Country report : scaling up small millet post-harvest and nutritious food products in India

This work was carried out with the aid of a grant from Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC), and with financial support from the Government of Canada, provided through Global Affairs Canada (GAC).Small Millets (SM) provide superior nutritional content compared to other cereals, as well as medicinal properties. They are grown in diverse cropping systems and, with small-scale dehulling, nutrients are retained. This report covers aims, activities, outputs and outcomes of this successful project in Tamil Nadu region, India. Scaling up Small Millets (SUSM) partnership scores high on sustainability measurements with a team whose dedication to SM extends beyond the Canadian International Food Security Research Fund (CIFSRF) project timeframe. To date the project has been successful in the proposed scale up, helping large numbers of micro- and small enterprises produce (healthier) millet products

Caste, Kinship, and Life Course: Rethinking Women's Work and Agency in Rural South India

This paper reexamines the linkages between women's work, agency, and well-being based on a household survey and in-depth interviews conducted in rural Tamil Nadu in 2009 and questions the prioritization of workforce participation as a path to gender equality. It emphasizes the need to unpack the nature of work performed by and available to women and its social valuation, as well as women's agency, particularly its implications for decision making around financial and nonfinancial household resources in contexts of socioeconomic change. The effects of work participation on agency are mediated by factors like age and stage in the life cycle, reproductive success, and social location – especially of caste – from which women enter the workforce

Connected power domination number of product graphs

In this paper, we consider the connected power domination number ($\gamma_{P, c}$) of three standard graph products. The exact value for $\gamma_{P, c}(G\circ H)$ is obtained for any two non-trivial graphs $G$ and $H.$ Further, tight upper bounds are proved for the connected power domination number of the Cartesian product of two graphs $G$ and $H.$ Consequently, the exact value of the connected power domination number of the Cartesian product of some standard graphs is determined. Finally, the connected power domination number of tensor product of graphs is discussed.Comment: 12 page

Exposure to nanoceria impacts larval survival, life history traits and fecundity of Aedes aegypti.

Effectively controlling vector mosquito populations while avoiding the development of resistance remains a prevalent and increasing obstacle to integrated vector management. Although, metallic nanoparticles have previously shown promise in controlling larval populations via mechanisms which are less likely to spur resistance, the impacts of such particles on life history traits and fecundity of mosquitoes are understudied. Herein, we investigate the chemically well-defined cerium oxide nanoparticles (CNPs) and silver-doped nanoceria (AgCNPs) for larvicidal potential and effects on life history traits and fecundity of Aedes (Ae.) aegypti mosquitoes. When 3rd instar larvae were exposed to nanoceria in absence of larval food, the mortality count disclosed significant activity of AgCNPs over CNPs (57.8±3.68% and 17.2±2.81% lethality, respectively) and a comparable activity to Ag+ controls (62.8±3.60% lethality). The surviving larvae showed altered life history traits (e.g., reduced egg hatch proportion and varied sex ratios), indicating activities of these nanoceria beyond just that of a larvicide. In a separate set of experiments, impacts on oocyte growth and egg generation resulting from nanoceria-laced blood meals were studied using confocal fluorescence microscopy revealing oocytes growth-arrest at 16-24h after feeding with AgCNP-blood meals in some mosquitoes, thereby significantly reducing average egg clutch. AgCNPs caused ~60% mortality in 3rd instar larvae when larval food was absent, while CNPs yielded only ~20% mortality which contrasts with a previous report on green-synthesized nanoceria and highlights the level of detail required to accurately report and interpret such studies. Additionally, AgCNPs are estimated to contain much less silver (0.22 parts per billion, ppb) than the amount of Ag+ needed to achieve comparable larvicidal activity (2.7 parts per million, ppm), potentially making these nanoceria ecofriendly. Finally, this work is the first study to demonstrate the until-now-unappreciated impacts of nanoceria on life history traits and interference with mosquito egg development