The Relationship between Gold Prices and Exchange Value of US Dollar in India

The inverse relationship between the value of U.S. dollar and that of gold is one of the most talked about relationships in currency markets. The present study is an attempt to understand the impact of recession of 2008 on relationship between exchange rate of US dollar in INR and gold prices in India. The study uses Johansen Co- Integration test to check the long term association between exchange rate of US dollar in INR and gold prices in India and it further uses the Granger Causality Test to check the lead lag relationship between the variables. A separate pre, during and post recession analysis of the variables is done to understand the impact of recession on this relationship. The study highlights how this relationship has changed since the global turmoil

Astreaks: Astrometry of NEOs with trailed background stars

The detection and accurate astrometry of fast-moving near-Earth objects (NEOs) has been a challenge for the follow-up community. Their fast apparent motion results in streaks in sidereal images, thus affecting the telescope's limiting magnitude and astrometric accuracy. A widely adopted technique to mitigate trailing losses is non-sidereal tracking, which transfers the streaking to background reference stars. However, no existing publicly available astrometry software is configured to detect such elongated stars. We present Astreaks, a streaking source detection algorithm, to obtain accurate astrometry of NEOs in non-sidereal data. We validate the astrometric accuracy of Astreaks on 371 non-sidereally tracked images for 115 NEOs with two instrument set-ups of the GROWTH-India Telescope. The observed NEOs had V-band magnitude in the range [15, 22] with proper motion up to 140$^{\prime\prime}$/min, thus resulting in stellar streaks as high as 6.5$^\prime$ (582 pixels) in our data. Our method obtained astrometric solutions for all images with 100% success rate. The standard deviation in Observed-minus-Computed (O-C) residuals is 0.52$^{\prime\prime}$, with O-C residuals <2$^{\prime\prime}$(<1$^{\prime\prime}$) for 98.4% (84.4%) of our measurements. These are appreciable, given the pixel scale of $\sim$0.3$^{\prime\prime}$ and $\sim$0.7$^{\prime\prime}$ of our two instrument set-ups. This demonstrates that our modular and fully-automated algorithm helps improve the telescope system's limiting magnitude without compromising astrometric accuracy by enabling non-sidereal tracking on the target. This will help the NEO follow-up community cope with the accelerated discovery rates and improved sensitivity of the next-generation NEO surveys. Astreaks has been made available to the community under an open-source license.Comment: 10 pages, 7 figure

In vitro and In vivo Evaluation of Fungicides, against Colletotrichum lindemuthianum Causing Anthracnose of Mungbean

Mungbean [Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek] is a popular pulse crop, second only to chickpea and pigeon pea, and is grown in many parts of the world. Mungbean belongs to family Leguminosae. In the suitable condition bean is attacked by various diseases. Out of which, anthracnose caused by seed borne pathogen Colletotrichum lindemuthianum is an important fungal disease and major limiting factor for yield loss. Realizing the potentiality of the disease in causing economic losses, the different fungicides are tested against Colletotrichum lindemuthianum among the fungicides Difenoconazole 25% EC, Carbendazim 50% WP, Metiram 70% WG, Propiconazole 25% EC, Pyraclostrobin 20% WP Propineb 70% WP, Carbendazim 12% WP+ Mancozeb 63% WP, Hexaconazole 5% EC respectively

Preoperatively diagnosed isolated hydatid cyst of pancreatic head with triad of obstructive jaundice, left-sided portal hypertension and chronic pancreatitis

We report a rare case of young female with isolated pancreatic head hydatid cyst causing obstructive jaundice, left-sided portal hypertension, and chronic pancreatitis

A rare association of congenital melanocytic nevus and lissencephaly in childhood seizure

Dermatological and imaging evaluation of a 2-year-old male child with refractory seizures and developmental delay revealed an interesting and first of its kind association of congenital melanocytic nevus and classical lissencephaly

To exploring the role of probiotics, plant-based fermented products, and paraprobiotics as anti-inflammatory agents in promoting human health

Inflammation is a complex response to tissue damage and pathogens that can lead to chronic inflammatory disorders and various health complications. Conventional inflammation treatments have limitations, driving the search for alternative approaches. Probiotics have gained attention for their immunomodulatory properties, while paraprobiotics have emerged as a promising anti-inflammatory strategy. Probiotics like Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, Saccharomyces, and Bacillus can interact with immune cells through toll-like receptors, triggering the synthesis of anti-inflammatory cytokines and promoting immune cell differentiation. Studies carried out in vivo revealed that TNF- α, TRL4, and NF-κB were downregulated by Lactobacilli species. In contrast, Bifidobacterium species elevated IL-10 and Foxp3. This helps maintain immune balance and reduce hyperinflammatory responses. Probiotic plant-based fermented products also suppressed NF-κB signalling activation and decreased iNOS and COX-2 synthesis. Paraprobiotics, on the other hand, exhibit anti-inflammatory properties and have shown promising results in regulating immune responses and alleviating symptoms in specific inflammatory conditions. They may address concerns related to the viability and safety of live probiotics. This review emphasizes the potential of probiotics, probiotic plant-based fermented products, and paraprobiotics as therapeutic agents for managing inflammatory disorders arising from malnutrition, gut diseases, cardiovascular disease, and neurological disorders. It discusses in-vitro, in-vivo, and human studies highlighting the role of different probiotic strains, commercially available probiotics, challenges with probiotics, probiotic plant-based fermented products, and paraprobiotics in combating inflammation

Morphological, Molecular, and Biochemical Characterization of a Unique Lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) Genotype Showing Seed-Coat Color Anomalies Due to Altered Anthocyanin Pathway

This study reports the identification of a unique lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) genotype L4717-NM, a natural mutant (NM) derived from a variety L4717, producing brown, black, and spotted seed-coat colored seeds in a single plant, generation after generation, in different frequencies. The genetic similarity of L4717 with that of L4717-NM expressing anomalous seed-coat color was established using 54 SSR markers. In addition, various biochemical parameters such as TPC (total phenolic content), TFC (total flavonoid content), DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl), FRAP (ferric reducing antioxidant power), H2O2 (peroxide quantification), TCC (total carotenoids content), TAC (total anthocyanin content), and TAA (total ascorbic acid) were also studied in the seeds, sprouts, and seedlings of L4717, brown, black, and spotted seed-coat colored seeds. Stage-specific variations for the key biochemical parameters were recorded, and seedling stage was found the best for many parameters. Moreover, seeds with black seed coat showed better nutraceutical values for most of the studied traits. A highly significant (p &le; 0.01) and positive correlation was observed between DPPH and TPC, TAA, TFC, etc., whereas, protein content showed a negative correlation with the other studied parameters. The seed coat is maternal tissue and we expect expression of seed-coat color as per the maternal genotype. However, such an anomalous seed-coat expression, which seems to probably be governed by some transposable element in the identified genotype, warrants more detailed studies involving exploitation of the anthocyanin pathway