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The present report communicates the first complete genome sequence of S-type Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis, isolated from an organised goat herd in Uttar Pradesh, India. Bacteria were isolated in pure culture on Herrold's egg yolk medium (HEYM) slants containing mycobactin J from the faecal sample collected per-rectally from a clinical diseased goat, and next-generation sequencing (NGS) revealed that the genome sequence length of the isolated strain named MAP-Gt-9 is 4,509,428 bp with no plasmid DNA, with a GC content of 69.5%, an N50 value of 125,474 bp, and an L50 value of 12, containing 4235 coding DNA sequences (CDSs), 44 tRNAs, 3 ncRNAs and 1 each 5S, 16S, 23S rRNA genes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In India, the National Education Policy 2020 recommends ensuring universal access to high-quality early childhood care and education for children aged 3–6 years by 2030. Using the 75th round of National Statistical Office data (2017–2018), this paper analyses the regional and socioeconomic inequalities in access to pre-primary education. Also, we investigate the specific role of households' economic status and educational attainment in explaining these inequalities. We find considerable regional (rural/urban) and socioeconomic inequalities in access to pre-primary education in India, with girls and children belonging to historically disadvantaged social groups (scheduled castes and scheduled tribes) less likely to attend early childhood education, particularly in rural areas. We find that a substantial portion of the rural–urban gap in access to pre-primary education can be removed by controls for households' economic condition and household head's educational status. In addition, we find gender and socioeconomic inequalities in the household investment in early years education. These findings highlight the need to put policy efforts and commitments to reducing barriers to accessing pre-primary education for children in disadvantaged conditions in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, soil loss by water in the Chambal river basin (CHB) has been estimated using Google Earth Engine and Geographic Information System platforms employing the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE). Google Earth Engine, a cloud-based platform, has been used for generating land use/land cover map from the voluminous satellite remote sensing data. The observed mean rate of soil erosion in the CHB is 1.17 t/ha/yr. The study reveals that very severe type of soil erosion in the Chambal river basin is found in the gullies/ravines and barren lands with the highest mean rate of soil erosion in the gully areas at 13.44 t/ha/yr. Catchment-wise soil loss estimates suggest that the four catchments namely Kali Sindh, Lower Chambal, Upper Chambal and Parbati are experiencing much higher soil loss in comparison to others; hence these catchments are prioritised for soil conservation efforts. Sensitivity analysis of individual factors and their interaction effect indicates that LS factor is the most influential factor in the study area followed by C factor. Research highlights: Estimates soil loss by water for the first time at basin scale in the Chambal river basin (mean rate 1.17 t/ha/yr) by integrating Google Earth Engine and GIS employing RUSLE. Provides insight into the spatial pattern and status of soil erosion in the study area. Reveals very severe type of soil erosion in the areas of gullies/ravines with the highest mean rate 13.44 t/ha/yr and 5.92 t/ha/yr, respectively. LS factor is the most influential factor in the study area, followed by C factor. Prioritises Kali Sindh, Lower Chambal, Upper Chambal and Parbati catchments for soil conservation efforts based on much higher soil loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, we analyzed the chemokine-binding protein (CBP) and the GM-CSF/IL-2 inhibition factor (GIF) of orf virus (ORFV) isolates of sheep and goat origin from different geographical regions of India. Both are immunomodulatory proteins known for their unique strategy of establishing short-term immunity and re-infection in their host. The GIF gene is highly conserved, whereas the CBP gene is highly variable. Both the proteins have conserved potential N-glycosylation sites. The GIF protein contains the "WDPWV" motif responsible for receptor activation. In addition, the SUSHI/short consensus repeats (SCR) domain is reported for the first time in ORFV. Both proteins could potentially be used as immunotherapeutic agents in inflammatory diseases related to the overexpression of specific cytokines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The design and selection of ideal emitter discharge rates can be aided by accurate information regarding the wetted soil pattern under surface drip irrigation. The current field investigation was conducted in an apple orchard in SKUAST- Kashmir, Jammu and Kashmir, a Union Territory of India, during 