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Background The health index of any population is directly correlated with the water quality, which in turn depends upon physicochemical characteristics and the microbiome of that aquatic source. For maintaining the water quality, knowledge of microbial diversity is a must. The present investigation attempts to evaluate the microflora of Baner. Metagenomics has been proven to be the technique for examining the genetic diversity of unculturable microbiota without using traditional culturing techniques. The microbial profile of Baner is analyzed using metagenomics for the first time to the best of our knowledge. Results To explore the microbial diversity of Baner, metagenomics analysis from 3 different sites was done. Data analysis identified 29 phyla, 62 classes, 131 orders, 268 families, and 741 genera. Proteobacteria was found to be the most abundant phylum in all the sampling sites, with the highest abundance at S3 sampling site (94%). Bacteroidetes phylum was found to be second abundant in S1 and S2 site, whereas Actinobacteria was second dominant in sampling site S3. Enterobacteriaceae family was dominant in site S1, whereas Comamonadaceae and Pseudomonadaceae was abundant in sites S2 and S3 respectively. The Baner possesses an abundant bacterial profile that holds great promise for developing bioremediation tactics against a variety of harmful substances. Conclusion Baner river's metagenomic analysis offers the first insight into the microbial profile of this hilly stream. Proteobacteria was found to be the most abundant phylum in all the sampling sites indicating anthropogenic interference and sewage contamination. The highest abundance of proteobacteria at S3 reveals it to be the most polluted site, as it is the last sampling site downstream of the area under investigation, and falls after crossing the main city, so more human intervention and pollution were observed. Despite some pathogens, a rich profile of bacteria involved in bioremediation, xenobiotic degradation, and beneficial fish probiotics was observed, reflecting their potential applications for improving water quality and establishing a healthy aquaculture and fishery section. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The spread of COVID-19, an unprecedented health shock to the world in 2020–21, led to an economic shock globally. To contain its spread, the majority of the countries introduced containment measures such as lockdowns, social distancing and quarantines. It resulted in the shutting down of many industrial establishments, a reduction in economic activities and restrictions on people's movement. The contraction in gross domestic product (GDP) and trade flow resulted in a reduction in employment and income. The recovery of output and employment varied across sectors and countries. The present endeavour aimed to understand the impact of COVID-19 on sectoral employment in India using secondary data primarily from the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), the Government of India and the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) Economic Outlook. Our findings indicate that the impact of COVID-19 varies across regions, occupations and sectors. It affected employment differently across occupations in rural and urban areas. Among sectors, manufacturing, and real estate and construction, services were affected very badly. The rate of recovery was comparatively low in manufacturing, real estate and construction. All sectors indicate a V-shaped recovery for employment and output except the manufacturing sector indicating an L-shaped recovery for employment while a V-shaped recovery for output. In general, employment elasticities have declined across sectors, except for the agriculture sector, in the post-pandemic period. Given the reduction in the employment elasticities across sectors after the pandemic, it may be suggested to focus on new entrepreneurial activities, particularly in the labour-intensive sectors, and skill development programmes for enhancing employment opportunities in the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study is an attempt to examine the development of monopoly capitalism in India through industry-level analysis of the change in the degree of monopoly and distribution of income. To this end, the Kaleckian approach has been applied to all the 56 three-digit Indian organised manufacturing industries listed in the Annual Survey of Industries covering the period 1998–2018. The data have been examined at four levels: the aggregate sectoral level, the aggregate of the top 25 per cent industries, the aggregate of the top 10 per cent and disaggregate analysis of the top 6 industries. The study finds strong evidence of the growth of monopoly power in the manufacturing sector with the rising growth rate of the economy, indicating the rise of monopoly capitalism in India. It also brings out the dominance of the top 25 and top 10 per cent (in terms of gross value added [GVA] share and employment) manufacturing industries) in the determination of aggregate monopoly power and the wage share in the organised manufacturing sector. The study finds that under monopoly capitalism, the rise of profits of the larger industries in India's organised manufacturing sector primarily comes from the deduction of wages of production workers and the flow of surplus from smaller to larger industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite much impetus on economic growth, educational expansion, health and infrastructural development, women participation in labour force market is not improving. Women participation in politics, leadership positions, national parliaments and local government, judiciary and police force is very essential for achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. The said target is clearly mentioned as SDG 5.5 which entails—"Ensure women's