A GENERAL REVIEW ON THE CONVEXITY STRUCTURE OF FIXED-POINT THEOREM

In the current paper we discussed some applications of fixed-point theorem especially convexity structure of fixed-point theorem along with pinot’s formation there are some conditions on which    the convexity structure was developed through the Kirks theorem   which depends on metric space of fixed-point theorem and also showing some type of compactness and the characteristics of normal space we focused on some theorem in which we saw that how fixed point follows the property of convexity and how  it became normal and compact   studied the property of expansive mapping has fixed point   Hence various steps in unmetrical analysis and its theory of approximations which is in successive form of fixed-point theorem and it mapping in this paper We give a proper frame work to the concept of convex of metric space through the way of convexity structure by using this application we develop new dimension in metric space

Regeneration Behaviour of Degraded Pasture of \u3cem\u3eLasiurus sindicus\u3c/em\u3e Grass under Different Cultural Practices in Extreme Arid Conditions of Jaisalmer, India

The agriculture of seventies in the hot arid zone of India (western Rajasthan) was chiefly the subsistence farming involving rearing of livestock in association with rainfed cultivation of guar, moth and pearl millet. Pasturelands dominate among different land use systems and provide main support to the huge livestock population of the region (Kar et al., 2009). With the advent of Indira Gandhi Canal and commencement of tube-well technology in 1985, livestock based economy saw a change in the land use and large tracts of sewan grass (Lasiurus sindicus) came under the plough. Further, in arid zone as a whole, the density of livestock increased from 50 animal per 100 hectares of grazing land in 1951-52 to 154 during 2012. According to livestock census (2012), the number of animals in the arid zone increased by 41 % between 1951 and 1961 and by 15 % between 1995 and 2012. In terms of adult cattle units (ACU) the livestock pressure was 9.58 million in 1983, which increased to 11.27 million in 2001 and 11.65 in 2012. Local grazing pressures are surpassing the recommended stocking rates of the rangelands at an enormous pace. The pressure was 0.87 ACU/ha in 1981 which increased to 1.02 ACU /ha in 2001 and 1.55 in 2012 against the optimum desirable density of 0.2 ACU/ha (Tiwari and Arya, 2006). The grasslands face two threats: one from land coming under water-intensive agriculture, and the other from indiscriminate use of water from the canal to irrigate these pastures. The increase in grazing pressure and shrinkage of grazing area resulted in severe degradation of the sewan pastures to as low as 0.1 t/ha/yr in the desert areas (Roy and Roy, 1996). Since the economy of the hot arid zone is livestock based and improvement in the productivity of the animal husbandry is directly correlated with the improvement in native degraded pasturelands (Sharma, 2013). Burning was recognized as one of the important techniques for the grassland management (Chatterjee and Das, 1989), but burning at large scale found environmentally unsafe. Thus, present study was conducted to find out the effect of different cultural practice on the rejuvenation behaviour of degraded sewan pasture at Chandan (Jaisalmer), Rajasthan (India) during summer 2010

Enhancing Forage Production through Silvipastoral System in Arid Regions

Livestock based farming system makes significant contribution for livelihood security of farmers in arid zone of India. However, availability of fodder for livestock is not sufficient due to water scarcity and land degradation leading to low productivity of grazing land. The arid zones are less suitable for crop production due to inherent soil constraints like low water retentivity, sandy texture, shallow depth, occurrence of rocks and stones, however some grasses and tree species of forage value and economic importance can grow well and help in augmenting forage production. Silvipasture offers a sustainable land use system which increases overall productivity of land and makes efficient utilization of natural resources. Silvipastoral system has special significance in arid and semi-arid region (Tiwari et al., 1999)

Participatory Pasture Development in Hot Arid Region of India

Livestock production is one of the main occupations of resource-poor and resource-rich people living in India’s arid regions, and common grazing lands have always played a major role in livestock based livelihood systems, as around 50% of animals depend on grazing (Misra et al, 2015). According to the National Sample Survey Organization, common property land resources constitute about 15% of the total geographical area of India, of which 23% is community pasture and grazing lands and 16% have been classified as village forests and woodlots (NSSO, 1999). At another level, India has the largest livestock population in the world, with 512 million head of livestock, many of them raised by small and marginal farmers who depend on grazing land to meet the fodder requirements of their animals (Anonymous, 2012). Traditionally, close link exists between livestock and common property resources (CPRs), as grazing is predominate feeding practice among the livestock keepers in hot arid region of India. This complex inter-relationship between CPRs, livestock and crops in arid and semi-arid production systems has contributed to the sustainability of dryland agriculture for generations (Misra et al., 2009). However, the typical scenario of community grazing lands has been one of gradually declining productivity due to overexploitation, and declining area due to privatization. Keeping this in view, Livestock Production Systems & Range Management Division and Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) of Central arid Zone Research Institute (CAZRI), Jodhpur identified pasture development as a major thrust area for the hot arid zone of India. The interventions related to pasture development was carried out on a total of 88 ha common/private land in ten gram panchayat in two districts (Jodhpur and Nagur) of western Rajasthan during 2010-14 in collaboration with local farming communities, NGOs and Goushala

