Variability for grain iron and zinc contents in pearl millet hybrids

Dietary deficiency of mineral micronutrients such as iron (Fe) and zinc (Zn) has been recognized as a worldwide human health problem, especially in the developing countries (Welch and Graham 2004). The pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum) research program at the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) has undertaken to address this issue through the development of improved breeding materials with the elevated levels of these micronutrients for eventual use in cultivar development. Pearl millet, grown on 26 million ha in some of the most marginal arid and semi-arid tropical environments of Asia (11 million ha) and Africa (15 million ha), is a major source of dietary energy and nutritional security for a vast population in these regions

Association of grain iron and zinc content with grain yield and other traits in pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.)

Selfed progenies (S1.s) derived from two diverse populations (PVGGP-6 and IAC-ISC-TCP1) were evaluated in two contrasting seasons at ICRISAT, Patancheru to examine the association of grain iron (Fe) & zinc (Zn) content with grain yield and component traits in pearl millet. Average grain micronutrients across both the seasons were higher in PVGGP6 (46.7 mg/kg Pe and 44.6 mg/kg Zn) than IAC-ISC-TCP-1 (37.0 mg/kg Fe and 37.2 mg/kg Zn). Significant genetic variability among the progenies was observed for Fe, Zn, grain yield and other component traits in both the populations. Significant positive correlation found between Fe and Zn content (r=0.81 to 0.82; p<0.01) in both the populations suggested the possibility of simultaneous effective genetic improvement of both micronutrients Non¬significant correlation of grain Fe and Zn content with grain yield and 1000- grain weight in both the populations indicated that there would be no penalty on grain yield and seed size while breeding for grains rich in these micronutrients

The patient health questionnaire-9: validation among patients with glaucoma.

BACKGROUND: Depression and anxiety are two common normal responses to a chronic disease such as glaucoma. This study analysed the measurement properties of the depression screening instrument - Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) using Rasch analysis to determine if it can be used as a measure. METHODS: In this hospital-based cross-sectional study, the PHQ-9 was administered to primary glaucoma adults attending a glaucoma clinic of a tertiary eye care centre, South India. All patients underwent a comprehensive clinical evaluation. Patient demographics and sub-type of glaucoma were abstracted from the medical record. Rasch analysis was used to investigate the following properties of the PHQ-9: behaviour of the response categories, measurement precision (assessed using person separation reliability, PSR; minimum recommended value 0.80), unidimensionality (assessed using item fit [0.7-1.3] and principal components analysis of residuals), and targeting. RESULTS: 198 patients (mean age ± standard deviation  = 59.83±12.34 years; 67% male) were included. The native PHQ-9 did not fit the Rasch model. The response categories showed disordered thresholds which became ordered after category reorganization. Measurement precision was below acceptable limits (0.62) and targeting was sub-optimal (-1.27 logits). Four items misfit that were deleted iteratively following which a set of five items fit the Rasch model. However measurement precision failed to improve and targeting worsened further (-1.62 logits). CONCLUSIONS: The PHQ-9, in its present form, provides suboptimal assessment of depression in patients with glaucoma in India. Therefore, there is a need to develop a new depression instrument for our glaucoma population. A superior strategy would be to use the item bank for depression but this will also need to be validated in glaucoma patients before deciding its utility

Comparative Study on Impact of Mating Systems on Character Associations in Single Crosses of Maize (Zea mays L.)

Although global maize breeding programmes are in momentum with high number of superior hybrids releasing annually, the full potential of hybrids is seldom achieved in real time due to various biotic and abiotic stresses. It is pertinent to broaden the diversity of available germplasm to suit to the needs of present changing climatic conditions. In this study, six segregating populations of two maize single crosses developed by imposing three types of matings (self, sib and random mating) were evaluated to assess their potential in future breeding programmes. Trait association studies were conducted in these populations to estimate the success rate of selections, time required to develop superior inbreds and assist in parental choice for hybrid development programmes. Results indicated that sib mating was the most effective among the three mating systems, as its progeny showed highest number of significant positive correlations among the yield and its related traits. Selfed progenies exhibited lesser number or weak positive correlations while random mating largely resulted in negative and weak positive correlations

Item content of the Patient-Health Questionnaire-9.

<p>^*Framing question for all above items – “Over the last 2 weeks, how often have you been bothered by any of the following”.</p><p>Response options for all the above items: not at all (0), several days (1), more than half the days (2), nearly every day (3).</p

Item calibration (location) and fit statistics for the five items of the Patient Health Questionnaire.

<p>Item calibration (location) and fit statistics for the five items of the Patient Health Questionnaire.</p

Sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of 198 participants with glaucoma who completed the Patient Health Questionnaire-9.

<p>Note: SD, standard deviation; logMAR, logarithm of minimum angle of resolution (higher values indicate worse visual acuity); dB - decibels; ^*data unavailable for 4 patients.</p