full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic and public life". In India, percentage of female elected representatives in parliament rose from 9.0% in 1999 (13th Lok Sabha general elections) to 14.4% in 2019 (17th Lok Sabha general elections) as per the statistical reports published by the Election Commission of India. Thus, the paper tries to study the relationship between women in parliament (MP) and female labour force participation rates (FLPR) using panel data across Indian states for the period 1999 to 2019. The objective of the paper is to empirically examine the relationship between female (elected) political representation and FLPR, using fixed effect panel data model across 15 Indian states excluding Union Territories (UTs), North-Eastern States (NEs), Delhi, Goa, and Jammu & Kashmir (J&K). The panel data is created by taking data of female elected candidates of different states from the statistical reports of general elections published by Election Commission of India and that of FLPR is extracted from various rounds of National Statistical Office (NSO) and Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) reports, respectively. The empirical results suggest that higher political representation of women is associated with favourable female labour outcomes. Our result implies that Female Political Representation (FPR) has a positive and significant effect on FLPR under fixed effect model. However, the random effect model suggests net state domestic product (NSDP) per capita has a negative and significant effect on FLPR, while, Fixed effect model suggests that female literacy rate has a negative and significant effect on FLPR which are consistent with the established literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pea leafminer, Chromatomyia horticola is one of the serious pests of pea in the major pea-growing regions of India. The effect of different cultivars on the biology and fertility parameters of pea leafminer was studied at 25 ± 1°C, 60–65% relative humidity and 12:12 h photoperiod during 2022. The development time for immature stages was significantly different between cultivars as follows: Azad P-1 < Pusa Pragati < Him Palam Matar-1. Population parameters like the intrinsic rate of increase (rm) (0.1752 day-1), the net reproductive rate (R0) (85.25 female eggs/female) and finite rate of increase (ℷ) (1.1915 females/day) were observed to be highest on Azad P-1 cultivar. The highest fecundity of 227 eggs per female was also observed on Azad P-1 cultivar. No significant differences were observed in the mean generation time and doubling time of leafminer on all three cultivars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To evaluate and compare the clinical effectiveness of alkasite with nanofilled resin composite restorations for occlusal caries lesions in permanent molar teeth of children, at one-year follow-up. Methods: In this randomized controlled clinical trial with parallel design, 38 children aged 7–13 years with occlusal caries lesions on 59 first permanent molars were randomly allocated into two groups, Group 1: Filtek™ Z350XT (nanocomposite) and Group 2: Cention N® (alkasite resin composite). The restorations were evaluated at one year using the United States Public Health Service (USPHS) criteria. Data were analyzed using Chi-square or Fisher's exact test. Results: All restorations had either Alpha or Bravo scores at one-year follow-up. In Group 1, all restorations scored Alpha, while one restoration each (3.6%) in Group 2 scored Bravo for fracture and marginal adaptation. All restorations in both groups scored Alpha for retention, secondary caries, and post-operative sensitivity. For anatomic form, all restorations in Group 1 scored Alpha, while three (10.7%) restorations in Group 2 had Bravo scores. For marginal discolouration, three restorations in both groups scored Bravo (11.5% and 10.7%, respectively). For surface roughness, one restoration (3.8%) in Group 1 and three restorations in Group 2 (10.7%) scored Bravo. The comparative results between the two groups for all the variables in the USPHS criteria were not statistically significantly different. Conclusions: The performances of the nanofilled composite and alkasite were clinically acceptable and comparable. Alkasite can be an alternative material for the restoration of occlusal caries lesions in permanent molars of children. Clinical trial registration: The clinical trial was registered at Clinical Trials Registry—India (CTRI Reg no: CTRI/2020/12/029830 Dated: 15/12/2020). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Ziziphus species particularly Ziziphus mauritiana and Ziziphus nummularia constitute an important part of genetic resources in India. They contribute economically as a fruit crop with lots of morphological and pomological variability. In current study, 48 accessions belonging to two wild Ziziphus species, i.e., Z. mauritiana and Z. nummularia, were characterized using SSR markers. In addition, external features were also examined using stereomicroscope. Results: Present investigation was done to explore the genetic structure of North Indian jujube. In total, 23 SSR markers detected 57 SSR alleles with an average of 2.47 alleles. Highest number of alleles (4) were detected by three primers, namely BFU1178, BFU479, and ZCMS14, while lowest number of alleles (2) were detected by fifteen primers. Highest Polymorphism Information Content (PIC) was 0.500 and shown by two primers, namely BFU528 and BFU1248, while lowest PIC (0.041) was observed in primers BFU286 with mean value of 0.443. Similarly, highest value of marker index (MI) was detected by primer BFU1178 i.e. 1.969, and lowest value of marker index was observed in primer BFU286 i.e. 0.021. Dendrogram generated using SSR markers data and principal component analysis showed two major groups of the analyzed germplasm with intermixing. STRUCTURE analysis also clustered all the accessions into