Non-Conventional Silage for Arid Region

Thar is one of the most heavily populated desert areas in the world and the main occupations of the people living here are agriculture and livestock production. Agriculture is not a dependable proposition in this area due to erratic rains and occurrence of frequent droughts. A large number of farmers in Thar Desert depend on animal husbandry for their livelihood. Animal husbandry, trees and grasses, intercropped with vegetables or fruit trees, is the most viable farming system for arid, drought-prone regions (Anonymous, 2012a,b). Further, livestock sector is expected to emerge as an engine of agricultural growth in the 12th plan and beyond, in view of rapid growth for the demand of animal food products. Achieving growth rate of 5-6 %, however, would require addressing challenges of shortage of feed and fodder (Anonymous, 2012a,b). According to the ministry of agriculture assessment, there is a large gap between demand and supply of feed and fodder for the livestock in the country. The shortage of dry fodder, green fodder and concentrate is as high as 40% (Pawar, 2012). The problem is compounded by the lack of reliable data regarding fodder availability. The scenario appears alarming in case of availability of quality fodder. With the existing shortages of fodder, it would be difficult for India to achieve the target of 160 MT of milk production by 2020. For increasing milk production from the current level of 40 MT to 160 MT by 2020, 494 MT of dry fodder, 825 MT of green fodder and 54 MT concentrates will be required (Das, 2012). There are several crop products potentially used after enriching their quality for animal feeding, but are being wasted. All such bye-products needs to be ensiled and suitable mechanism for their enrichment and ensiling need to be developed. Keeping this in view efforts were made to ensile the dry fodder after enriching their quality by modified process

Rejuvenation of Rangelands – Role of Diversity and Improvement Strategies of Range Grasses

In India, a major part of the rural economy is dependent on the grazing-based livestock husbandry which is unique integration of agriculture and livestock coupled with rich traditional knowledge. Ecosystems of common property resources had been a mainstay in rural economy and livelihood. The traditional grazing forage resources in arid and semi-arid regions have deteriorated a lot due to various factors including heavy grazing pressure, climate change and dominance of invasive species, thus, needs rejuvenation. Additionally, these are causing serious economic and ecological problems such as poor productivity, soil and water erosion and reduced carbon sequestration. The genetic improvement of these grasses encounters various problems such as polyploidy, apomixis, seed shedding and shattering and poor seed to ovule ratio. Transfer of desirable traits from donor germplasm becomes difficult due to the existence of apomixis. The breeding objectives are also multifold including herbage yield, forage nutritional quality, abiotic stress tolerance etc. Identification of sexual lines is prerequisite for transfer of traits. Mutation attempts are also not effective due to polyploidy. ICAR- Indian Grassland and Fodder Research Institute, Jhansi has collected rich genetic diversity in these range grasses especially Dichanthium-Bothriochloa complex, Heteropogon, Chrysopogon, Sehima, Panicum, Cenchrus, Pennisetum etc. from different parts of the country as well as procurement from gene banks of the world. These germplasm were evaluated for morphological traits which indicated the existence of wide variation for various morpho-agronomic traits. The paper deals with reporting the extent of variability among the potential range grasses; with prospects of utilizing the diversity in rejuvenating the degraded rangelands of India and other places with isoclimatic conditions

Potential of C4 Tropical Grasses to Contribute in Carbon Sequestration, Environmental Security and Livelihood Opportunities through Increased Fodder Availability

The world grasslands/rangeland ecosystems comprise 26% of earth’s surface and have immense ecological and economic significance. Diversity of grasslands had been a key element for their sustainability. Grasslands in India have existed as natural ecosystems for millions of years. It is a major source of income, employment and livelihood to the rural families. Owing to heavy grazing pressure, coupled with other social/anthropogenic factors, the grazing resources have fast deteriorated. The country has many old and natural grasslands with ethnic and economic value. Comprehensive ecological studies including floristic compositions, dominant species, grazing pressure and the climax/sub-climax stages of ecological succession will surely provide prescriptions for developing and rejuvenating these grazing resources. Grasslands face challenges in arid, semiarid and the moist lowlands with trees, shrubs and many invasive species including alien trees and shrubs introduced intentionally or unintentionally. Fast degrading rangelands in dry areas is causing a threat to huge amount of carbon stored in the top soil on earth in addition to threat to global hotspots for biodiversity. In the context of fast changing climate, the grazing lands can play a significant role. High water use efficiency and productivity of most C4 tropical grasses make them suitable for coping with climate change along with quality fodder

