Computer simulation modeling for prediction of the extent of adoption of shrimp culture technologies (This paper is the part of the Ph.D thesis which got Jawaharlal Nehru Award 2006 for Outstanding Research in Social Sciences

Computer Simulation Modeling was used to Predict/forecast the extent of adoption of Shrimp Culture technologies by Shrimp farmers. The adoption behaviour of 120 Shrimp farmers was studied for the years ranging from 1997 to 2003 and the data was used to predict/ forecast the adoption behaviour for the years 2004 to 2020. The forecast values generated by the Baal Strap Computer Simulation model suggested a gradual increase in the overall extent of adoption from 2004 onwards which rises to reach a maximum value of 85.81 per cent in 2010. From 2011 onwards the model predicts a gradual decrease in the overall extent of adoption and continues to show th is trend until in 2020 the overall extent of adoption reaches 80.53 per cent. Besides, the model generated a goodness-of- fit value of 0.984 7 which indicated that the model explained 98.47 per cent of the prediction / forecasting of the overall extent of adoption of Shrimp culture technologies

Potential biological role of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) in male gametes

Maintaining the integrity of sperm DNA is vital to reproduction and male fertility. Sperm contain a number of molecules and pathways for the repair of base excision, base mismatches and DNA strand breaks. The presence of Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP), a DNA repair enzyme, and its homologues has recently been shown in male germ cells, specifically during stage VII of spermatogenesis. High PARP expression has been reported in mature spermatozoa and in proven fertile men. Whenever there are strand breaks in sperm DNA due to oxidative stress, chromatin remodeling or cell death, PARP is activated. However, the cleavage of PARP by caspase-3 inactivates it and inhibits PARP's DNA-repairing abilities. Therefore, cleaved PARP (cPARP) may be considered a marker of apoptosis. The presence of higher levels of cPARP in sperm of infertile men adds a new proof for the correlation between apoptosis and male infertility. This review describes the possible biological significance of PARP in mammalian cells with the focus on male reproduction. The review elaborates on the role played by PARP during spermatogenesis, sperm maturation in ejaculated spermatozoa and the potential role of PARP as new marker of sperm damage. PARP could provide new strategies to preserve fertility in cancer patients subjected to genotoxic stresses and may be a key to better male reproductive health

Neurodevelopmental disorders in children aged 2-9 years: Population-based burden estimates across five regions in India.

BACKGROUND: Neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) compromise the development and attainment of full social and economic potential at individual, family, community, and country levels. Paucity of data on NDDs slows down policy and programmatic action in most developing countries despite perceived high burden. METHODS AND FINDINGS: We assessed 3,964 children (with almost equal number of boys and girls distributed in 2-<6 and 6-9 year age categories) identified from five geographically diverse populations in India using cluster sampling technique (probability proportionate to population size). These were from the North-Central, i.e., Palwal (N = 998; all rural, 16.4% non-Hindu, 25.3% from scheduled caste/tribe [SC-ST] [these are considered underserved communities who are eligible for affirmative action]); North, i.e., Kangra (N = 997; 91.6% rural, 3.7% non-Hindu, 25.3% SC-ST); East, i.e., Dhenkanal (N = 981; 89.8% rural, 1.2% non-Hindu, 38.0% SC-ST); South, i.e., Hyderabad (N = 495; all urban, 25.7% non-Hindu, 27.3% SC-ST) and West, i.e., North Goa (N = 493; 68.0% rural, 11.4% non-Hindu, 18.5% SC-ST). All children were assessed for vision impairment (VI), epilepsy (Epi), neuromotor impairments including cerebral palsy (NMI-CP), hearing impairment (HI), speech and language disorders, autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), and intellectual disability (ID). Furthermore, 6-9-year-old children were also assessed for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and learning disorders (LDs). We standardized sample characteristics as per Census of India 2011 to arrive at district level and all-sites-pooled estimates. Site-specific prevalence of any of seven NDDs in 2-<6 year olds ranged from 2.9% (95% CI 1.6-5.5) to 18.7% (95% CI 14.7-23.6), and for any of nine NDDs in the 6-9-year-old children, from 6.5% (95% CI 4.6-9.1) to 18.5% (95% CI 15.3-22.3). Two or more NDDs were present in 0.4% (95% CI 0.1-1.7) to 4.3% (95% CI 2.2-8.2) in the younger age category and 0.7% (95% CI 0.2-2.0) to 5.3% (95% CI 3.3-8.2) in the older age category. All-site-pooled estimates for NDDs were 9.2% (95% CI 7.5-11.2) and 13.6% (95% CI 11.3-16.2) in children of 2-<6 and 6-9 year age categories, respectively, without significant difference according to gender, rural/urban residence, or religion; almost one-fifth of these children had more than one NDD. The pooled estimates for prevalence increased by up to three percentage points when these were adjusted for national rates of stunting or low birth weight (LBW). HI, ID, speech and language disorders, Epi, and LDs were the common NDDs across sites. Upon risk modelling, noninstitutional delivery, history of perinatal asphyxia, neonatal illness, postnatal neurological/brain infections, stunting, LBW/prematurity, and older age category (6-9 year) were significantly associated with NDDs. The study sample was underrepresentative of stunting and LBW and had a 15.6% refusal. These factors could be contributing to underestimation of the true NDD burden in our population. CONCLUSIONS: The study identifies NDDs in children aged 2-9 years as a significant public health burden for India. HI was higher than and ASD prevalence comparable to the published global literature. Most risk factors of NDDs were modifiable and amenable to public health interventions

