Comparison of β

West Nile Virus (WNV) is a pathogenic arbovirus that belongs to genus Flavivirus under family Flaviviridae. Till now there are no approved vaccines against WNV for human use. In this study, the effect of two alkylating agents, formaldehyde and β-PL, generally used for inactivated vaccine preparation, was assessed on the basis of antigenic and immunogenic potential of the inactivated WNV. Lineage 5 WNV isolates were inactivated by both formalin and β-PL treatments. Inactivation was confirmed by repeated passage in BHK-21 cell line and infant mice. Viruses inactivated by both the treatments showed higher antigenicity. Immune response in mice model showed serum anti-WNV antibody titre was moderately higher in formalin inactivated antigen compared to β-PL inactivated antigen. However, no significant differences were observed in neutralization antibody titre. In conclusion, we can state that both formaldehyde and β-PL inactivation processes were found to be equally efficient for inactivation of WNV. However, they need to be compared with other inactivating agents along with study on cell mediated immune response

Dengue Outbreak in a Hilly State of Arunachal Pradesh in Northeast India

outbreak of fever with unknown origin (FUO) indicative of Dengue was reported in Pasighat, East Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh (AP) state. Serum samples (n = 164) collected from patients from Health Training and Research Centre General Hospital, Pasighat, were tested for NS1 antigen and IgM antibodies. NS1-positive samples were analyzed by RT-PCR assay and entomological surveys were carried out. The majority of suspected cases reported NS1 antigen positivity. Females and young adults were mostly affected. The majority of the amplified NS1-positive samples showed Dengue serotype 3 infection. Aedes (Stegomyia) albopictus, known as semiurban breeding mosquitoes, was the only potential vector species identified from the affected areas of Pasighat which single handedly contributed to the outbreak. Thus, the present work identifies Dengue as an emerging arboviral infection in hilly state of AP along with a looming risk of its spread to neighbouring areas

Dengue Outbreak in a Hilly State of Arunachal Pradesh in Northeast India

Dengue has been reported from plains as well as hilly regions of India including some parts of Northeast India. In July-August 2012, outbreak of fever with unknown origin (FUO) indicative of Dengue was reported in Pasighat, East Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh (AP) state. Serum samples (n = 164) collected from patients from Health Training and Research Centre General Hospital, Pasighat, were tested for NS1 antigen and IgM antibodies. NS1-positive samples were analyzed by RT-PCR assay and entomological surveys were carried out. The majority of suspected cases reported NS1 antigen positivity. Females and young adults were mostly affected. The majority of the amplified NS1-positive samples showed Dengue serotype 3 infection. Aedes (Stegomyia) albopictus, known as semiurban breeding mosquitoes, was the only potential vector species identified from the affected areas of Pasighat which single handedly contributed to the outbreak. Thus, the present work identifies Dengue as an emerging arboviral infection in hilly state of AP along with a looming risk of its spread to neighbouring areas

Studies on Use of NPK and Organic Manures on Growth, Yield and Quality of Lettuce (Lactuca sativa) cv. Grand Rapid

The experiment was conducted in the Departmental field of Horticulture, Naini Agricultural Institute, Sam Higginbottom, University of Agriculture, Technology and Sciences, Prayagraj (U.P) during 2020-2021, by randomized block design consisting of 7 treatments and three replications with different combination of NPK and Organic manures. Based on the present investigation, it is concluded that the treatment T5 (50% RDF + 25% FYM + 25% Poultry manure) was found to be superior all-over other treatments with respect to Plant height at 45 DAS (21 CM), Number of leaves plant-1 at 45 DAS (21.1), Leaf length at 45 DAS (19.90 cm), Leaf width at 45 DAS (16.2 cm), Leaf area at 45 DAS (232.5 cm), Leaf area index at 45 DAS (20.4 cm2), Leaf weight (107.6 g), Leaf yield plot-1 (10.5 kg), Leaf yield ha-1 (23.4 kg), Vitamin-C (3.5) content and TSS (3.4°Brix) of Lettuce under agro-climatic condition of Prayagraj. Among all other treatments, T5 (50% RDF+ 25% FYM + 25% Poultry manure) has obtained Highest Gross return, Net return, and Benefit Cost ratio (1:3.8) which states that it is economically profitable compared to all other treatments

Effect of Calcium Chloride (CaCl2) and Carbon Dioxide (CO2) on Post Harvest Quality of Apple Fruit (Malus domestica) cv. Gala