two groups. We did not found correlation between geographic and genetic distances. Conclusions: The preliminary results suggest that there is high level of gene pool mixing in these species which can be attributed to their cross-pollination habit. However, more such studies with large numbers of samples are required in future to gain concrete insights of the genetic structure in these species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Autoinflammatory disorders are the group of inherited inflammatory disorders caused due to the genetic defect in the genes that regulates innate immune systems. These have been clinically characterized based on the duration and occurrence of unprovoked fever, skin rash, and patient's ancestry. There are several autoinflammatory disorders that are found to be prevalent in a specific population and whose disease genetic epidemiology within the population has been well understood. However, India has a limited number of genetic studies reported for autoinflammatory disorders till date. The whole genome sequencing and analysis of 1029 Indian individuals performed under the IndiGen project persuaded us to perform the genetic epidemiology of the autoinflammatory disorders in India. Results: We have systematically annotated the genetic variants of 56 genes implicated in autoinflammatory disorder. These genetic variants were reclassified into five categories (i.e., pathogenic, likely pathogenic, benign, likely benign, and variant of uncertain significance (VUS)) according to the American College of Medical Genetics and Association of Molecular pathology (ACMG-AMP) guidelines. Our analysis revealed 20 pathogenic and likely pathogenic variants with significant differences in the allele frequency compared with the global population. We also found six causal founder variants in the IndiGen dataset belonging to different ancestry. We have performed haplotype prediction analysis for founder mutations haplotype that reveals the admixture of the South Asian population with other populations. The cumulative carrier frequency of the autoinflammatory disorder in India was found to be 3.5% which is much higher than reported. Conclusion: With such frequency in the Indian population, there is a great need for awareness among clinicians as well as the general public regarding the autoinflammatory disorder. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first and most comprehensive population scale genetic epidemiological study being reported from India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Chromobacterium species, through their bioactive molecules, help in combating biotic and abiotic stresses in plants and humans. The present study was aimed to identify, characterize and preserve in natural gums the violet-pigmented bacterial isolate TRFM-24 recovered from the rhizosphere soil of rice collected from Tripura state. Results: Based on morphological, biochemical and 16S rRNA gene sequencing, the isolate TFRM-24 was identified as Chromobacterium violaceum (NAIMCC-B-02276; MCC 4212). The bacterium is saprophytic, free living and Gram negative. The strain was found positive for production of IAA, cellulase, xylanase and protease, and showed tolerance to salt (2.5%) and drought (-1.2 MPa). However, it showed poor biocontrol activity against soil-borne phytopathogens and nutrient-solubilizing abilitiets. C. violaceum strain TRFM-24 did not survive on tryptic soya agar (TSA) beyond 12 days between 4 and 32 °C temperature hence a method of preservation of this bacterium was attempted using different natural gums namely Acacia nilotica (babul), Anogeissus latifolia (dhavda), Boswellia serrata (salai) and Butea monosperma (palash) under different temperature regime (6–32 °C). The bacterium survived in babul gum (gum acacia), dhavda and salai solution at room temperature beyond a year. Conclusion: Based on polyphasic approach, a violet-pigmented isolate TRFM-24 was identified as Chromobacterim violaceum which possessed some attributes of plant and human importance. Further, a simple and low-cost preservation method of strain TRFM-24 at room temperature was developed using natural gums such as babul, dhavda and salai gums which may be the first report to our knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The issue of youth employment is a global challenge. In India it has emerged increasingly as a daunting challenge over the years. This paper looks into various dimensions of the youth employment and unemployment in terms of their labour market characteristics. The challenge is particularly analysed in terms of ongoing demographic transition, regional diversities and changing pattern of labour markets. It also provides some policy pointers to address the challenge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intensive tillage operations, indiscriminate use of irrigation water, chemical fertilizers, and pesticides and crop biomass burning have made the conventional rice–wheat (RW) system highly energy-intensive and inefficient. In the recent past, portfolios of climate-smart agricultural practices (CSAP) have been promoted as a potential alternative to improve the energy efficiency in conventional RW system. Therefore, to evaluate the energy input–output relation, energy flow and economic efficiency in various combinations of crop management options, a 3-year (2014–2017) on-farm study was conducted at Karnal, India. Various portfolio of management practices; Sc1-Business as usual (BAU) or Conventional tillage (CT) without residue, Sc2-CT with residue, Sc3-Reduce tillage (RT) with residue + recommended dose of fertilizer (RDF), Sc4-RT/Zero tillage (ZT) with residue + RDF, Sc5-ZT with residue + RDF + GreenSeeker + Tensiometer, Sc6-Sc5 + Nutrient expert were investigated. Present study results revealed that net energy, energy use efficiency and energy productivity were 11–18, 31–51 and 29–53% higher under CSAP (mean of Sc4, Sc5 and