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Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection in India demonstrated three peaks in India, with differences in presentation and outcome in all the three waves. The aim of the paper was to assess differences in the epidemiological, clinical features and outcomes of patients with COVID-19 presenting at a tertiary care hospital in the three waves at Jaipur, India. Methods: This was a retrospective study conducted at a tertiary care hospital at Jaipur, India. Demographic, clinical features and outcomes were compared of confirmed COVID-19 cases admitted during the first wave (16-7-2020 to 31-1-2021), second wave (16-3-2021 to 6-5-2021) and third wave (1-1-22 to 20-2-22) of the outbreak. Results: There were 1006 cases, 639 cases and 125 cases admitted during the three waves, respectively. The cases presenting in the second wave were significantly younger, with significantly higher prevalence of symptoms such as fever, cough, sore throat, nausea, vomiting, headache, muscle ache, loss of appetite and fatigue (P < 0.05). A significantly higher proportion of patients received Remdesivir in the second wave (P < 0.001). However, in the second wave, the use of low molecular weight heparin, plasma therapy, non-invasive and invasive ventilator were higher (P < 0.001). Co-morbid conditions were significantly higher in the admitted patients during the third wave (P < 0.05). Radiological scores were similar in second and third wave, significantly higher than the first wave. Lymphopenia and rise of inflammatory markers including C-reactive protein and interleukin-6 were more evident in the second wave (P < 0.001). The mean mortality, hospital stay and air-leak complications were also significantly higher in the second wave (P < 0.001). Conclusions: The second wave was more vicious in terms of symptoms, inflammatory markers, radiology, complications, requirement of ventilation and mortality. Mutation in the virus, lack of immunity and vaccination at the time point of second wave could have been the possible causes. The ferocity of the second wave has important implications for the government to formulate task forces for effective management of such pandemics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investment in the small-scale enhancement of groundwater recharge through check dams and other recharge structures in rural India is on the order of USD 1 billion/year. However, for any catchment, the optimal capacity of check dams is unknown, and the impacts on downstream flows are rarely determined. This paper describes a method that can be applied to plan recharge augmentation in catchments that have at least one monitored check dam. It was applied in the Dharta catchment of the Aravalli Hills in Udaipur district, Rajasthan, India, where four check dams in an ephemeral stream were monitored by farmers over seven years. For the last three years of this study, the hydrology of two of these check dams was affected by 19 new check dams established upstream. A basic hydrologic model, WaterCress, was calibrated on monitored check-dam storages and used to assess the impacts of the new structures on recharge from those downstream. Then, the model was rerun with a range of capacities of upstream check dams to determine the effects of check-dam capacity on (1) the recharge from the downstream check dam, (2) the total recharge from all check dams, and (3) the frequency of spill from the downstream check dam. Using the available economic information, the benefit–cost ratio was calculated for a range of check-dam capacities. This showed a decline in economic efficiency with each new check dam and defined the optimal capacity. Monsoon size was found to be consequential to results, and longer hydrological records yield more reliable results. The study showed that monitoring check dams, rainfall, and groundwater levels is key to deciding whether additional check dams are economically beneficial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper reports the rediscovery of Helicobarbula porphyreoneura (Müll. Hal.) M.J. Cano in and around Jaigarh fort of Jaipur, Rajasthan (India). The article not only reports in detail the delimitation of Pseudocrossidium and the segregated genus Helicobarbula, where P. porphyreoneurum is currently placed but also provides a detailed description of the species along with illustrations that have not been published yet. Besides this, the current status of the distribution of Helicobarbula and Pseudocrossidium in India is also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The nature of tenure 'contracts' that exist within the low-income settlements involves more than title deeds. Accordingly, 'tenure security' manifests itself beyond legal or de jure construction as it also involves de facto forms of tenure and dweller's perception of security. The perceived tenure security is in turn a function of people's lived experiences which shape the trust they may grant to the future effectiveness of land tenure arrangements. Contextual and historical factors, ranging from political patronage to market pressure to policy provisions, govern the perception of tenure security which usually gets overlooked in policy formulations. With a focus on Mumbai and Jaipur in India, this paper aims to generate and examine the viability of a list of indicators that influence perceptions of land and housing tenure security. The intention is to engender a method towards housing solutions beyond the unidirectional aim of titling and in favour of incremental approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article links the feminist debate on women's land rights in India to the current academic debate on critical human-nature relationships in the Anthropocene by studying how married Hindu women weigh the pros and cons of claiming land in their natal family and how they practice their lived relatedness to land in rural Udaipur (Rajasthan, North India). The article disentangles the complex issue of why women do not respond eagerly to Indian state policies that for a long time have promoted gender equality in the domain of land rights. In reaction to the dominant feminist debate on land rights, the authors introduce religion and more-than-human sociality as analytical foci in the examination of women's responsiveness to land legislation. Their ethnographic study is based on fieldwork with married women in landowning families in four villages in Udaipur's countryside. The authors argue that women have well-considered reasons not to claim natal land, and that their intimate relatedness to land as a sentient being, a nonhuman companion, and a powerful goddess explains the women's reluctance to treat land as an inanimate commodity or property. Looking at religion brings to the fore women's core business of making land fruitful and powerful, independent of any legislation. The authors maintain that a decolonized perspective on women's land relatedness that takes religion and women's multispecies perspective seriously may also offer a breakthrough in understanding why some women do not claim land. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A large quantity of trace metals has been continuously polluting the environment as a result of increasing urbanization and industrial processes. In 2016-2017, the metal (Cd, Cu, Cr, Ni, Pb, and Zn) levels were determined in fecal pellets of Blue Rock Pigeon (Columba livia) at Bais Godam (industrial location) in Jaipur and Chittora (rural location) in Rajasthan, India. Fecal pellets in industrial regions which are under higher anthropogenic influence exhibited higher metal concentrations when compared with the fecal pellets of the same species in rural area which have minimal anthropogenic input, with statistically significant industrial-rural differences in the metal concentrations except for Ni. Results obtained in this study, as well as the comparison with literature data, indicated that concentrations of Cr and Cu were high in fecal pellets of Blue Rock Pigeon in the industrial region of the present study. Furthermore, many significant correlations were also observed between metal levels in the industrial region which could be attributed to a similar source. Moreover, contamination levels of pigeon excrement serve as one of the most compelling indicators in terrestrial systems for the monitoring of metal pollution levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alongside antibiotic resistance, co-selection of antibiotics, biocides, and metal resistance is a growing concern. While hospital wastewater is considered a hotspot for antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) and genes (ARGs), the scenario in India, one of the biggest consumers of antibiotics, remains poorly described. In this study, we used metagenomic sequencing to characterize ARGs and biocide/metal resistance genes (BMRGs) in four wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in Jaipur City of India. We observed a significantly lower richness and abundance of ARGs in the influent of a WWTP exclusively receiving hospital wastewater when compared to other three WWTPs involving municipal wastewater treatment. Several tetracycline and macrolide-lincosamide-streptogramin resistance genes were enriched in influents of these three municipal wastewater-related treatment plants, whereas hospital wastewater had a higher abundance of genes conferring resistance to disinfectant-related compounds such as synergize and wex-cide-128, reflecting the patterns of antibiotic/disinfectant use. Of note, in the wastewater system with more chemicals, there was a strong correlation between the numbers of ARGs and BMRGs potentially harbored by common hosts. Our study highlights significant influxes of ARGs from non-hospital sources in Jaipur City, and thus more attention should be paid on the emergence of ARGs in general communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Ovarian neoplasms have increased in incidence in leading sites of cancer in five old population based cancer registries on comparing first ten and last ten years data. All three germ layers are afflicted in process of ovarian neoplasmceolomic epithelium, germ cell and sex chord/stromal cells. Due to this, ovarian masses are spread widely over all age groups. However, a correct pathological diagnosis goes a long way in management of the disease and consequent benefit to patient. Aim: To assess the histopathological pattern, age, laterality and distribution of ovarian tumours in a tertiary care centre of tribal part of Rajasthan. Materials and Methods: Retrospective hospital based study wherein 157 ovarian specimens received in Department of Pathology of Geetanjali Medical College and Hospital, Udaipur, Rajasthan over a period of three years were studied after obtaining permission of ethical committee. Details such as age, signs and symptoms, laterality were retrieved from patient file. Only benign, borderline or malignant ovarian neoplasm specimens removed surgically were included. Physiological cysts were excluded. Descriptive statistics were used and results were expressed as percentages. Results: Out of 157 ovarian neoplasms, 42 (26.75%) were from hysterectomy specimen, 44 (28.02%) from planned cystectomy for mass, 71 (45.22%) from cytoreductive surgery or tissue obtained from Exploratory Laparotomy. A 63.06%, 33.76% and 3.18% of neoplasms were benign, malignant and borderline, respectively. Extremes of age lied between 14 to 84 years. Mean age for benign, malignant and borderline tumours respectively was 38.60 years (SD 15.21), 47.79 years (SD 14.53) and 38.4 years (SD 14.04) respectively. Unilateral tumours were clearly in abundance with 85.35%. Right-sided tumours were more (49.04%). Surface Epithelial Tumours (SET's), Germ Cell Tumour (GCT's) and Sex Chord Stromal Tumours (SCSCT's) were 59.24 %, 34.39% and 6.37%, respectively. Out of 10 cases, 60% were malignant (Granulosa cell tumour). No metastatic tumour was seen during the study period. Conclusion: To effectively reverse the trend in a developing country like India each and every gynaecologist should be aware and well versed with histo-morphological pattern of ovarian neoplasms specific to a region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Population increase has placed ever-increasing demands on the available groundwater (GW) resources, particularly for intensive agricultural activities. In India, groundwater is the backbone of agriculture and drinking purposes. In the present study, an assessment of groundwater reserves was carried out in the Udaipur district, Aravalli range, India. It was observed that the principal aquifer for the availability of groundwater in the studied area is quartzite, phyllite, gneisses, schist, and dolomitic marble, which occur in unconfined to semi-confined zones. Furthermore, all primary chemical ingredients were found within the permissible limit, including granum. We also found that the average annual rainfall days in a year in the study area was 30 from 1957 to 2020, and it has been found that there are chances to receive surplus rainfall once in every five deficit rainfall years. Using integrated remote sensing, GIS, and a field-based spatial modeling approach, it was found that the dynamic GW reserves of the area are 637.42 mcm/annum, and the total groundwater draft is 639.67 mcm/annum. The deficit GW reserves are 2.25 mcm/annum from an average rainfall of 627 mm, hence the stage of groundwater development is 100.67% and categorized as over-exploited. However, as per the relationship between reserves and rainfall events, surplus reserves are available when rainfall exceeds 700 mm. We conclude that enough static GW reserves are available in the studied area to sustain the requirements of the drought period. For the long-term sustainability of groundwater use, controlling groundwater abstraction by optimizing its use, managing it properly through techniques such as sprinkler and drip irrigation, and achieving more crop-per-drop schemes, will go a long way to conserving this essential reserve, and create maximum groundwater recharge structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]