Studies of reactivity and related parameters in slightly enriched uranium, heavy water lattices

Statement of responsibility as it appears on title page reads: B. K. Malaviya, I. Kaplan, D. D. Lanning, A. E. Profio , T. J. Thompson"May 25, 1964."MIT-2344-1Includes bibliographical referencesU.S. Atomic Energy Commission contract AT(30-1)234

Wegener's granulomatosis in India: clinical features, treatment and outcome of twenty-five patients

Objective: To report our clinical experience on Wegener's granulomatosis (WG). Methods: A retrospective review of case records of all patients with WG in our Rheumatology Clinic during the period July 1988 to June 2000 was carried out and the details of demography, clinical and laboratory data, treatment and outcome were obtained and analysed. Results: Twenty-five patients (16 females and 9 males) were found eligible for inclusion in the study. The mean age and duration of symptoms at presentation were 33.5 years and 5.5 months, respectively. Two patients had limited WG. Twenty-two patients with generalized WG were treated with standard regimen comprising oral prednisolone (1 mg/kg/day) and oral cyclophosphamide (2 mg/kg/day). Cyclophosphamide was continued for at least one year after the patient attained remission. One patient was treated with intravenous cyclophosphamide regimen. The two patients with limited WG were treated with oral prednisolone and methotrexate (10-12.5 mg as a single dose per week). Remission was achieved in 24 patients after a median time of six months. The median follow-up of patients was five years (range 4 months-11 years). Five patients were lost to follow-up. Eight patients suffered a relapse. The mean time for relapse was 34 months after the initial remission. Seven out of eight patients remitted again after reinstitution of the initial induction regimen. One patient died of diffuse pulmonary haemorrhage despite early institution of therapy. Conclusion: WG is being increasingly diagnosed in India now because of greater awareness and diagnostic aids. Although remissions are easy to achieve, relapses continue to pose a challenge to the treating physician

Visceral leishmaniasis: Spatiotemporal heterogeneity and drivers underlying the hotspots in Muzaffarpur, Bihar, India

Background: Despite the overall decrease in visceral leishmaniasis (VL) incidence on the Indian subcontinent, there remain spatiotemporal clusters or ‘hotspots’ of new cases. The characteristics of these hotspots, underlying transmission dynamics, and their importance for shaping control strategies are not yet fully understood and are investigated in this study for a VL endemic area of ~100,000 inhabitants in Bihar, India between 2007–2015. Methodology/Principal findings VL incidence (cases/10,000/year) dropped from 12.3 in 2007 to 0.9 in 2015, which is just below the World Health Organizations’ threshold for elimination as a public health problem. Clustering of VL was assessed between subvillages (hamlets), using multiple geospatial and (spatio)temporal autocorrelation and hotspot analyses. One to three hotspots were identified each year, often persisting for 1–5 successive years with a modal radius of ~500m. The relative risk of having VL was 5–86 times higher for inhabitants of hotspots, compared to those living outside hotspots. Hotspots harbour significantly more households from the two lowest asset quintiles (as proxy for socio-economic status). Overall, children and young adelescents (5–14 years) have the highest risk for VL, but within hotspots and at the start of outbreaks, older age groups (35+ years) show a comparable high risk. Conclusions/Significance: This study demonstrates significant spatiotemporal heterogeneity in VL incidence at subdistrict level. The association between poverty and hotspots confirms that VL is a disease of ‘the poorest of the poor’ and age patterns suggest a potential role of waning immunity as underlying driver of hotspots. The recommended insecticide spraying radius of 500m around detected VL cases corresponds to the modal hotspot radius found in this study. Additional data on immunity and asymptomatic infection, and the development of spatiotemporally explicit transmission models that simulate hotspot dynamics and predict the impact of interventions at the smaller geographical scale will be crucial tools in sustaining elimination

Elimination of visceral leishmaniasis in the Indian subcontinent: a comparison of predictions from three transmission models.