Sc6) in RW system than Sc1, respectively. However, renewable and non-renewable energy inputs were 14 and 33% higher in Sc1 compared to CSAP (4028 and 49,547 MJ ha−1), respectively, it showed that BAU practices mostly dependents on non-renewable energy sources whereas CSAP dependents on renewable energy sources. Similarly, the adoption of CSAP improved the biomass yield, net farm income and economic efficiency by 6–9, 18–23 and 42–58%, respectively compared to Sc1. Overall, the adoption of CSAP could be a viable alternative for improving energy use efficiency, farm profitability and eco-efficiency in the RW system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present experiment was conducted at a constant temperature of 25 ± 0.5 °C, 70 ± 5 per cent relative humidity and 14L: 10D photoperiod on French bean, Phaseolus vulgaris cv. contender plants in the Biocontrol Laboratory of the Department of Entomology, Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, Solan, Himachal Pradesh, India. The study revealed that Encarsia formosa exhibited a Type II functional response both on the bases of parasitism and host kill with third and fourth nymphal instars of greenhouse whitefly. The functional response parameters i.e. handling time (Th), attack rate (a), effectiveness of parasitoid (a/Th) and the maximum parasitization rate (K) on total host kill by the parasitoid on third nymphal instar was 0.575 h, 0.037 h−1, 0.064 and 41.684, respectively whereas with fourth nymphal instar, handling time (Th), attack rate (a), effectiveness of parasitoid (a/Th) and the maximum parasitization rate (K) was 0.518 h, 0.044 h−1, 0.086 and 46.317, respectively. The area of discovery of the parasitoid with third nymphal instars decreased from 0.12 to 0.09 and with fourth instar it decreased from 0.14 to 0.09 with the increase in the density of the parasitoid from 2 to 8 for both the nymphal instars (third and fourth), respectively. The mutual interference coefficient with fourth instar was highest (m = 0.285) as compared to third instar nymphs (m = 0.166). It shows its effectiveness against the greenhouse whitefly. Hence, it can be utilized as one of the component of an integrated pest management programme of greenhouse whitefly, T. vaporariorum under protected cultivation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite an increase in the number of workers commuting between rural and urban areas, much of the literature on worker mobility continues to be migration centric. This paper establishes the importance of rural–urban commuting in India. As per estimates from Periodic Labour Force Survey 2018–2019, an estimated 18.8 million individuals living in rural are working in urban India and the share of earnings from urban in total non-farm rural earnings is 19.3%. Among all rural workers, 7.3% are rural–urban commuters while only 2.1% of urban workers are urban–rural commuters. We document large variations at the sub-national level. Our results from a multinomial model to understand the factors associated with commuting highlight the importance of lagged regional unemployment rate. A high rural unemployment rate acts as a push factor, and a low urban unemployment rate acts as a pull factor for rural–urban commuting. The urbanness of occupations in a region is also an important correlate of commuting. The paper concludes by highlighting the need to prioritize questions in India's labour force survey that would help understand the nature of labour mobility and strength of rural–urban linkages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the Indo-Gangetic Plains of South Asia, the quadruple challenges of deteriorating soil quality, declining groundwater, energy shortages, and diminishing farm profitability threaten sustainability of conventional till (CT)-based cereal production systems. A 5-year study was conducted to evaluate the effect of conservation agriculture (CA)-based management (tillage, crop establishment, residue management, and system intensification through mungbean integration) on energy budget, water productivity, and economic profitability in cereal (rice–wheat, RW/maize–wheat, MW)-based systems compared with CT-based management. In CA systems, crop residues contributed the maximum (~76%) in total energy input (167,995 MJ ha−1); however, fertilizer application (nonrenewable energy source) contributed the maximum (43%) in total energy input (47,760 MJ ha−1) in CT-based systems. CA-based cereal (rice/maize) systems recorded higher net energy and energy-intensiveness (EI) levels of 251% and 300%, respectively, compared with those of the CT-based rice–wheat system (RW/CT) (295,217 MJ ha−1 and 46.05 MJ USD−1), irrespective of mungbean integration. MWMb/ZT+R utilized 204% more input energy, which resulted in 14% higher net energy and 229% higher EI compared with RW/CT. CA-based RW and MW systems enhanced the crop productivity by 10 and 16%, water productivity by 56 and 33%, and profitability by 34 and 36%, while saving in irrigation water by 38 and 32%, compared with their respective CT-based systems, respectively. CA-based system improved net energy, crop productivity, and profitability; therefore, it should be outscaled to improve the soil and environmental quality in north-west India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In common wheat, genes/QTL for a number of traits including grain quality and resistance against all the three rusts were pyramided in the background of an erstwhile elite Indian wheat cv. PBW343. For this purpose, two improved lines (P1 and P2) each in the background of PBW343 were crossed; these two lines were earlier developed using marker-assisted selection (MAS). The genes carried by line "P1" included Yr70/Lr76 + Lr37/Yr17/Sr38, and the genes carried by line "P2" included Gpc-B1/Yr36+QPhs.ccsu-3A.1+QGw.ccsu-1A.3+Lr24/Sr24+Glu-A1-1/Glu-A1-2. Following foreground MAS in F2 and F3 and SDS-PAGE analysis in F5, 23 lines were