A study on prevalence of refractive error and its associated factors among school children in Krishnagiri District, Tamilnadu- 2015.

Refractive Error is an avoidable cause of visual impairment. Children do not complain of defective vision. This warrants early detection and treatment of these problems to prevent future blindness. Objectives: The study was conducted with the primary objective of estimating the prevalence of refractive error in school children and its associated factors among them. The secondary objective was to assess the extent to which children with refractive error are wearing corrective spectacles. Materials and methods: This was a cross sectional study conducted in randomly selected four schools of Krishnagiri district in Tamilnadu. A semi structured questionnaire was used to collect the details of associated factors. The students were screened for refractive errors. Snellen’s chart placed at 6 meters was used to test distant vision. Details of near work and outdoor activities were collected from their parents. Data was analysed using SPSS. Results: Among the 422 students screened, 86 (20.4%) had refractive error. Only 18.6% (N=16) of those with refractive error were already diagnosed and using corrective spectacles for refractive error. The prevalence of refractive error showed significant association in univariate analysis with age, education and occupation of parents, socio economic status, parental history of refractive error, duration of watching television and BMI. Conclusion: Refractive errors among school children can be easily identified by regular eye screening programmes, promptly treated can be protected from future complications. Periodic screening of school children is very essential to improve the quality of eye-sight

ISOLATION AND MOLECULAR CHARACTERIZATION OF PLASTIC DEGRADING BACTERIA FROM DUMPED GARBAGE SOIL

Objective: Plastics are polymers that are widely in application in our day-to-day life. The plastic wastes accumulation is causing threat to the environment as it causes environmental pollution and creates imbalance in the ecosystem. The natural degradation of plastic is too time consuming and the ways to do it are not highly successful. An eco-friendly approach to plastic degradation is using microbial degradation method. Microorganisms play an important role in biological decomposition of various materials in our environment. Thus, the main objective of the present study is isolation and molecular characterization of plastic degrading bacteria from dumped garbage soil. Methods: The samples were collected from two different locations in Bengaluru and further subcultured to obtain pure culture. Gram’s staining was performed to identify bacterial strains and few tests were conducted to find out the biochemical properties of the bacteria. Molecular characterization of isolated bacteria was performed using 16S rRNA method, BLAST and phylogenetic tree were constructed. Results: The bacterial isolates were found to be, namely, Aeromonas caviae, Aeromonas hydrophila, Salmonella enterica, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The polythene bag biodegradation was analyzed by incubation for a period of 2 months in liquid culture method. Conclusion: The results of the study ensure that A. hydrophila showed more degrading capability which is followed by A. caviae, whereas Pseudomonas aeruginosa and S. enterica did not contribute in much of the plastic degradation. The weight loss of polythene bag is maximum with higher incubation period rate. From the observation, we conclude that bacteria have more capability to cleave polymer

Effect of different pre-sowing treatments on seed germination in Schleichera Oleosa (Lour.) Oken. - Ceylon Oak Tree

Schleichera oleosa (Lour.) Oken (Ceylon Oak) is an important medicinal tree species are naturally grown in Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Thailand. Natural regeneration by seeds is poor due to seed dormancy. To overcome poor germination problem in Schleichera Pleosa, an experiment was conducted to find out the effects of pre-sowing treatments on germination. Seeds were subjected to seven pre-sowing treatments i.e T0-seeds from fresh fruit after drying (Control), T1- mechanical scarification (removal of seed coat), T2-seeds soaking in normal water for 12 hours, T3 seeds soaking in normal water for 24 hours, T4 seeds soaking in normal water for 48 hours, T5-seeds soaking in 1% KNO3 and T6- seeds soaking in 3% KNO3. Each treatment had 21 seeds of equal size, weight, and length. The media of the treatment was a mixture of topsoil collected from the forest floor, and cow dung in a ratio of 3:1. Highest germination percentage (80.95%) and germination index (2.68), were found in the T1 treatment. The second-best germination percentage (76.19%) and germination index (1.29) were found in the T5 treatment. Seeds treated with normal water for 48 hours of treatment revealed the next effective treatment. Results showed that the effect of different treatments on the germination percentage of Schleichera oleosa was significantly different (p < 0.05)