Variability and molecular diversity of wild sugarcane germplasm collected from low temperature regions Lohit and Changlang of Arunachal Pradesh

159-168Saccharum spontaneum L. is a perennial grass representing the most genetically diversified species in Saccharum genus. It has the potential to withstand severe biotic/abiotic stresses and frequently used as donor of stress tolerant genes in sugarcane improvement program through gene introgression. In this study, the phenotypic variation and molecular diversity of forty nine S. spontaneum accessions collected from Lohit and Changlang regions of Arunachal Pradesh, North Eastern India were investigated for morphometric traits and polymorphic STMS marker. The phenotypic coefficient of variation showed ample variability for the traits viz., plant height (27.19%), stalk diameter (28.21%), single cane weight (48.97%), internode number (22.60%) and internode length (29.15%). Further, twenty nine sequence-tagged microsatellite site (STMS) markers generated 495 bands with an average of 14.06 polymorphic bands. The accessions specific bands in respect to specific marker combinations were identified. The Jaccard’s similarity coefficients among these accessions ranged from 0.42 to 0.78 with an average of 0.58 and clustering using unweighted pair group method of arithmetic-average (UPGMA) showed two major clusters with subclusters. Similarly polulation structure analysis based Bayesian approach grouped the individuals into two subpopulations, with alpha value of 0.112. The study shows that S. spontaneum accessions collected from Arunachal Pradesh is highly diverse, most of them will be harbouring the genes for cold tolerance and biomass. The set of markers which produced specific bands for the specific accessions identified in the study will help in identification of the particular accessions. The accessions studied are potential source for cold tolerance and high biomass, the results obtained in the present study will definitely help in planning and utilising them in sugarcane improvement programme

Tillage-based nutrient management practices for sustaining productivity and soil health in the soybean-wheat cropping system in Vertisols of the Indian semi-arid tropics

To achieve higher crop production in a soybean-wheat cropping system, comprehensive knowledge of soil fertility status and its variability is crucial. However, a significant gap exists between the potential and actual productivity of this system in the Vertisols of Indian semi-arid tropics. Therefore, 2 years of field research were conducted to investigate how different crop management practices affect soil fertility in this cropping system. The trial was conducted using a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with five crop management practices: CAO (conservation tillage + organic nutrient and weed management), CAC (conservation tillage + chemical nutrient and weed management), CTC (conventional tillage + chemical nutrient and weed management), OCT (conventional tillage + organic nutrient and weed management), and PoPs (package of practices). Results showed that CAO significantly (p < 0.05) increased soil organic C (6.8 g kg−1), available N (129.5 mg kg−1), P (11.0 mg kg−1), K (232.6 mg kg−1), Fe (9.17 mg kg−1), and Mn (10.48 mg kg−1) at topsoil (0–15 cm) and deeper layers (15–60 cm). In contrast, CAC had significantly (p < 0.05) higher soil availability of Ca (5,072 mg kg−1) and Mg (901 mg kg−1) and Cu (0.84 mg kg−1). On the other side, PoPs resulted in the highest S (10.05 mg kg−1) and Zn (0.85 mg kg−1) availability in the topsoil. Our results evidently suggested S and Zn availability as key indicators of soil health sustenance in the present agroecosystem. Notably, CAC had significantly (p < 0.05) higher system productivity (4.62 t ha−1) than the other treatments, showing a 14.0, 6.3, and 18.2% increase over CAO, CTC, and OCT, respectively. Based on the results, it is recommended that CAC is a better option for achieving higher system productivity, while CAO is the best option for ensuring long-term sustainability of soil fertility. The findings of this study could be useful for farmers and agricultural researchers in designing efficient crop management practices to improve the productivity and sustainability of soybean-wheat cropping system in arid to semiarid ecology

Comparing cross-sectional and longitudinal approaches to Tuberculosis Patient Cost Surveys using Nepalese data.

The World Health Organization has supported the development of national tuberculosis (TB) patient cost surveys to quantify the socio-economic impact of TB in high-burden countries. However, methodological differences in study design (e.g. cross-sectional vs longitudinal) can generate different estimates making the design and impact evaluation of socioeconomic protection strategies difficult. The objective of the study was to compare the socio-economic impacts of TB estimated by applying cross-sectional or longitudinal data collections in Nepal. We analysed data from a longitudinal costing survey (patients interviewed at three-time points) conducted between April 2018 and October 2019. We calculated both mean and median costs from patients interviewed during the intensive (cross-sectional 1) and continuation phases of treatment (cross-sectional 2). We then compared costs, the prevalence of catastrophic costs and the socio-economic impact of TB generated by each approach. There were significant differences in the costs and social impacts calculated by each approach. The median total cost (intensive plus continuation phases) was significantly higher for the longitudinal compared to cross-sectional 2 (US$119.42 vs 91.63, P < 0.001). The prevalence of food insecurity, social exclusion and patients feeling poorer or much poorer were all significantly higher applying a longitudinal approach. In conclusion, the longitudinal design captured important aspects of costs and socioeconomic impacts which were missed by applying a cross-sectional approach. If a cross-sectional approach is applied due to resource constraints, our data suggest the start of the continuation phase is the optimal timing for a single interview. Further research to optimize methodologies to report patient incurred expenditure during TB diagnosis and treatment is needed