selected, each carrying all the genes/QTL for grain quality and resistance to three rusts in homozygous condition. Eleven of the selected lines had relatively higher grain protein content (along with one or more other traits) and were also resistant to five pathotypes of Puccinia triticina (Pt), seven pathotypes of Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici (Pgt), and two pathotypes (78S84 and 47S103) of Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici (Pst) that occur in major wheat-growing areas of India. One line (CCSU-7) out of these 11 selected lines had significantly higher grain yield as well as grain protein content compared with check cv. PBW343, which should prove useful in future wheat breeding programs for improving not only the grain quality but also the durability of resistance against all three rusts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Functional response is one of the most informative ways to study the density responsiveness of a natural enemy to the target pest. Tuta absoluta (Meyrick), one of the most destructive pests of tomato, has recently invaded India. In the present study, we investigated the functional response of Trichogramma achaeae Nagaraja and Nagarkatti, Trichogramma pretiosum Riley, Trichogramma chilonis (Ishii) and Trichogramma pieridis Nagaraja and Prashanth to the pest. All the parasitoids exhibited type II functional response to T. absoluta eggs. The handling time was minimum for T. achaeae (1.6 h) followed by T. pretiosum (1.86 h) T. chilonis (2.16 h) and T. pieridis (2.65 h). Theoretical maximum number of host eggs that could be parasitized in 24 h by each female of these parasitoids was estimated to be 16.23, 13.24, 11.05 and 8.97, respectively. Functional response parameters indicate that T. achaeae and T. pretiosum were more efficient parasitoids than the other two species against T. absoluta. It is, therefore, important to consider these tested egg parasitoids for biological control based integrated pest management programmes for this invasive pest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The investigation endeavored to study the distribution and allelic expressivity of hybrid necrosis genes (Ne1 and Ne2) in 332 maternal lines comprising 274 triticale × wheat derived homozygous recombinants, 41 winter × spring and spring × spring wheat derived doubled haploid lines, 12 reconstituted wheat lines and 5 released bread wheat cultivars of north-west Himalayan regions utilizing Himalayan genetic resources. Hybridization was executed at Palampur and Lahaul and Spiti, India by crossing maternal parents with two known tester parents C306 (Ne1sNe1sne2ne2) and HD2380 (ne1ne1Ne2mNe2m) to generate F1 hybrids. The necrotic lines were categorized into Ne1 and Ne2-carriers based on the presence of necrosis genes in F1 hybrids. Subsequent screening revealed the presence of 83 Ne2-carriers (25%) and 249 non-carrier genotypes (75%) in the present study. Eighty-three Ne2-carriers comprised 51 triticale × wheat derived homozygous recombinants (11 Ne2s, 6 Ne2ms, 26 Ne2m, 4 Ne2wm and 4 Ne2w alleles), 22 winter × spring and spring × spring wheat derived doubled haploid lines (7 Ne2s, 12 Ne2m and 3 Ne2w alleles), 9 reconstituted wheat lines (5 Ne2s, 2 Ne2m and 2 Ne2wm alleles) and 1 released variety (Ne2m allele) for necrosis and none of the lines possessed Ne1 gene. Analysis of Ne2 gene and their linkage properties with other paramount genes make Ne2-carriers superior source for emphasizing the genetic amelioration of wheat through selective hybridization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we describe our experiences of conducting a series of workshops titled ‘It’s a MATERIALS world!’ to popularize Materials Science among school children in India. Some of the hands-on activities that can be performed with easily available ingredients/equipment in a classroom are described for the benefit of educators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seventy seven soya bean accessions were screened at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) experimental field during kharif season in the months of July to October to determine the prevalence and number of viruses affecting soya bean. Prominent symptoms included yellow mosaic, green mosaic/mottling and necrosis. ELISA, PCR and RT-PCR analysis showed mixed infection of seven viruses (Bean yellow mosaic virus, Blackgram mottle virus, Cowpea mild mottle virus, Cucumber mosaic virus, Groundnut bud necrosis virus, Mungbean yellow mosaic India virus and Tobacco streak virus) in different soya bean accessions. The predominant virus was Mungbean yellow mosaic India virus in 71 accessions followed by Tobacco streak virus infecting 60 accessions. None of the accessions was found to be infected with Tobacco ringspot virus or Soybean mosaic virus. Mixed infection with as many as five viruses (BMoV, CMV, GBNV, MYMIV, TSV) was observed in twelve accessions. Other accessions were infected with one to four viruses in different combination. Our study described the first report of Cucumber mosaic virus and Blackgram mottle virus infecting soya bean under natural conditions in India. Multiple viral infections potentially lead to increased symptom severity, therefore our findings have implications in the management of these viruses affecting soya bean. