Developing a Scale to Measure the Indigenous Wisdom Orientation of Rice Farmers

The traditional rice farmers had adopted various indigenous technologies in rice farming which in due course of time was forgotten after the advent of high yielding varieties that warranted excessive use of chemical inputs. Hence a study was designed to develop a scale to measure the indigenous wisdom orientation of stakeholders in rice farming. The study was conducted in Palakkad district of Kerala. Fifty statements reflecting the indigenous wisdom orientation were generated. Likert’s method was employed in the scale construction and the final scale comprising 14 statements was standardized

Work Participation in Cultural Operations of Rice Farming by Tribal and Non-Tribal Labourers in Wayanad district : A Comparative Analysis

Rice is a traditional staple food crop of India, having high cultural and ecological significance in the present global scenario. Tribal labourers in Wayanad district of Kerala had been the traditional labourers in rice farming. The consequent migration of non-tribals to Wayanad district of Kerala had been changed the demographic and cultural entity of the district. The present study was conducted in Wayanad district to compare the work participation between tribal and non- tribal labourers. Twenty tribal and non-tribal labourers were selected from each selected panchayats and a total of one hundred and twenty respondents were included in the study. A well-structured interview schedule was used for collecting the data from the respondents. The data were tabulated and inferences were drawn after appropriate statistical analysis. The results show that majority of the tribal labourers had high work participation than non-tribals. While comparing based on gender, female labourers had high work participation than male labourers both in the case of tribal and non-tribal labourers

Effect of L-Ascorbic Acid on the Glycogen Contents During Mercury Intoxication in the Freshwater Bivalve, Parreysia Cylindrica

Freshwater bivalve, Parreysia cylindrica was exposed to acute (0.6 ppm) and chronic (0.12 ppm) doses of HgCl2 and HgCl2 with several concentrations of ascorbic acid. Glycogen contents from mantle, foot, gills, gonads and digestive glands were estimated after 24 hours and 96 hours of acute and 7 days and 21 days of chronic exposure from each group of test animals. Depletion of glycogen contents in different tissues caused due to mercury stress was much more as compared to those exposed to HgCl2 with ascorbic acid

Critical marine habitat restoration programme - initiative on mangrove restoration in Kerala, India

Mangroves are unique habitats which function as nursery ground for several valuable species of finfishes and shellfishes and they play a vital role in supporting marine food chains, protecting coastal areas and in improving water quality. Mangroves in general have relatively high productivity and tend to create highly organic soil and also export organic matter to nearby marine environments. They are effective in stabilizing soils in intertidal areas. Some species of mangroves have been planted in the coastal areas as bio-protection shields to guard coastal households from wind and wave action. They provide shelter to several avian fauna which feed on its fruits and nest in the branches. Rare or endangered species of birds have also been documented in the mangroves

NOX4-dependent Hydrogen peroxide promotes shear stress-induced SHP2 sulfenylation and eNOS activation

© 2015 Elsevier Inc.All rights reserved. Laminar shear stress (LSS) triggers signals that ultimately result in atheroprotection and vasodilatation. Early responses are related to the activation of specific signaling cascades. We investigated the participation of redox-mediated modifications and in particular the role of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in the sulfenylation of redox-sensitive phosphatases. Exposure of vascular endothelial cells to short periods of LSS (12 dyn/cm2) resulted in the generation of superoxide radical anion as detected by the formation of 2-hydroxyethidium by HPLC and its subsequent conversion to H2O2, which was corroborated by the increase in the fluorescence of the specific peroxide sensor HyPer. By using biotinylated dimedone we detected increased total protein sulfenylation in the bovine proteome, which was dependent on NADPH oxidase 4 (NOX4)-mediated generation of peroxide. Mass spectrometry analysis allowed us to identify the phosphatase SHP2 as a protein susceptible to sulfenylation under LSS. Given the dependence of FAK activity on SHP2 function, we explored the role of FAK under LSS conditions. FAK activation and subsequent endothelial NO synthase (eNOS) phosphorylation were promoted by LSS and both processes were dependent on NOX4, as demonstrated in lung endothelial cells isolated from NOX4-null mice. These results support the idea that LSS elicits redox-sensitive signal transduction responses involving NOX4-dependent generation of hydrogen peroxide, SHP2 sulfenylation, and ulterior FAK-mediated eNOS activation.Ministerio deEconomía y Competitividad, SAF2012-31338(S.L.),CSD2007-00020(S. L.), SAF2010-37926(J.V.); Instituto de Salud CarlosIII, REDinREN RD12/0021/0009(S.L.), ProteoRed-PT13/0001/0017(J.V.), RETIC-RD12/0042/0056(J.V.); Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (SFB815/TP1toK.S.andR.P.B.andSCHR1241/1-1toK.S.); German Center for Cardiovascular Research; ComunidaddeMadrid “Fi-broteam” S2010/BMD-2321(S.L.);and Fundación Renal “Iñigo Alvarez deToledo” (S.L.). This work was also supported by European Cooperationin Science and Technology actionsBM-1203(EU-ROS) and BM-1005(ENOGAS) (S.L.).A.M.S.is supported by the British Heart Foundation.TheCBMSO receives institutional support from Fundación Ramón ArecesPeer Reviewe