Comparing cross-sectional and longitudinal approaches to Tuberculosis Patient Cost Surveys using Nepalese data : Tuberculosis cost survey approaches

The World Health Organization has supported the development of national tuberculosis (TB) patient cost surveys to quantify the socio-economic impact of TB in high-burden countries. However, methodological differences in study design (e.g. cross-sectional vs longitudinal) can generate different estimates making the design and impact evaluation of socioeconomic protection strategies difficult. The objective of the study was to compare the socioeconomic impacts of TB estimated by applying cross-sectional or longitudinal data collections in Nepal. We analysed data from a longitudinal costing survey (patients interviewed at three-time points) conducted between April 2018 and October 2019. We calculated both mean and median costs from patients interviewed during the intensive (cross-sectional 1) and continuation phases of treatment (cross-sectional 2). We then compared costs, the prevalence of catastrophic costs and the socio-economic impact of TB generated by each approach. There were significant differences in the costs and social impacts calculated by each approach. The median total cost (intensive plus continuation phases) was significantly higher for the longitudinal compared to cross-sectional 2 (US$119.42 vs 91.63,

Phenylalanine-Rich Peptides Potently Bind ESAT6, a Virulence Determinant of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and Concurrently Affect the Pathogen's Growth

BACKGROUND:The secretory proteins of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis) have been known to be involved in the virulence, pathogenesis as well as proliferation of the pathogen. Among this set, many proteins have been hypothesized to play a critical role at the genesis of the onset of infection, the primary site of which is invariably the human lung. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS:During our efforts to isolate potential binding partners of key secretory proteins of M. tuberculosis from a human lung protein library, we isolated peptides that strongly bound the virulence determinant protein Esat6. All peptides were less than fifty amino acids in length and the binding was confirmed by in vivo as well as in vitro studies. Curiously, we found all three binders to be unusually rich in phenylalanine, with one of the three peptides a short fragment of the human cytochrome c oxidase-3 (Cox-3). The most accessible of the three binders, named Hcl1, was shown also to bind to the Mycobacterium smegmatis (M. smegmatis) Esat6 homologue. Expression of hcl1 in M. tuberculosis H37Rv led to considerable reduction in growth. Microarray analysis showed that Hcl1 affects a host of key cellular pathways in M. tuberculosis. In a macrophage infection model, the sets expressing hcl1 were shown to clear off M. tuberculosis in much greater numbers than those infected macrophages wherein the M. tuberculosis was not expressing the peptide. Transmission electron microscopy studies of hcl1 expressing M. tuberculosis showed prominent expulsion of cellular material into the matrix, hinting at cell wall damage. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE:While the debilitating effects of Hcl1 on M. tuberculosis are unrelated and not because of the peptide's binding to Esat6-as the latter is not an essential protein of M. tuberculosis-nonetheless, further studies with this peptide, as well as a closer inspection of the microarray data may shed important light on the suitability of such small phenylalanine-rich peptides as potential drug-like molecules against this pathogen

Barriers and facilitators to accessing tuberculosis care in Nepal : a qualitative study to inform the design of a socioeconomic support intervention

OBJECTIVE: Psychosocial and economic (socioeconomic) barriers, including poverty, stigma and catastrophic costs, impede access to tuberculosis (TB) services in low-income countries. We aimed to characterise the socioeconomic barriers and facilitators of accessing TB services in Nepal to inform the design of a locally appropriate socioeconomic support intervention for TB-affected households. DESIGN: From August 2018 to July 2019, we conducted an exploratory qualitative study consisting of semistructured focus group discussions (FGDs) with purposively selected multisectoral stakeholders. The data were managed in NVivo V.12, coded by consensus and analysed thematically. SETTING: The study was conducted in four districts, Makwanpur, Chitwan, Dhanusha and Mahottari, which have a high prevalence of poverty and TB. PARTICIPANTS: Seven FGDs were conducted with 54 in-country stakeholders, grouped by stakeholders, including people with TB (n=21), community stakeholders (n=13) and multidisciplinary TB healthcare professionals (n=20) from the National TB Programme. RESULTS: The perceived socioeconomic barriers to accessing TB services were: inadequate TB knowledge and advocacy; high food and transportation costs; income loss and stigma. The perceived facilitators to accessing TB care and services were: enhanced championing and awareness-raising about TB and TB services; social protection including health insurance; cash, vouchers and/or nutritional allowance to cover food and travel costs; and psychosocial support and counselling integrated with existing adherence counselling from the National TB Programme. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that support interventions that integrate TB education, psychosocial counselling and expand on existing cash transfer schemes would be locally appropriate and could address the socioeconomic barriers to accessing and engaging with TB services faced by TB-affected households in Nepal. The findings have been used to inform the design of a socioeconomic support intervention for TB-affected households. The acceptability, feasibility and impact of this intervention on TB-related costs, stigma and TB treatment outcomes, is now being evaluated in a pilot implementation study in Nepal