A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF SOCIO-DEMOGRAPHIC RISK FACTORS FOR ELEVATED BLOOD PRESSURE

During the stage of adolescence, there exists a valuable opportunity to strengthen the advantages of engaging in positive behaviors by means of suitable messages and programs. An association has been observed between EBP and an increase in left ventricular mass among children and adolescents. The significance of this matter lies in the fact that left ventricular hypertrophy has been recognized as a distinct risk factor for CVS disease in the adult population. The objective of this study was to assess and compare the socioeconomic risk factors of Elevated blood pressure(EBP) among the UA and U-SA of Karad.Using a structured questionnaire comprised of five parts (SES characteristics, behavioral risk, lifestyle-related risk factor, anthropometric measurements, general physical examination including vitals (pulse, blood pressure), and hypertension knowledge), data were collected from a total of 310 adolescents in each area via home visits. In this study, we observed an EBP prevalence of 54 individuals, or 18.7% of the total sample. These individuals were pre-HTN in 34 (11%) and HTN in 24 (7.7%). The prevalence of EBP in the U-SA was found to be 46 (14.9%), with 29 (9.4%) individuals having pre-HTN and 17 (5.5%) individuals having HTN. EBP prevalence was higher in UA adolescents than in U-SA adolescents. Unfortunately, this association did not satisfy statistical significance. Statistically significant is the p-value. This study found HTN knowledge gaps among UA and U-SA adolescents. The slum study area had more adolescents with good HTN knowledge, but the UA had more

An assessment of attitudes towards plastics and bioplastics in Europe

Over the last 50 years, conventional fossil-based plastics have become an integral part of our everyday lives. Apart from their low production costs, this is due to a number of their unique properties, including durability, strength, lightness, electrical and thermal insulation, resistance to chemicals and corrosion. The production of plastics has increased from 1.5 million metric tons in 1950 to 359 million metric tons in 2018. Of this total, 61.8 million metric tons were produced in Europe. There are various problems associated with plastic use and disposal that pose a serious threat to both the physical environment and human health. Since public behaviour plays a key role when it comes to the use of plastic, this paper reports on a study that focused on an assessment of attitudes towards plastics and bioplastics in Europe. The results showed that packaging is the most frequent modality of plastic used among participants. In addition, majority of participants are aware that plastic waste can affect environment and human health and therefore segregate and properly dispose plastics. Also, even though most respondents were aware of the environmental problems related to plastic use and showed a positive inclination towards using bioplastic materials, their limited availability and lack of relevant information about bioplastics pose a problem for wider use. Departing from the assumption that the public attitude is a determining factor in the consumption of plastics as a whole and bioplastics in particular, this paper also sheds some light on the current situation, identifying some trends and information gaps which should be addressed in order to encourage a more rational use of plastics in Europe

First report on induced spawning of Siganus vermiculatus in India

Siganids are widely distributed to Indo-West Pacific region and the Siganus vermiculatus (Maze rabbit fish/Vermiculated spinefoot) can reach sizes that weigh up 2.3 kg each. It is a species of great aquaculture importance and hence breeding and seed production protocols are necessary. A major breakthrough in the seed production of Siganus vermiculatus by inducing the fishes to spawn under controlled conditions with Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG) during the first quarter of the lunar cycle is reported. The hatchery processes and early larval stages are described

G × E interactions in QTL introgression lines of Spanish-type groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.)

