Khallikote University

The Proterozoic Betul Belt is an important supracrustal unit that records the protracted history of crustal accretion and growth in the Central Indian Tectonic Zone (CITZ). Here, we present results from systematic geological mapping, petrological, geochemical (including Sm-Nd isotope) studies, and U-Th-Pb geochronology on rocks from the Betul belt, with the objective of reconstructing its Proterozoic evolution and its link with past supercontinents. The Betul belt comprises ca. 2167 +/- 11 Ma granite gneisses, ca. 2051 +/- 80 Ma mafic volcanics (pillowed lava), 1715 +/- 10 Ma rhyolite, and older granitoids (1671 +/- 29 Ma) that have undergone multi-stage deformation and amphibolite-facies regional metamor-phism. The bulk rock geochemistry of gneisses, pillow lava, and mafic intrusions are characterized by arc -like signatures, whereas the rhyolite and granites are anorogenic and back-arc related. The whole-rock geochemical and Sr-Nd isotopic compositions of pillow lavas and mafic intrusions suggest the involve-ment of recycled crustal material in their source, possibly in the form of associated sediments. The Betul granite gneisses were emplaced at 2167 Ma in a collisional setting by melting crustal protoliths having an affinity with the Bundelkhand craton and may constitute the basement for the supracrustal sequence. The supracrustal units, i.e., mafic volcanics and rhyolites, occur as a bimodal suite formed in the arc and back-arc environment with penecontemporaneous sedimentation. Bulk rock geochemistry and age data indicate two phases of A-type granite magmatism at 1674 Ma and 1079 Ma, with post-collisional geochemical traits forming within an anorogenic and back-arc setting, respectively. Younger post-orogenic granites (Navegaon) were emplaced in a back-arc setting at ca 1079-954 Ma, synchronous with a collisional event in the Sausar belt. Spot ages from monazite in Hbl gabbro yield a weighted mean of 1026 +/- 97 Ma (MSWD = 0.15), reflecting Grenville-age regional metamorphism in the CITZ. The geo-logical events recorded in the rocks of the Betul belt between ca 2167 Ga and 954 Ma correlate well with events that affected Laurentia, Baltica, Australia, and East Antarctica within the frameworks of the Columbia (ca. 2.1-1.7 Ga) and Rodinia (ca.1.2-0.9 Ga) supercontinents.(c) 2023 International Association for Gondwana Research. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Diabetes mellitus is the most common disease which has conveyed significant well-being intimidation around the world. The accessible synthetic drugs for the fix of Diabetes mellitus are related to significant expense, different incidental effects and a few constraints. Medicinal plants are the storehouse of the phytochemicals which can be helpful for the therapy of various ailments. Medicinal and aromatic plants are the better option in contrast to compound medications with little or no side effects. Ethnomedicinal studies carried out among the Bhuyan tribal groups in the Sundargarh region, Odisha for the investigation of antidiabetic treatments. The Bhuyan tribal group has a rich knowledge of plants which are used in the treatment of different disease causes. The ethnomedicinal data was gathered from interviews and field studies with nearby healers and townspeople. Restorative plants were gathered and related to help from native healers. These kind medicines have been displayed to have huge mending power, either in their normal state or as the wellspring of new items handled by them. Our study is mainly concentrated on plants used by Bhuyan tribal groups in relation to the cure of diabetes. An extensive field survey of different parts of the district was made with the local tribal villagers and ethnomedicinal or ayurvedic drug practitioner's perusal of published literature and herbarium specimen of different herbaria of the district was done. A sum of 25 plants having a place with 18 unique families used to treat diabetes utilized by Bhuyans of Sundargarh district has been reported. In this report we have prepared detailed notes on the method of preparation of precise doses, the part/parts of plants used and the method of application of doses with scientific names, vernacular names and family names of collected plants are also given. Further, it emphasizes strongly in this regard the optional and rational uses of traditional and natural indigenous medicine. The results of this study showed that these tribal people still depend on medicinal plants in Sundargarh district forest areas. The study thus underlines the potential of ethnobotanical research and the need for the documentation of traditional ecological knowledge pertaining to medicinal plant utilization for the greater benefit of mankind.