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Study design:Cervical spine tuberculosis is a relatively less frequent form of spinal tuberculosis. Cervical spine tuberculosis has a greater propensity to involve the spinal cord and results in major sensory motor deficit. In this prospective study, we aimed to evaluate the clinical and imaging predictors of outcome in conservatively managed patients.Methods:In this study, 42 patients of cervical spine tuberculosis were included. Patients were subjected to a detailed clinical evaluation and magnetic resonance imaging. Patients were treated with antituberculosis treatment and were followed up for 18 months. The Modified Barthel index (MBI) was used to assess the disability. Good outcome was defined as MBI >12 and poor outcome as MBI ⩽12. Clinical and imaging characteristics were used to analyze the predictors of outcome, using univariate and multivariate analysis.Results:Four (9.5%) patients required surgery. Data from 38 patients, who were conservatively managed, were analyzed for predictors of outcome. Among conservatively managed patients, at presentation, 29 patients had an MBI score of ⩽12. At 18 months, the majority of patients (81.6%) had a good outcome. On univariate analysis, a duration of illness >3 months, a major motor deficit, bladder involvement, flexor spasms, significant cord compression and spinal extension of the abscess were significantly associated with a poor outcome. However, on multivariate analysis significant cord compression (P=0.003) and spinal extension (P=0.02) showed a significant correlation with a poor outcome.Conclusion:Medical management was effective in cervical spine tuberculosis. Patients with significant cord compression and spinal extension of the abscess showed poorer outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper draws on household survey data in two Indian cities, Delhi and Ranchi to study key issues related to poverty and social protection in urban India. We consider the case of targeted public distribution system (TPDS) in India to assess the efficiency in targeting for the intended beneficiaries in greater need of such support, the likely welfare impacts of mis-targeting, and the potential poverty impacts that have been made possible by the implicit income transfers through subsidised provisioning offoodgrains. Our results indicate significant extent of targeting errors, and that the emerging indications of progressive gains from the existing programme could be further improved upon if exclusion errors, in particular, are reduced. We further show that due to the progressive nature of utilising the TPDS programme, and benefiting from the price subsidies, the poverty headcount ratio fell by about two-three percentage points in both the cities. However, our results suggest that certain forms of deprivations--mostly in terms of non-income dimensions such as basic amenities--tend to be ignored in identification of the intended beneficiaries in need of protection, and that the welfare gains could be enhanced if identification mechanisms are made broad-based enough. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Every time the quinquennial data from the National Sample Survey (NSS) is released, there is a flurry of comments analysing the causes and implications of the changes (or lack thereof) observed. The data on employment-unemployment in the NSS 66th Round, 2009-10, was no exception in that aspect. However, the comments aimed at identifying the causes underlying the observed changes in the estimated workforce have mostly tended to just read the data and offer explanations, as deemed appropriate by the commentators. Some have even discarded the data altogether. Without appreciating the prevalence of some unresolved and persistent problems in NSS data, such conjectural explanations invariably generate more problems than those sought to be explained. Some such issues are taken up here for examination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A begomovirus was isolated from tomato plants showing leaf curl and stunting symptoms in farmers' fields near the district of Kalyani, West Bengal, India. Viral genomic components amplified by rolling-circle amplification were cloned and sequenced. The genome organization of this virus was found to be similar to those of Old World monopartite begomovirus, with DNA A and a betasatellite component. Neither alphasatellite nor DNA B component was detected. The begomovirus showed highest sequence identity of 93.6% to tomato leaf curl Joydebpur virus (ToLCJoV-[IN:Kal:Chi:06]) and was thus identified to be an isolate of ToLCJoV. The betasatellite isolated from these samples was identified as tomato leaf curl Joydebpur betasatellite. ToLCJoV-[IN:Kal:Tom:08] alone induced severe symptoms in Solanum lycopersicum, N. benthamiana and N. glutinosa plants, and its severity was enhanced when co-inoculated with the cognate betasatellite. ToLCJoV-[IN:Kal:Tom:08] trans-replicated four more non-cognate betasatellites and induced severe symptoms in N. benthamiana and tomato. Since DNA A replicated efficiently and caused systemic symptom expression, it is hypothesized that ToLCJoV is essentially a monopartite virus, which could have acquired a betasatellite from an unknown source. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: For the detection of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cucumerinum pathogenic groups, a specific PCR-based marker was developed. Specific random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers which identified in four pathogenic groups I, II, III, and IV were cloned into PGem-Teasy vector. Cloned fragments were sequenced, and used for developing sequence characterized amplified regions (SCAR) primers for detection of pathogenic groups. F. oxysporum f. sp. cucumerinum isolates belonging to four pathogenic groups in India, cucumber nonpathogenic F. oxysporum, F. oxysporum f. sp. moniliforme and melonis, Fusarium udum, and isolate of Alternaria sp. were tested using developed specific primers. A single 1.320kb, 770bp, 1.119kb, and 771bp fragment were amplified from pathogenic group I, II, III, and IV isolates, respectively. Results showed the PCR based marker, which used in this research work, could detect up to 1ng of fungal genomic DNA. The specific SCAR primers and PCR technique developed in this research easily detect and differentiate isolates of each F. oxysporum f. sp. cucumerinum pathogenic groups. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This article discusses analysis of pesticide residues on mango fruits in India. Five pesticides were measured including parathion methyl, endosulfan, chlorpyrifos, cypermethrin, and fenvalerate using gas-liquid chromatography extraction techniques. According to the authors, mangoes were sampled in the field and also grown under strict integrated pest management controls. The level of detection was determined for each pesticide as peak area five times that of background using the gas chromatograph. The solvent used was found to have a significant role in improving the percent recovery and a mixture of dichloromethane-acetone gave higher recoveries compared to ethyl acetate. Using this protocol only endosulfan was detected in the integrated pest management samples.