2017–2019. The objective of the experiment was to examine the movement of moisture over time and assess the extent of wetting in both horizontal and vertical directions under point source drip irrigation with discharge rates of 2, 4, and 8 L h−1. At 30, 60, and 120 min since the beginning of irrigation, a soil pit was dug across the length of the wetted area on the surface in order to measure the wetting pattern. For measuring the soil moisture movement and wetted soil width and depth, three replicas of soil samples were collected according to the treatment and the average value were considered. As a result, 54 different experiments were conducted, resulting in the digging of pits [3 emitter discharge rates × 3 application times × 3 replications × 2 (after application and 24 after application)]. This study utilized the Drip-Irriwater model to evaluate and validate the accuracy of predictions of wetting fronts and soil moisture dynamics in both orientations. Results showed that the modeled values were very close to the actual field values, with a mean absolute error of 0.018, a mean bias error of 0.0005, a mean absolute percentage error of 7.3, a root mean square error of 0.023, a Pearson coefficient of 0.951, a coefficient of correlation of 0.918, and a Nash–Sutcliffe model efficiency coefficient of 0.887. The wetted width just after irrigation was measured at 14.65, 16.65, and 20.62 cm; 16.20, 20.25, and 23.90 cm; and 20.00, 24.50, and 28.81 cm in 2, 4, and 8 L h−1, at 30, 60, and 120 min, respectively, while the wetted depth was observed 13.10, 16.20, and 20.44 cm; 15.10, 21.50, and 26.00 cm; 19.40, 25.00, and 31.00 cm, respectively. As the flow rate from the emitter increased, the amount of moisture dissemination grew (both immediately and 24 h after irrigation). The soil moisture contents were observed 0.4300, 0.3808, 0.2298, 0.1604, and 0.1600 cm3 cm−3 just after irrigation in 2 L h−1 while 0.4300, 0.3841, 0.2385, 0.1607, and 0.1600 cm3 cm−3 were in 4 L h−1 and 0.4300, 0.3852, 0.2417, 0.1608, and 0.1600 cm3 cm−3 were in 8 L h−1 at 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 cm soil depth in 30 min of application time. Similar distinct increments were found in 60, and 120 min of irrigation. The findings suggest that this simple model, which only requires soil, irrigation, and simulation parameters, is a valuable and practical tool for irrigation design. It provides information on soil wetting patterns and soil moisture distribution under a single emitter, which is important for effectively planning and designing a drip irrigation system. Investigating soil wetting patterns and moisture redistribution in the soil profile under point source drip irrigation helps promote efficient planning and design of a drip irrigation system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agronomic measures to conserve the residual soil moisture are very suitable for the dry area because of their very low cost and ability to reduce soil erosion. The region where after the harvest of rainy season crops, lack of sufficient soil moisture accessibility limits the cultivation of dry season crops. A technique like retaining crop residues and weed biomass on the soil surface along with zero tillage initiates the process that leads to improve soil quality and overall enhancement of resource use efficiency. The study was carried out to find out the productivity and nutrient dynamic of rabi legume in maize-legume cropping system under residual moisture conditions with bio-mulches and no-tillage. It will be helpful to develop sustainable and resource-efficient cropping system pattern for the region. A field trial was conducted for consecutive two years (2017–18 and 2018–19) at the dry region of West Bengal, India to assess the bio-mulches under the no-tillage condition on soil properties, productivity and nutrient uptake of legumes under Maize-legume cropping systems. From the experiment, it was revealed that the maize-lathyrus cropping system in combination with bio-mulching i.e. in-situ maize stalk mulch (MSM) + Paddy straw (5 t ha– 1) is the best efficient maize-based cropping systems and soil moisture conservation measures for improving soil fertility, crop yield and nutrient uptake in the rainfed dry region. Therefore, it could be concluded that the growing of legume pulses under different cropping systems along with no-tillage not only will improve the soil fertility status but also will increase the production and cropping intensity. This type of study could also be done under crops like winter oilseeds, cereals, tuber crops under different agro-climatic situations with locally available bio-mulches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deafmutism affects communication and wholesome development of an individual. India has a significant burden of deafness in the country. Even fourteen years after the launch of a National Program for Prevention and Control of Deafness in year 2006, we lack detailed data about the disability from most regions