Chilika, the largest brackish water lagoon in Asia, is a habitat of the Irrawaddy Dolphin (IRD) and a popular tourist destination for dolphin watching. However, this dolphin-based tourism has turned unsustainable due to the adverse impacts of tourism on IRD. This study uses SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) to analyze various internal and external factors that control IRD-based tourism in Chilika. Content analysis and sentiment analysis are also used to know the tourists' views regarding dolphin tourism in Chilika lagoon, and telephonic interviews with boat owners to determine the impact of tourism on local communities before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. SWOT analysis highlights existing opportunities and strengths of IRD tourism in Chilika, such as prevalent ‘positive’ perception (48%) among the tourists and stable IRD population. 38% of tourists' perceptions were ‘negative,’ corroborating inherent weaknesses and threats of IRD tourism, such as faulty marketing strategy, excessive tourist pressure, and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Interviews with boat operators reveal that the pandemic lockdown laid the financial situation of local tourist boat operators down. This study suggests multipronged solution approaches, for example ensuring the integrity of IRD habitat, optimal resource utilization, high service quality, and necessary infrastructure development to facilitate a sustainable ecotourism model in the lagoon.

The exponentially correlated Hylleraas–configuration interaction method (E-Hy-CI) is a generalization of the Hylleraas–configuration interaction method (Hy-CI) in which the single rij of an Hy-CI wave function is generalized to a form of the generic type rijνije−ωijrij. This work continues the exploration, begun in the first two papers in this series (on the helium atom and on ground and excited S states of Li II), of whether wave functions containing both linear and exponential rij factors converge more rapidly than either one alone. In the present study, we examined not only 1s2 1S states but 1s2p 1P states for the He I, Li II, Be III, C V and O VII members of the He isoelectronic sequence as well. All 1P energies except He I are better than previous results. The wave functions obtained were used to calculate oscillator strengths, including upper and lower bounds, for the He-sequence lowest (resonance) 1S→1P transition. Interpolation techniques were used to make a graphical study of the oscillator strength behavior along the isoelectronic sequence. Comparisons were made with previous experimental and theoretical results. The results of this study are oscillator strengths for the 1s2 1S→ 1s2p1P He isoelectronic sequence with rigorous non-relativistic quantum mechanical upper and lower bounds of (0.001–0.003)% and probable precision ≤ 0.0000003, and were obtained by extending the previously developed E-Hy-CI formalism to include the calculation of transition moments (oscillator strengths).

We report a comprehensive kinetic and product study of the oxidation of mandelic acid (MA) by permanganate in the pH range of 1-13, including a full account of total oxidizing equivalents (five and three-electron change in acidic and basic media, respectively). In the entire pH range, the reaction shows a primary kinetic deuterium isotope effect (kH/kD ≥8-9), indicating rate-limiting hydride transfer. The deuterium label in α-deutero-mandelic acid is retained in benzaldehyde. Benzaldehyde (BZ) is formed in post-rate limiting steps due to reactions involving manganese intermediates. In alkaline pH (≥13), in the presence of barium acetate, Mn(VI) is removed as insoluble blue barium manganate; the stoichiometry of the first step of reduction was found to be: MA + 2Mn(VII) → PGA + 2Mn(VI). Manganate, MnO42-, is directly reduced to MnO2 giving an additional mole of phenylglyoxylic acid (PGA). The experimentally observed ratio of benzaldehyde to phenylglyoxylic (BZ/PGA) provides a basis for discrimination between mechanistic choices that include direct reduction of Mn(V) to Mn(III) (in an acidic medium), disproportionation to Mn(IV) and Mn(VI) or oxidation to Mn(VI) by a second mole of permanganate. Interestingly, at pH 4, a stoichiometric, soluble Mn(IV) is observed for the first time for hydroxy-acid oxidation, reminiscent of the Guyard reaction. Because of the widespread use of permanganate as an environmentally green oxidant, results from mandelic acid oxidation have implications for the remediation of dissolved organic matter (DOM) including hydrocarbons and nitroaromatics in waste and groundwater.