Utjecaj toksičnosti metala na reprodukcijsku funkciju u muškaraca

A combination of genetic, environmental and lifestyle factors contributes to adverse effects on the reproductive health in men. Metals are pervasive in food, water, air, tobacco smoke, and alcoholic beverages. Experimental studies suggest that many metals have adverse effects on the male reproductive function. However, information about reproductive effects of human exposure to metals is scarce and/or inconsistent. This review summarises the information from epidemiological studies of the effects of metal exposure on reproductive function in men. Factors capable of affecting these relationships were identifi ed and discussed. A particular attention is given to the studies considering influence of concomitant exposure to various metals. These studies have generally confirmed that even moderate- to low-level exposure to lead affects certain reproductive parameters, and that exposure to cadmium affects the prostate function and serum testosterone levels. Adverse effects of mercury, manganese, chromium and arsenic on semen quality and altered serum hormone are less well documented. There is no clear evidence that boron exposure may impair reproductive health in men. Only a few studies have investigated reproductive effects of concomitant exposure to several metals and controlled for potential confounders. Future studies should consider the contribution of combined exposure to various metals and/or other factors that may influence individual susceptibility to reproductive health impairment in men.Postoje indikacije da kombinacija genetskih, okolišnih i čimbenika načina života pridonosi uočenom poremećaju reprodukcijskog zdravlja u muškaraca. Metali su široko rasprostranjeni u čovjekovu okolišu te u hrani, vodi, zraku, cigaretnom dimu i alkoholnim pićima. Rezultati eksperimentalnih istraživanja sugeriraju štetne učinke većine ispitivanih metala na mušku reprodukcijsku funkciju. Međutim, odgovarajuća su istraživanja u ljudi oskudna. Ovaj rad sažima rezultate dosadašnjih epidemioloških istraživanja o učincima izloženosti metalima na mušku reprodukcijsku funkciju. Poseban naglasak dan je istraživanjima koja su razmatrala utjecaj istodobne izloženosti različitim metalima uz čimbenike čovjekova načina života i njihovo međudjelovanje na reprodukcijske učinke. Objavljeni rezultati daju dovoljno dokaza o štetnom djelovanju olova i žive na neke reprodukcijske parametre te kadmija na poremećaj prostate i razinu testosterona u serumu, čak u uvjetima umjerene do niske razine izloženosti. Manje je dokaza o štetnom djelovanju na kvalitetu sjemena i razinu spolnih hormona nađeno za mangan. Podaci koji upućuju na moguće štetno djelovanje arsena ili kroma nisu dosljedni, dok o štetnom djelovanju bora na mušku reprodukcijsku funkciju nema jasnih podataka. Utjecaj potencijalno uzročnih varijabli uzet je u obzir samo u nekoliko radova. Stoga buduća istraživanja poremećaja reprodukcijskog zdravlja u muškaraca trebaju razmatrati doprinos istovremene izloženosti različitim metalima koji u kombinaciji s ostalim čimbenicima mogu utjecati na osobnu (pre)osjetljivost

Not Available

Not AvailableComputer Simulation Modeling was used to Predict/forecast the extent of adoption of Shrimp Culture technologies by Shrimp farmers. The adoption behaviour of 120 Shrimp farmers was studied for the years ranging from 1997 to 2003 and the data was used to predict/ forecast the adoption behaviour for the years 2004 to 2020. The forecast values generated by the Baal Strap Computer Simulation model suggested a gradual increase in the overall extent of adoption from 2004 onwards which rises to reach a maximum value of 85.81 per cent in 2010. From 2011 onwards the model predicts a gradual decrease in the overall extent of adoption and continues to show th is trend until in 2020 the overall extent of adoption reaches 80.53 per cent. Besides, the model generated a goodness-of- fit value of 0.984 7 which indicated that the model explained 98.47 per cent of the prediction / forecasting of the overall extent of adoption of Shrimp culture technologies.Not Availabl