Equity in distribution of benefits from water harvesting and groundwater recharge: an economic study in Sujala Watershed Project in Karnataka

The paper looks at the impact of water harvesting programs in ground water recharge through the case of the Sujala watershed in Karnataka. On comparison with areas of non sujala watershed and non watershed cases in one normal rainfall and one drought year, it was revealed that Sujala has been successful in recharging groundwater, improving farmers’ incomes and increasing crop production. Further the program is inclusive and the benefits were accrued even to the small and marginal farmers. In fact the net return for small and marginal farmers was higher that that for large and medium farmers. The study concluded that there is potential for expansion of Sujala pattern of watershed development program in other parts of Karnataka and India.Length: pp.720-746Water harvestingGroundwater rechargeWatershedsDevelopment projectsGroundwater irrigationWellsEconomic impact

Circulatory system of Sharangadhara Samhita

In the back light of the inspirational article of Kishor Patwardhan ji ‘The history of the discovery of blood circulation: unrecognized contributions of Ayurveda masters’ raising at most relevant issue of neglected Ayurvedic scholars’ contribution to the field of Anatomy-physiology well ahead of the contemporary developing sciences. Crawling in the same lines this article is dedicated for one such legendary Sharangadhara and his work related to Circulatory system. Structural entities play a major role in any of the system; especially in Medicine and that too in Ayurveda as it recommends ‘Rogam ado pareekshet’ shows how important the examination of a diseased person is considered by our Acharyas. The Circulatory System is one such structural physical entity, not only circulate but has additional Functions like Nutrition, Metabolism, Excretion system of body depends, endocrine etc. As early as 200 BC, works to understand this human body was initiated. In this article an attempt is made to sketch out the understanding of circulatory system as evident in 14th century in India through the prismatic view of Sharangadhara Samhita and its commentator

Molecular variations due to phylogeographic factors in Channa punctatus found in different regions of India

Channa punctatus is a freshwater fish belonging to family Ophiocephalidae. This fish is available in almost all over the country. In present communication molecular study of COI region of mitochondrial gene was done to find out intraspecific differences in genome of Channa punctatus habitating in different states of India having variable environmental conditions. Result showed minor variations in mitochondrial genome of Channa punctatus and utility of molecular markers to show intraspecific variations

Speaking out about gender imbalance in invited speakers improves diversity.

Omissions of qualified women scientists from major meeting programs continue to occur despite a surge in articles indicating persistent gender-discriminatory practices in hiring and promotion, and calls for gender balance in conference organizing committees

Secretion of beta-human chorionic gonadotropin by non-small cell lung cancer: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>We describe a case of non-small cell lung cancer that was found to stain positive for beta-human chorionic gonadotropin on immunohistochemistry. Only a few case reports have described lung cancers that secrete beta-human chorionic gonadotropin.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>A 68-year-old Caucasian man presented with symptoms of weakness, fatigue and weight loss for the past two months. On examination, he was found to have generalized lymphadenopathy, and radiologic workup revealed numerous metastases in the lungs, liver and kidneys. Biopsy of the supraclavicular lymph node revealed metastatic large cell lung cancer with beta-human chorionic gonadotropin hormone positivity. The serum beta-human chorionic gonadotropin level was 11,286 mIU/ml (upper limit of normal, 0.5 mIU/ml in non-pregnant females). He was diagnosed with stage 4 lung non-small cell lung cancer. The patient refused chemotherapy. He was discharged home with hospice care.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The markedly elevated serum values of beta-human chorionic gonadotropin initially prompted the medical team to investigate germinal tumors. In the presence of a negative testicular ultrasound, workup was performed to find an extratesticular source of the tumor. Finally, the diagnosis was made with a tissue biopsy. This case illustrates that atypical markers can be seen in many cancers, emphasizing the role of immunohistochemistry and tissue biopsy in establishing the diagnosis.</p

Incidental findings from cancer next generation sequencing panels

Next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies have facilitated multi-gene panel (MGP) testing to detect germline DNA variants in hereditary cancer patients. This sensitive technique can uncover unexpected, non-germline incidental findings indicative of mosaicism, clonal hematopoiesis (CH), or hematologic malignancies. A retrospective chart review was conducted to identify cases of incidental findings from NGS-MGP testing. Inclusion criteria included: 1) multiple pathogenic variants in the same patient; 2) pathogenic variants at a low allele fraction; and/or 3) the presence of pathogenic variants not consistent with family history. Secondary tissue analysis, complete blood count (CBC) and medical record review were conducted to further delineate the etiology of the pathogenic variants. Of 6060 NGS-MGP tests, 24 cases fulfilling our inclusion criteria were identified. Pathogenic variants were detected in TP53, ATM, CHEK2, BRCA1 and APC. 18/24 (75.0%) patients were classified as CH, 3/24 (12.5%) as mosaic, 2/24 (8.3%) related to a hematologic malignancy, and 1/24 (4.2%) as true germline. We describe a case-specific workflow to identify and interpret the nature of incidental findings on NGS-MGP. This workflow will provide oncology and genetic clinics a practical guide for the management and counselling of patients with unexpected NGS-MGP findings

First observations with CONDOR, a 1.5 THz heterodyne receiver

The THz atmospheric windows centered at roughly 1.3 and 1.5~THz, contain numerous spectral lines of astronomical importance, including three high-J CO lines, the N+ line at 205 microns, and the ground transition of para-H2D+. The CO lines are tracers of hot (several 100K), dense gas; N+ is a cooling line of diffuse, ionized gas; the H2D+ line is a non-depleting tracer of cold (~20K), dense gas. As the THz lines benefit the study of diverse phenomena (from high-mass star-forming regions to the WIM to cold prestellar cores), we have built the CO N+ Deuterium Observations Receiver (CONDOR) to further explore the THz windows by ground-based observations. CONDOR was designed to be used at the Atacama Pathfinder EXperiment (APEX) and Stratospheric Observatory For Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA). CONDOR was installed at the APEX telescope and test observations were made to characterize the instrument. The combination of CONDOR on APEX successfully detected THz radiation from astronomical sources. CONDOR operated with typical Trec=1600K and spectral Allan variance times of 30s. CONDOR's first light observations of CO 13-12 emission from the hot core Orion FIR4 (= OMC1 South) revealed a narrow line with T(MB) = 210K and delta(V)=5.4km/s. A search for N+ emission from the ionization front of the Orion Bar resulted in a non-detection. The successful deployment of CONDOR at APEX demonstrates the potential for making observations at THz frequencies from ground-based facilities.Comment: 4 pages + list of objects, 3 figures, to be published in A&A special APEX issu

Summary of the Activities of the Working Group I on High Energy and Collider Physics

This is a summary of the projects undertaken by the Working Group I on High Energy Collider Physics at the Eighth Workshop on High Energy Physics Phenomenology (WHEPP8) held at the Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai, January 5-16, 2004. The topics covered are (i) Higgs searches (ii) supersymmetry searches (iii) extra dimensions and (iv) linear collider.Comment: summary of Working Group I at the Eighth Workshop on High Energy Physics Phenomenology (WHEPP8), I.I.T., Mumbai, January 5-16, 200