Research Notes : Frequency of spectrum of visible mutations induced by gamma rays in soybean

Although mutation studies are very common in most of the crop plants, soybean (Glycine max [L.] Merrill.) has received comparatively little attention by the mutation breeders. In view of this, systematic mutation studies were started at Ranchi Agriculture College, Kanke. The present study reports the effect of ganma rays on the frequency and spectrum of visible mutations in soybean. Materials and methods: Seeds of a soybean variety Sepaya Black, brought to uniform moisture content, were irradiated with ganma rays at Fertilizer Corporation of India, Sindri, Dhanbad (Bihar) at a dose of 10 kr, 20 kr, 30 kr, and 40 kr

A Rare Case of Homicide by Dual Method-Strangulation with Cut Throat: A Case Report

Background: Homicide is killing of a human being by another human being. Various methods like strangulation, cut throat, stabbing etc may be used for homicide; however combination of two mechanisms is rare.Case Report: hereby we present a rare case with unexpected appearance of two different mechanisms of homicide applied over same region, wherein body of a female was referred to us with history of cut throat. Body of the deceased was found near her house with cut throat injuries over front of neck, on examination cut throat injuries were present over neck along with ligature mark intermingling with them.Conclusion: The present case represents an unexpected rare association of two methods of homicide, as in this case of strangulation followed by cut throat. Correct Interpretation of cause of death with its manner in such case is very important, which needs meticulous post-mortem examination along with proper correlation with other information

Influence of chromium (III) contaminated soil on soil mycobiota

Investigation was conducted on the experimental fields of CCS University (Meerut) during 2013–2014 to evaluate the influence of Cr (III) contamination on soil mycobiota and to obtain some Cr (III)-resistant strains for the management of Cr (III)-contaminated soils and of the effluents carrying the metal. Blocks (30cm × 30cm) each were treated with different concentrations (500 ppm/1000 ppm/2000 ppm) of chromium (III) nitrate or chromium (III) sulphate solution separately in triplicates. Three blocks served as control. The soil samples collected aseptically from control and treated blocks after 20, 40 and 60 days were analysed for mycobiota using serial dilution plate and soil plate methods. Overall dominance of anamorphic fungi and paucity of mucoraceous fungi was observed amongst the fifty two species of fungi isolated. Aspergillus niger was most tolerant to Cr (III) probably due to binding of Cr (III) by amide, amine and C=S groups on the fungus as revealed by FTIR spectroscopy. Reciprocal relationship between pollutant concentration ‘c’ and time ‘t’ (i.e. constancy of c×t ) did not hold true; such a relationship might be operative for a single species in-vitro systems. Cr (III) salts adversely affected the mycobiota (qualitatively and quantitatively) though not to the extent reported for Cr (VI). The results indicate that though soil fungal diversity is adversely affected by Cr (III) contamination, the surviving species flourish over a period of time leading to the partial recovery of the mycopopulation. Aspergillus niger biomass with Cr (III)-binding functional groups might be utilized for in situ management of Cr (III) in soils and in biosorption-based effluent treatment systems

Efficiency of Commercial Banks in India: A Data Envelopment Analysis

Abstract: The present paper is an attempt to measure the efficiency of Indian Commercial Banks by using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). Operating Expenses and Interest Expenses are taken as inputs while interest income and other income are taken as outputs to measure the technical and scale efficiency of Public and Private Sector Banks. The study found that the mean technical efficiency of Public Sector Banks is higher than Private Sector Banks

Breeding for abiotic stresses in pigeonpea

Pigeonpea, often considered as a drought tolerant crop, has the distinct advantage of having a large range of variation for maturity, leading to its adaptation to a wide range of environments and cropping systems. It encounters a number of abiotic stresses during its life cycle. The most important are extremes of moisture and temperature, photoperiod and mineral related stresses. While waterlogging affects plant growth by reducing oxygen diffusion rate between soil and atmosphere and by changing physical and chemical properties of soil, drought and high temperature mostly influence long duration pigeonpea, resulting in its forced maturity. Similarly, low temperature leads to conversion of intracellular water into ice and consequently shrinking of cells and wilting and death of plants. Soil salinity affects pigeonpea plants through osmotic stress and interference with uptake of mineral nutrients. Aluminium toxicity also reduces nutrient uptake efficiency of this crop. Though these stresses have a drastic impact on reducing productivity of pigeonpea, only limited efforts have been made towards screening and development of pigeonpea genotypes having tolerance to these abiotic stresses. Further, even these limited accomplishments are not well-documented. The present review provides comprehensive information vis-a-vis the work done on abiotic stress tolerance in pigeonpea

Weak-winner phase synchronization: a curious case of weak interactions

We report the observation of a nontrivial emergent state in a chain of nonidentical, heterogeneously coupled oscillators where a set of weakly coupled oscillators becomes phase synchronized while the strongly coupled ones remain drifting. This intriguing “weak-winner” synchronization phenomenon can be explained by the interplay between nonisochronicity and the natural frequency of the oscillator, as coupling strength is varied. Furthermore, we present sufficient conditions under which the weak-winner phase synchronization can occur for limit cycles as well as chaotic oscillators. Employing a model system from ecology as well as a paradigmatic model from physics, we demonstrate that this phenomenon is a generic feature for a large class of coupled oscillator systems. The realization of this peculiar, yet quite generic weak-winner dynamics can have far-reaching consequences in a wide range of scientific disciplines that deal with the phenomenon of phase synchronization, including synchronization of networks. Our results also highlight the role of nonisochronicity (shear) as a fundamental feature of an oscillator in shaping emergent dynamical patterns in complex networks

Giant pyogenic granuloma of the thigh: a case report

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