2001. Primer sequences of Nishizawa et al. (1994) have been recommended for the diagnosis of the piscine nodaviruses (OIE 1997).A batch of Asian sea bass larvae produced in the fish hatchery facilities of the Central Institute of Brackishwater Aquaculture were observed to experience sudden and unexplained mortality after 15 d of larval rearing. Subsequent investigations revealed that the cause of the disease was piscine nodavirus. The present investigation represents the first report of VNN from the Indian sub-continent and extends the known range of this disease. MATERIALS AND METHODSFish. Broodstock procured from the coastal waters of Chennai (Madras), acclimatized and maintained in cement tanks are being used for the purposes of seed production. Since 1997 more than 15 batches of Asian sea bass larvae have been produced in the institute facility. Though the hatchlings were sampled from 0 d post hatch (dph) for routine histology, the larvae from 15 to 2...

Abstract:Evaluating performances of four commonly used evaporation estimate methods, namely; Bowen ratio energy balance (BREB), mass transfer (MT), Priestley-Taylor (PT) and pan evaporation (PE), based on 4 years experimental data, the most effective and the reliable evaporation estimates model for the semi-arid region of India has been derived. The various goodness-of-fit measures, such as; coefficient of determination (R 2 ), index of agreement (D), root mean square error (RMSE), and relative bias (RB) have been chosen for the performance evaluation. Of these models, the PT model has been found most promising when the Bowen ratio,ˇis known a priori, and based on its limited data requirement. The responses of the BREB, the PT, and the PE models were found comparable to each other, while the response of the MT model differed to match with the responses of the other three models. The coefficients,ˇof the BREB, of the MT,˛of the PT and K P of the PE model were estimated as 0Ð07, 2Ð35, 1Ð31 and 0Ð65, respectively. The PT model can successfully be extended for free water surface evaporation estimates in semi-arid India.A linear regression model depicting relationship between daily air and water temperature has been developed using the observed water temperatures and the corresponding air temperatures. The model helped to generate unrecorded water temperatures for the corresponding ambient air temperatures.

No abstract

The normalized antecedent precipitation index (NAPI) model by Heggen for the prediction of runoff yield is analytically derived from the water balance equation. Heggen's model has been simplified further to a rational form and its performance verified with the Soil Conservation Service Curve Number (SCS-CN) model. The simplified model has three coefficients specific to a watershed, and requires two inputs: rainfall and the derived parameter, NAPI. The characteristic behaviour of the NAPI has resonance with the curve number (CN) of the SCS model. The proposed NAPI model was applied to three watersheds in the semi-arid region of India to simulate runoff yield. The model showed improved correlation between the observed and predicted runoff data compared to the SCS-CN model. The F test and paired t test also confirmed the reliability of the model with significance levels of 0.01 and 0.001%, respectively. The proposed model could be used successfully for rainfallrunoff modelling in a watershed.

No abstract

No abstract

A paired watershed approach was used to quantifying the effects of staggered contour trenching (SCT) densities on runoff and soil loss from a long-term field experiment. Four adjacent physiographical similar ravine watersheds were selected. After 2-year calibration period, three of the four watersheds were treated with different SCT densities and leaving one watershed as untreated control (W C ). The SCT densities of 139, 278 and 417 trenches ha À1 were determined based on the targeted 25, 50 and 75% runoff trapping potential of the W T1 , W T2 and W T3 treatment watersheds, respectively. Runoff and soil loss were recorded for a period of 11 years including 2 years of calibration period. The calibration and treatment prediction equations for the treatment watershed with respect to untreated control watershed were developed by the simple linear regression. F-test and t-test (p < 0·0001) suggested that calibration predictions were highly significant and treatment prediction equations differ significantly. Results showed mean runoff reductions of 86·1, 60·5 and 37·7% in the W T3 , W T2 and W T1 treatment watershed over the control, respectively. Similar trends as the runoff were also recorded in soil loss reduction by 124·9, 77·1 and 40·0% for the W T3 , W T2 and W T1 over Wc, respectively. Paired t-test (p < 0·001) indicated that the means of the treatment effects on runoff and soil loss in treatment watersheds differ significantly with control watershed. It was concluded that 417 staggered contour trenches ha À1 is an optimum trenching density for supporting the horti-pastoral land use system in ravine lands of India.

Construction materials have a direct impact on the environment, on people, and their health. In addition, building insulation plays a decisive role in terms of energy consumption of buildings and regarding CO 2 -emissions over their whole life cycle. In order to achieve a holistic concept for green building worldwide, it is necessary to develop ecological insulating materials and to scientifically examine them in terms of their technical properties, as done with particleboards from agricultural waste presented in this article. This study aims to characterize the properties' tensile and compressive strength, modulus of rupture (MOR), and elasticity (MOE) and thermal conductivity of particleboards affected by parameters, such as waste type (rice straw or flax shives), particleboard density, resin type, and content, as well as the use of treated rice straw. Particleboards made from flax shives had superior properties compared to the rice straw particles. The mechanical properties of the boards increase with an increasing resin content, except for the MOR and MOE, which decrease with an increasing resin content, and reach their peak value at a resin content of 10%. Appl. Sci. 2019, 9, 3878 2 of 20 ecological footprint, numerous studies on organic based insulation materials have already been carried out by researchers with materials such as sheep wool, straw, cotton, and flax for Austria and the Czech Republic [1][2][3]. Rice is the primary food for more than 40% of the world's population. Every year, 596 million tons of rice are produced, resulting in 570 million tons of rice straw worldwide [4,5]. Currently, 12 million MTs of rice straw are produced yearly in Egypt [6]. This quantity is the reason why rice production has a high impact in Egypt and this rice straw, as a residue of this production, poses a serious problem for the farmers involved. Rice straw is conventionally cleaned, burned, or used for temporary heating purposes. This current practice causes serious environmental problems. But rice straw is a renewable resource that can be used as raw material for the production of insulated particleboard. A particleboard is a sheet product manufactured under pressure from particles of wood or other lignocellulose materials by adhesive [6]. With the increasing demand for particleboards, the demand to provide alternatives with renewable and ecological materials is accordingly growing. This research will use rice straw as alternative to fill this gap.The principal chemical composition of rice straw is 28-48% cellulose, 12-16% lignin, 15-20% ash, and 9-14 silica. The fiber length is between 0.4-3.4 mm with an average value of 1.4 mm, and the fiber width is from 4-16 mm, with an average value of 8 mm [7].Tong et al. [8] found that straw shows numerous positive properties, such as low density and a renewable nature. Rice straw is an annually renewable agricultural waste. Particleboard performance depends on the properties of adhesives and their compatibility with fibres. Several kinds of adhesive resins have been used...