We present three transmission models of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) in the Indian subcontinent (ISC) with structural differences regarding the disease stage that provides the main contribution to transmission, including models with a prominent role of asymptomatic infection, and fit them to recent case data from 8 endemic districts in Bihar, India. Following a geographical cross-validation of the models, we compare their predictions for achieving the WHO VL elimination targets with ongoing treatment and vector control strategies. All the transmission models suggest that the WHO elimination target (<1 new VL case per 10,000 capita per year at sub-district level) is likely to be met in Bihar, India, before or close to 2020 in sub-districts with a pre-control incidence of 10 VL cases per 10,000 people per year or less, when current intervention levels (60% coverage of indoor residual spraying (IRS) of insecticide and a delay of 40days from onset of symptoms to treatment (OT)) are maintained, given the accuracy and generalizability of the existing data regarding incidence and IRS coverage. In settings with a pre-control endemicity level of 5/10,000, increasing the effective IRS coverage from 60 to 80% is predicted to lead to elimination of VL 1-3 years earlier (depending on the particular model), and decreasing OT from 40 to 20days to bring elimination forward by approximately 1year. However, in all instances the models suggest that L. donovani transmission will continue after 2020 and thus that surveillance and control measures need to remain in place until the longer-term aim of breaking transmission is achieved

Visceral Leishmaniasis in Muzaffarpur District, Bihar, India from 1990 to 2008

BACKGROUND: Visceral Leishmaniasis (VL) is a vector-borne disease transmitted by Phlebotomus argentipes. To understand the VL seasonality, annual and monthly variations of VL incidence and its relationship to meteorological variables, the numbers of VL cases reported in Muzaffarpur district, Bihar, India from 1990 to 2008 were studied. METHODS: Annual VL incidence per 10,000 and the total number of annual VL cases reported at block Community Health Centres (CHC), Public Hospitals or Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO) and the number of VL cases per month from 2000 to 2008 as well as the monthly average of cases for 2000-08, 2000-04 and 2005-08 periods along with the monthly averages of temperature, rainfall and relative humidity were plotted. VL Standardised Incidence Ratios per block were computed for the periods of 1990-1993, 1994-1998, 1999-2004 and 2005-2008 and month wise from 2002 to 2008. A negative binomial regression model was used to evaluate the association between meteorological variables and the number of VL cases per month from 2000 to 2008. RESULTS: A total of 68,358 VL cases were reported in Muzaffarpur district from 1990 to 2008, ranging from 1,2481 in 1992 to 1,161 in 2001. The blocks with the highest number of cases shifted from East (1990-98) to West (1999-2008). Monthly averages of cases ranged from 149 to 309, highest peak in March-April and another one in July. Monthly VL incidence was associated positively to rainfall and negatively to relative humidity and the numbers of VL cases in the previous month. INTERPRETATION: The number of cases reported to the public health sector allowed the describing of the spatial distribution and temporal variations in the Muzaffarpur from 1990 to 2008. However, to assess the actual VL burden, as well as the efficacy of the control measures applied in the district, reporting from private practices and NGOs should be encouraged

New insights into the impact of neuro-inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is considered to be, in many respects, an archetypal autoimmune disease that causes activation of pro-inflammatory pathways resulting in joint and systemic inflammation. RA remains a major clinical problem with the development of several new therapies targeted at cytokine inhibition in recent years. In RA, biologic therapies targeted at inhibition of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) have been shown to reduce joint inflammation, limit erosive change, reduce disability and improve quality of life. The cytokine TNFα has a central role in systemic RA inflammation and has also been shown to have pro-inflammatory effects in the brain. Emerging data suggests there is an important bidirectional communication between the brain and immune system in inflammatory conditions like RA. Recent work has shown how TNF inhibitor therapy in people with RA is protective for Alzheimer's disease. Functional MRI studies to measure brain activation in people with RA to stimulus by finger joint compression, have also shown that those who responded to TNF inhibition showed a significantly greater activation volume in thalamic, limbic, and associative areas of the brain than non-responders. Infections are the main risk of therapies with biologic drugs and infections have been shown to be related to disease flares in RA. Recent basic science data has also emerged suggesting that bacterial components including lipopolysaccharide induce pain by directly activating sensory neurons that modulate inflammation, a previously unsuspected role for the nervous system in host-pathogen interactions. In this review, we discuss the current evidence for neuro-inflammation as an important factor that impacts on disease persistence and pain in RA