Job Stress of Agricultural Officers of Kerala State Department of Agriculture: A Psycho–Personal Analysis

The present study was undertaken in three zones of Kerala viz., Kasaragod from North Kerala,Thrissur from Central Kerala and Thiruvananthapuram from South Kerala. A sample of 90 Agricultural Officers was selected by using simple random sampling and information was gathered and analyzed. Job stress was the dependent variable of the study. A well - structured interview schedule was used for data collection from the respondents. The results revealed that majority of the Agricultural Officers were in medium job stress category

Emotional Intelligence of Agricultural Officers of Kerala State Department of Agriculture

The present study was conducted in the three zones of Kerala viz., Kasaragod from North Kerala, Thrissur from Central Kerala and Thiruvananthapuram from South Kerala. In this study an attempt has been made to measure the emotional intelligence of panchayat level Agricultural Officers of Kerala State Department of Agriculture, under Krishi Bhavan System. A sample of 90 Agricultural Officers was selected by using simple random sampling. Emotional Intelligence was the dependent variable of the study. A well-structured interview schedule was used for collecting the data from the respondents. The data were tabulated and inferences were drawn after appropriate statistical analysis. The results showed that the scenario of existing status of emotional intelligence skills of respondents was good as most of them were in medium to high category

Planting methods, subsurface drip fertigation and bioinoculants on growth and productivity of vetiver [Vetiveria zizanioides (L.) Nash]

A field experiment was conducted to study the effect of three planting methods, (planting in coconut husk mulched trenches, planting in coconut husk lined trenches and planting on the ridges), two levels of fertigation (subsurface drip fertigation and without fertigation) and two levels of bioinoculants (combined application of bioinoculants and without bioinoculant) on growth and productivity of vetiver. The study revealed that planting vetiver slips in coconut husk lined trenches could considerably increase vegetative growth, root yield, net returns and B: C ratio. Subsurface drip fertigation and combined application of bioinoculants with Azospirillum, Fluorescent pseudomonads and AM fungi showed positive effect on growth characters and root yield. However, subsurface drip fertigation was not effective in increasing net income. &nbsp

Observations on selected characteristics of water and sediment at the open sea cage culture site of Asian seabass Lates calcarifer (Bloch) off Cochin, south-west coast of India

Study was undertaken to assess the impact of open sea cage culture of Asian seabass Lates calcarifer on selected parameters of water as well as sediment at Munambam off Cochin, Kerala coast from November 2008 to March 2009. Periodic observations were made on temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, salinity, nutrients (NO3, PO4, SiO3), nitrite, ammonia, BOD, total suspended solids, chlorophyll a, gross and net primary productivity as well as bacterial load of the surface and near bottom water from the cage site (N 10º 08' 162''; E 76º 08' 901'') and also from a reference site (N 10º 07' 189''; E 76º 09' 210'') during pre- as well as post-stocking periods. Sediment samples were collected simultaneously from both the sites and analysed for texture, pH, organic carbon and bacterial load. A significant reduction (p<0.05) in silicate and chlorophyll a was perceived in surface water at the cage site, during the culture period as compared to pre-stocking period. No significant variations were noticed in any of the other parameters studied. The sand, silt, clay and organic carbon content in sediment at cage site differed significantly (p<0.05) from that of the reference site. There was no significant difference in the mean values of total heterotrophic bacterial count as well as presumptive Vibrio count of the water and sediment, either between the cage site and reference site or between the pre- and post-stocking samplings. No adverse effect as influenced by cage culture of fish was observed on any of the environmental parameters studied during the period of investigation