Multi-environment testing at five locations for rust and late leaf spot (LLS) resistance with 41 introgressed lines (ILs) bred using marker-assisted backcross breeding in the genetic background Spanish- type groundnut varieties identified significant genotype, and genotype 9 environment interactions (GEI) for LLS disease resistance and yield parameters. Significant GEI effects suggest the need to identify location specific breeding lines to achieve gains in pod yield and LLS resistance. The observed variable LLS disease reaction among the ILs in part suggests influence of background genotype on the level of resistance. A breeding scheme with early generation selection using molecular markers followed by phenotyping for LLS, and multi-location testing of fixed breeding lines was optimized to enhance selection intensity and accuracy in groundnut breeding. The ILs, ICGVs 14431, 14436 and 14438 with pooled LLS score at 90 DAS of 3.5–3.7 were superior to respective recurrent parent for pod yield, with early maturing similar to recurrent parents. The pod yield advantage in ILs is attributed by more number of pods, besides resistance to LLS that contributes to better filling

Molecular breeding tools improved drought tolerant groundnut variety for resistance to foliar fungal diseases

A largely rainfed crop in India, drought tolerance, particularly mid- and end-season tolerance, is a key trait in groundnut varieties. A combination of both empirical and trait-based approaches was used in breeding programs of ICAR and ICRISAT, resulting in release of few tolerant varieties that have superior pod yield under drought stress and/or have enhanced water-use-efficiency. There is a need to breed varieties with drought tolerance, disease resistance and quality traits that suit different production ecologies as well as meet the needs of the farmers, consumers and industries. ICRISAT has released an early-maturing (90-95 d) and drought- tolerant variety ICGV 91114 for the drought-prone Ananthapur district of Andhra Pradesh, India, where about 0.7 m ha area is under groundnut cultivation and has low (300 mm) and erratic (30-40 rainy days) rainfall. On-farm studies conducted with ICGV 91114 during 2008-10 showed 30% reduction in yield variability over the years. Following screening in hot-spots of both rust and LLS disease during 2014 rainy season, a total of 27 introgression lines derived from ICGV 91114 were selected and advanced for evaluation in multi-location trials at six locations in 2015 under rainfed conditions. Based on the pod yield under rainfed conditions and disease resistance, three superior introgression lines (ICGV 14410, ICGV 13189, ICGV 14421) were proposed for the first-ever NILs trial (near-isogenic lines trial) along with eight others conducted under All India Coordinated Research Project on Groundnut (AICRP-G) at national level

Reconstruction and simulation of neocortical microcircuitry

We present a first-draft digital reconstruction of the microcircuitry of somatosensory cortex of juvenile rat. The reconstruction uses cellular and synaptic organizing principles to algorithmically reconstruct detailed anatomy and physiology from sparse experimental data. An objective anatomical method defines a neocortical volume of 0.29 ± 0.01 mm3 containing ∼31,000 neurons, and patch-clamp studies identify 55 layer-specific morphological and 207 morpho-electrical neuron subtypes. When digitally reconstructed neurons are positioned in the volume and synapse formation is restricted to biological bouton densities and numbers of synapses per connection, their overlapping arbors form ∼8 million connections with ∼37 million synapses. Simulations reproduce an array of in vitro and in vivo experiments without parameter tuning. Additionally, we find a spectrum of network states with a sharp transition from synchronous to asynchronous activity, modulated by physiological mechanisms. The spectrum of network states, dynamically reconfigured around this transition, supports diverse information processing strategies

Synthesis and characterization of magneto-rheological (MR) fluids for MR brake application

Magneto rheological (MR) fluid technology has been proven for many industrial applications like shock absorbers, actuators, etc. MR fluid is a smart material whose rheological characteristics change rapidly and can be controlled easily in presence of an applied magnetic field. MR brake is a device to transmit torque by the shear stress of MR fluid. However, MR fluids exhibit yield stress of 50–90 kPa. In this research, an effort has been made to synthesize MR fluid sample/s which will typically meet the requirements of MR brake applications. In this study, various electrolytic and carbonyl iron powder based MR fluids have been synthesized by mixing grease as a stabilizer, oleic acid as an antifriction additive and gaur gum powder as a surface coating to reduce agglomeration of the MR fluid. MR fluid samples based on sunflower oil, which is bio-degradable, environmentally friendly and abundantly available have also been synthesized. These MR fluid samples are characterized for determination of magnetic, morphological and rheological properties. This study helps identify most suitable localized MR fluid meant for MR brake application