A brief survey of computerized expert systems for crop protection being used in India

In the recent years, a plethora of computerized expert systems has been developed for various sectors of agriculture in India. The availability of low-cost computers, agricultural knowledge and information technology professionals are the principal reasons for the development of so many agricultural expert systems. Among all agricultural expert systems, the expert systems for crop protection need special mention. These expert systems are meant to be used by farmers and other persons without much experience of using computers. Hence, special care must be taken while developing them. The current paper develops a taxonomy for the expert systems for crop protection and briefly discusses four such expert systems for crop protection being used in India.     

Phosphorus partitioning and recovery of low-phosphorus iron-rich compounds through physical separation of Linz-Donawitz slag

The Linz-Donawitz (LD) steelmaking process produces LD slag at a rate of about 125 kg/t. After metallic scrap recovery, the non-metallic LD slag is rejected because its physical/chemical properties are unsuitable for recycling. X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies have indicated that non-metallic LD slag contains a substantial quantity of mineral phases such as di- and tricalcium silicates. The availability of these mineral phases indicates that LD slag can be recycled by iron (Fe)-ore sintering. However, the presence of 1.2wt% phosphorus (P) in the slag renders the material unsuitable for sintering operations. Electron probe microscopic analysis (EPMA) studies indicated concentration of phosphorus in dicalcium silicate phase as calcium phosphate. The Fe-bearing phases (i.e., wustite and dicalcium ferrite) showed comparatively lower concentrations of P compared with other phases in the slag. Attempts were made to lower the P content of LD slag by adopting various beneficiation techniques. Dry high-intensity magnetic separation and jigging were performed on as-received samples with particle sizes of 6 and 3 mm. Spiral separation was conducted using samples ground to sizes of less than 1 and 0.5 mm. Among these studies, grinding to 0.5 mm followed by spiral concentration demonstrated the best results, yielding a concentrate with about 0.75wt% P and 45wt% Fe.     

A brief survey of computerized expert systems for crop protection being used in India

In the recent years, a plethora of computerized expert systems has been developed for various sectors of agriculture in India. The availability of low cost computers, agricultural knowledge and information technology professionals are the principal reasons for the development of so many agricultural expert systems. Among all agricultural expert systems, the expert systems for crop protection need special mention. These expert systems are meant to be used by farmers and other persons without much experience of using computers. Hence, special care must be taken while developing them. The current paper develops a taxonomy for the expert systems for crop protection and briefly discusses four such expert systems for crop protection being used in India.     

浑善达克榆树疏林自然保护区缓冲区宽度研究

 世界上建设有很多森林自然保护区以保护各种类型的森林,自然保护区的核心区外围常常要求建设缓冲区,但是如何设计缓冲区宽度的研究很少。土壤种子库是衡量退化森林生态系统生态恢复潜力的重要指标,利用种子库进行缓冲区的设计。采用植物群落学调查及种子库分析的方法,在核心区内外选择一系列样方,调查样方种子库及其地面的植物种类组成,计算样方与核心区种子库、植物群落的相似性指数,根据核心区外不同距离的样方的相似性指数,确定了缓冲区的宽度。研究结果发现,缓冲区最低宽度在低地为300 m,在流动沙地为600 m,在固定沙地和半固定沙地为1 000~1 200 m。对于沙漠化地区的自然保护区缓冲区的设计有一定的借鉴价值。     

Dominant and recessive deafness caused by mutations of a novel gene, TMC1, required for cochlear hair-cell function

Positional cloning of hereditary deafness genes is a direct approach to identify molecules and mechanisms underlying auditory function. Here we report a locus for dominant deafness, DFNA36, which maps to human chromosome 9q13-21 in a region overlapping the DFNB7/B11 locus for recessive deafness. We identified eight mutations in a new gene, transmembrane cochlear-expressed gene 1 (TMC1), in a DFNA36 family and eleven DFNB7/B11 families. We detected a 1.6-kb genomic deletion encompassing exon 14 of Tmc1 in the recessive deafness (dn) mouse mutant, which lacks auditory responses and has hair-cell degeneration. TMC1 and TMC2 on chromosome 20p13 are members of a gene family predicted to encode transmembrane proteins. Tmc1 mRNA is expressed in hair cells of the postnatal mouse cochlea and vestibular end organs and is required for normal function of cochlear hair cells.