The study investigated the effects of calcium chloride (CaCl2) and carbon dioxide (CO2) on the post-harvest quality of Gala apple fruit (Malus domestica). The apples were stored under controlled refrigerated conditions for 90 days, and eight different treatment combinations were tested: 0.5% CaCl2, 1.0% CaCl2, 900ppm CO2, 1000ppm CO2, 0.5% CaCl2 + 900ppm CO2, 0.5% CaCl2 + 1000ppm CO2, 1.0% CaCl2 + 900ppm CO2, and 1.0% CaCl2 + 1000ppm CO2. Various quantitative and quality parameters were evaluated throughout the experiment, including fruit weight loss, firmness, total soluble solids (TSS), pH, titratable acidity (TA), ascorbic acid, and sensory evaluation at 30, 60, and 90 days of post-harvest storage. The results demonstrated that fruit weight loss was significantly in the treatments with calcium and carbon dioxide compared to the control group. Furthermore, the calcium and carbon dioxide treatments led to an increase in pH and total soluble solids, and causing a decrease in firmness, titratable acidity, and ascorbic acid during the 90-day cold storage at 0 to 2°C. The findings also indicated that the calcium and carbon dioxide treatments influenced the production of ethylene to the control group. Overall, the experiment revealed that post-harvest calcium treatments prevented fruit softening and minimized weight losses. The application of 1.0% CaCl2 + 1000ppm CO2 showed superior results compared to other treatments, effectively controlling weight loss, maintaining firmness, and minimizing fruit decay. In conclusion, storing Gala apples under controlled atmosphere conditions with the application of calcium chloride and carbon dioxide successfully inhibited fungal growth, maintained firmness, minimized weight loss, and extended the shelf life compared to the control group. These findings have significant implications for the apple industry, as they provide a means to improve fruit quality and increase the shelf life of apples. Future research may build upon these results to refine treatment conditions, gain a deeper understanding of the underlying mechanisms, and explore the application of these techniques to other apple varieties and different fruits. Ultimately, these experimental findings have the potential to contribute to the development of practical strategies for enhancing the shelf life of apple fruits, ensuring better quality and reduced post-harvest losses

Effect of Biocapsule and Nano Micronutrients on Growth, Quality and Yield of Lettuce (Lactuca sativa)

The present experiment was carried out during 2021-22 in Central Horticulture Research Farm of Department of Horticulture, SHUATS, Prayagraj. The experiment was conducted in Randomized Block Design with 10 treatment replicated thrice with an objective to find out best treatment for growth, yield, quality and B:C ratio. The treatments were T0 (Control), T1 (NPK (RDF) 15:5:20),T2 (Biocapsule 500ppm (Soil drenching)),T3 (NPK (RDF) 15:5:20 + Biocapsule 500ppm (Soil drenching)),T4 (NPK (RDF) + Foliar application of Zno (12%) and Feo (12%) Nano particles (NPs)),T5 (Biocapsule 500ppm (Soil drenching) + Foliar application of Zno (12%) and Feo(12%) Nano particles (NPs)),T6 (NPK (RDF) 15:5:20 + Biocapsule 500ppm (Soil drenching) + Foliar application of Zno (12%) and Feo (12%) Nano particles (NPs)),T7 (NPK (RDF) 15:5:20 + Biocapsule 250ppm (Soil drenching)),T8 (Biocapsule 250ppm (Soil drenching) + Foliar application of Zno (12%) and Feo (12%) Nano particles (NPs)),T9 (NPK (RDF) 15:5:20 + Biocapsule 250ppm (Soil drenching) + Foliar application of Zno (12%) and Feo (12%) Nano particles (NPs)). From our experiment it was concluded that the treatment T5 (Biocapsule 500ppm (Soil drenching) + Foliar application of ZnO (12%) and FeO (12%) Nano particles (NPs)) was found to be best in the terms of germination percentage, vegetative growth, yield parameters, quality parameters and economics with Benefit Cost ratio 2.67

Incidence of symptomatic and asymptomatic Leishmania donovani infections in high-endemic foci in India and Nepal: a prospective study.

Incidence of Leishmania donovani infection and Visceral Leishmaniasis (VL) was assessed in a prospective study in Indian and Nepalese high-endemic villages. DAT-seroconversion was used as marker of incident infection in 3 yearly surveys. The study population was followed up to month 30 to identify incident clinical cases. In a cohort of 9034 DAT-negative individuals with neither active signs nor history of VL at baseline, 42 VL cases and 375 asymptomatic seroconversions were recorded in the first year, giving an infection:disease ratio of 8.9 to 1. In the 18 months' follow-up, 7 extra cases of VL were observed in the seroconverters group (N=375), against 14 VL cases among the individuals who had not seroconverted in the first year (N=8570) (RR=11.5(4.5<RR<28.3)). Incident asymptomatic L. donovani infection in VL high-endemic foci in India and Nepal is nine times more frequent than incident VL disease. About 1 in 50 of these new but latent infections led to VL within the next 18 months