A single T > C change at the 5′ promoter region of the CYP17 gene is reported to be associated with increased risk of breast cancer. This study evaluates the influence of genetic polymorphism of CYP17 on breast cancer susceptibility. Two hundred and forty-two patients with histopathologically confirmed breast cancer and 212 age-matched controls were included in the present study. Information relating to age at onset of the disease, family history and estrogen receptor status was elicited. Investigation for CYP17 polymorphism was carried out in 106 early onset, 80 late onset and 56 familial cases. The frequencies of two CYP17 alleles were also analyzed in 116 (47.9%) cases with known estrogen receptor (ER) status confirmed immunohistochemically. A polymerase chain reaction–restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method was used to detect the polymorphism, and the genotypes identified were assigned as homozygous wild type (A1A1), heterozygous variant (A1A2), and homozygous variant (A2A2). Associations between the various genotypes in patients and controls were investigated with Fisher’s exact test. All the tests were two tailed. The results showed that the frequency of heterozygous and homozygous CYP17 genotype was higher in early onset breast cancer patients (94.3%) than in controls (80.3%), and the difference was significant ( P = 0.001). A highly statistically significant increased risk in carriers of homozygous A2 allele was found in young patients ( P ≤ 0.001) in comparison with patients having late onset condition ( P = 0.260). However, no significant association between the genotype and breast cancer risk was observed among women with strong family history. Further, data had showed that patients (80.6%) with at least one A2 allele tended to exhibit ER-independent cell proliferation, although statistical significance could not be established ( P = 0.160). The present findings suggest that CYP17 A2 allele gene polymorphism might play a significant role in breast cancer development in young Indian women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents information on food chain with Calotropis procera. Food chain refers to a chain of eating and being eaten that connects consumers to their ultimate plant food. Calotropis procera is a better option over several plant species to initiate food chain studies because the plant occurs in waste lands almost throughout India. It also serves as an excellent resource provider to a bewildering array of organism. The plant acts as a source food to a large number of primary consumers such as aphids.

The article focuses on Calotropis Procera as a subject in food chain studies. It says that this plant is ideal in such inquiries because it is commonly found in waste lands in India and is a good resource provider to various organisms. A photograph illustrating an example of a food chain linked to Calotropis Procera is presented which shows a honeybee on the plant's flower in the hold of a female spider.

The coat protein (CP) sequences of elevenPapaya ringspot virus(PRSV) isolates originating from different locations in India were determined, analysed and compared with the sequences of other isolates of PRSV. The virus isolates from India exhibited considerable heterogeneity in the CP sequences. The CP-coding region varied in size from 840-858 nucleotides, encoding protein of 280-286 amino acids. Comparative sequence analysis revealed that the PRSV isolates originating from India were divergent up to 11%. Though the PRSV isolates were differentiated in to two clusters, yet the sequence variation could not be correlated with the geographical origin of the isolates. Implication of the sequence variation in the coat protein derived transgenic resistance in papaya is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Thermostable cellulases are in constant demand for several biotechnological applications. Two thermophilic bacterial strains PW1 and PW2 isolated from Tattapani hot spring were found to have cellulolytic activity. Subsequently, PW1 and PW2 were identified and mined for genes encoding cellulase activity. Results: Sequencing of the 16S rDNA of PW1 and PW2 identified them as Bacillus sp. PW1 (Acc no. KU711837) and Bacillus sp. PW2 (Acc no. KU711838), respectively, which clustered in the clades containing thermophilic members of Bacillus sp. and Geobacillus species. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that despite the morphological and sequence identities, Bacillus sp. PW1 and Bacillus sp. PW2 are different at the genetic level. The cellulase genes (~ 1.1 kb) of the two bacterial strains were amplified using primers designed against related thermophilic cellulases. Sequencing of the cellulase gene amplicons of PW1 and PW2 revealed that they encode proteins of 280 and 206 amino acid residues, respectively. Sequence and domain analysis of the protein products of PW1 and PW2 revealed that they belong to M42 family of aminopeptidase/endoglucanase. The PW2 endoglucanase coding sequence was submitted to Genbank under accession no. MH049504. The structures of putative endoglucanases of PW1 and PW2 were generated using 1VHE.A as template, which showed the presence of vast proportion of random coils. Molecular docking of the modeled endoglucanase proteins with various substrates and products of cellulases showed that carboxymethyl cellulose and maltose exhibit the highest binding affinity, while xylan and glucose the least. Conclusions: The two thermophilic bacteria PW1 and PW2 and their endoglucanase gene can be further utilized for recombinant production of thermostable cellulases for their application in industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crinum latifolium, a bulbous herb of the family Amaryllidaceae, is greatly valued for traditional medicine in India (Beckstrom et al., 1994). During a post-rainy survey, leaves of C. latifolium showed symptoms characterized by scattered, small circular to irregular, brown to light-red lesions with a yellow halo. Old lesions became shrunken and brick-red in the centre. The disease caused significant reduction in the weight and volume of the medicinally valuable bulbs. Diseased tissue fragments were surface-sterilized and plated on PDA at 22±2°C for 7 days. A fungus producing greyish to blackish colonies with red pigmentation, which consistently isolated from diseased tissue, was identified as Drech-slera halodes (Drechsler) Subramanian et Jain using standard monographs and taxonomic keys (Ellis, 1971). Conidiophores were up to 200 µm long, 5-10 in µm thick, septate, cylindrical, brown and paler towards the apex. Conidia were straight to slightly curved, thick-walled, had a basal septum darker and thicker than the other septa and measured 15-170x5-25 µm. The identity was confirmed by the National Fungal Culture Collection of India (NFCCI), Agharkar Research Institute, Pune, India (Culture no. OP 75). To confirm pathogenicity, disease-free plants were inoculated with conidial suspensions containing 1000 conidia per ml. Controls were inoculated with sterile distilled water. After 1 week, leaf spots similar to those observed in the field were observed on inoculated but not on control plants. The pathogen was re-isolated from inoculated leaves, fulfilling Koch's postulates. To our knowledge, on the basis of the literature (Jamaluddin et al., 2004), this is the first report from India and worldwide of D. halodes infections causing leaf blight of C. latifolium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nyctanthes arbor-tristis, family Oleaceae (Nyctaginaceae), grown in many Indian garden and temple compounds for its fragrant blossoms, possesses multiple pharmacological properties (Chopra et al., 1958). A leaf disease characterized by irregular reddish-brown spots with dark margins and brown to whitish centre was observed during the post-rainy season at Jaipur and Udaipur (India). Adjoining lesions coalesced resulting in large pustules. Incidence of infection and its severity in the surveyed area were almost 40 and 30-60%, respectively. Surface-sterilized diseased tissue plated on tetracycline-amended (250 mg/l) potato dextrose agar (PDA) yielded grey fungal colonies with a black backside after incubation at 22±2°C for 7 days. Conidiophores were cylindrical, straight or curved and unbranched, 3-10 septate, smooth and pale brown. Conidia were isolated or formed acropetal chains, had a variable shape, were 25-190 µm long and 5-10 µm thick, with a rounded apex and truncate base, 5-15 pseudoseptate, yellowish brown and smooth. Based on these morphological features, the fungus was identified as Corynespora cassiicola (Ellis and Holiday, 1971). The identity was confirmed by the National Fungal Culture Collection of India (NFCCI), Agharkar Research Institute, Pune, India (Culture No. OP 98). To confirm pathogenicity, disease-free plants were inoculated with a conidial suspension containing 1000 conidia/ml. Controls were inoculated with sterile distilled water. After 1 week, spots similar to those observed on the original diseased plants appeared on the leaves of inoculated but not in the contro plants. The pathogen was re-isolated from symptomatic leaves, fulfilling Koch's postulates. C. cassiicola is known as a pathogen to many plants in India (Jamaluddin et al., 2004), but, to our knowledge, this is its first report as a pathogen of N. arbor-tristis in the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A field experiment was conducted to study the effects of N fertilization on uptake, accumulation/remobilization, use efficiency and yield of sunflower grown in alluvial plains of northwestern India comprising four hybrids (PSH 996, PAC 3789, PSH 569 and SH 3322) and five N levels (Control, 40, 80, 100 and 120 kg N ha-1) in split-plot design with three replications. Increased N fertilizer rates significantly prompted sunflower yield only up to 100 kg N ha-1. Every additional kilogram of N taken up increased sunflower yield by 26 kg ha-1. Significant genetic variation for seed yield and NUE traits explicated PSH 569 as the efficient one at sub-optimal N application while PSH 996 outperformed others at N80, N100 and N120. Dry matter accumulation pattern revealed average harvest index of 30% with 29% of the biomass as stalk, 19% as leaf and 22% as thalamus. Temporal changes in N acquisition indicated most of the total N uptake upto 50% flowering while maximum remobilization takes place during reproductive phase. Significant correlation between N uptake and N use efficiency parameters with yield indicate the importance of N nutrition in sunflower; LAI (r=0.841 **), N uptake (r=0.956**), NUpE (r= -0.814**), NUtE (r= -0.787**), NUE (r=-0.802**). Variation in NUE was more closely associated with NUpE (r=0.996**) than NUtE (r=0.812**) and linearly decreased with increasing leaf greenness (R²=0.70) and total leaf area (R²=0.81). This work will complement other studies to establish a baseline for breeding N efficient sunflower genotypes be grown under semi-arid tropical conditions in India and similar environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]