of the country. This study aims at finding out the prevalence, clinical history-examination and audiological profile of deaf-mute patients visiting the Out Patient Department (OPD) of a tertiary care institute in Uttarakhand, and compare the results with similar studies published during last 20 years from India to generate a literature review. Out of 46,049 patients that visited OPD of the institute during the given period of 24 months, 73 cases were short-listed clinically to be enrolled in the study. However, only 55 (75%) of them completed the questionnaire and audiological testing. All information was extracted from the patients/relatives with the help of a questionnaire in the Hindi language. The prevalence of deafmutism in patient presenting in our OPD in the study period was 0.3%. The history of pre-, peri- and post-natal risk factors was present in high percentage (58.2%, 78.2% and 34.5% respectively) of patients. This warrants review of our maternal and child healthcare strategies. The literature review revealed lack of uniform and standardized tool in conducting and reporting of studies on deafmutism. The questionnaire used in this study can be further improved and modified in the future as per the requirements of data collection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study entails the usefulness of thermophilic amidase-producing bacterium in the biotransformation of benzamide to benzohydroxamic acid (BHA). A bacterium Bacillus smithii IIIMB2907 was isolated from a soil sample collected from hot springs of Manikaran, Himachal Pradesh, India. The whole cells of the bacterium displayed versatile substrate specificity by exhibiting significant activity with a diverse range of amides. In addition, amidase from thermophilic bacterium was induced by adding Ɛ-caprolactam in the mineral base media. The optimum temperature and pH of acyltransferase activity of amidase enzyme were found to be 50 °C and 7.0, respectively. Interestingly, half-life (t1/2) of this enzyme was 17.37 h at 50 °C. Bench-scale production and purification of BHA was carried out at optimized conditions which resulted in the recovery of 64% BHA with a purity of 96%. Owing to this, the reported process in the present study can be considered of immense industrial significance for the production of BHA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study entails the usefulness of thermophilic amidase-producing bacterium in the biotransformation of benzamide to benzohydroxamic acid (BHA). A bacterium Bacillus smithii IIIMB2907 was isolated from a soil sample collected from hot springs of Manikaran, Himachal Pradesh, India. The whole cells of the bacterium displayed versatile substrate specificity by exhibiting significant activity with a diverse range of amides. In addition, amidase from thermophilic bacterium was induced by adding Ɛ-caprolactam in the mineral base media. The optimum temperature and pH of acyltransferase activity of amidase enzyme were found to be 50 °C and 7.0, respectively. Interestingly, half-life (t1/2) of this enzyme was 17.37 h at 50 °C. Bench-scale production and purification of BHA was carried out at optimized conditions which resulted in the recovery of 64% BHA with a purity of 96%. Owing to this, the reported process in the present study can be considered of immense industrial significance for the production of BHA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Geodetic studies of crustal deformation using Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS, earlier commonly referred to as Global Positioning System, GPS) measurements at CSIR-NGRI started in 1995 with the installation of a permanent GNSS station at CSIR-NGRI Hyderabad which later became an International GNSS Service (IGS) site. The CSIR-NGRI started expanding its GNSS networks after 2003 with more focussed studies through installation in the NE India, Himalayan arc, Andaman subduction zone, stable and failed rift regions of India plate. In each instance, these measurements helped in unravelling the geodynamics of the region and seismic hazard assessment, e.g., the discovery of a plate boundary fault in the Indo-Burmese wedge, rate and mode of strain accumulation and its spatial variation in the Garhwal-Kumaun and Kashmir region of the Himalayan arc, the influence of non-tectonic deformation on tectonic deformation in the Himalayan arc, nature of crustal deformation through earthquake cycle in the Andaman Sumatra subduction zone, and localised deformation in the intraplate region and across the paleo rift regions. Besides these, GNSS measurements initiated in the Antarctica region have helped in understanding the plate motion and influence of seasonal variations on deformation. Another important by-product of the GNSS observations is the capabilities of these observations in understanding the ionospheric variations due to earthquake processes and also due to solar eclipse. We summarize these outcomes in this article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]