Standardization of optimum melatonin concentration for drought tolerance at germination and early development stage in rice (CO-54)

Drought stress poses a serious threat to production and nutritional security. In recent years, foliar application of plant growth regulators (PGRs) and nutrients are increasingly employed to overcome physiological constraints resulting in enhanced crop production. Melatonin is a new biomolecule recently found to ameliorate the effect of biotic and abiotic stresses in crop plants. Hence, the present experiment was conducted to assess the optimum concentration of melatonin to mitigate the adverse effect of drought stress on germination and growth components in rice variety CO-54. In this experiment, PEG-mediated drought stress (-0.5 MPa) was imposed with different concentrations of melatonin (at doses of 50, 100, 150, 200, and 250 µM) seed treatments. Together, these results indicated that 200 µM melatonin-treated seeds showed a greater germination percentage (60%), root length (12.23cm), shoot length (8.23cm), fresh and dry weight (0.126g and 0.095g), high vigor index (1910.22), promptness index (64.83), and germination stress index (100) respectively. The result of this experiment provides a shred of strong evidence suggesting that seed treatment of 200 µM melatonin could be considered an effective technique for mitigating the detrimental effects of drought by promoting seed germination and thereby increasing the growth components of seedlings in rice. The study demonstrates that melatonin can shield rice seedlings from the effects of drought stress

Screening the insecticidal and repellent activities of selected botanical extracts against short-horned grasshopper (Oxya Hyla Hyla)

Short-horned grasshopper (Oxya Hyla Hyla) is a most important polyphagous insect pest causing severe damage to crops. Pest control with synthetic insecticides is dangerous. Botanical insecticides are natural chemicals extracted from plants with insecticidal properties and used as an excellent alternative to synthetic pesticides. The present study was performed on the insecticidal and repellent activities of methanolic extracts of leaves of Calotropis gigantea, Syzygium aromaticum, Annona muricata, Datura metal, and Eucalyptus globulus at different concentrations (1% and 3%). The percentage of mortality was recorded after 1, 2 and 3 days where the grasshoppers were treated with a topical application method. The Annona muricata recorded a higher % mortality and lower % mortality was recorded in Calotropis gigantea at both concentrations. The choice experiment was done for the investigation of percentage repellency. Percentage repellency was recorded for 60,120 and 180 minutes after treatment. The Syzygium aromaticum was recorded 100% of repellency at both concentrations

Gender and Identity: Journalistic Perspectives on Wambui Otieno’s Struggle

The research examines how Wambui Otieno's court battle became a turning point in the fight against gender inequality and the depiction of women in Kenyan society. Journalists have described her as a strong woman leader who goes against male norms and her struggle for burial rights to bring attention to larger systemic misconducts women face. Her resistance to cultural norms that put women in subordinate roles makes it clear that women need more power in decision-making processes that are usually run by men. As a widow defending her claim against her husband's family, Wambui’s actions are seen as a brave break with tradition, representing the rights of women who are often ignored in male-dominated environments. Her combat brings to light the systemic barriers that keep women from being represented in societal and cultural systems. It starts a significant discussion on how gender, identity, and culture all have an emotional impact on each other. Journalists also play a dynamic part in this case to signify it in the newspaper and social media. The incident, which is mostly about Wambui’s determination and leadership, showed how a woman's stand became a sign of strength, women's rights, and the search for justice in postcolonial Africa

Role of Melatonin in Directing Plant Physiology

Melatonin (MT), a naturally occurring compound, is found in various species worldwide. In 1958, it was first identified in the pineal gland of dairy cows. MT is an "old friend" but a "new compound" for plant biology. It brings experts and research minds from the broad field of plant sciences due to its considerable influence on plant systems. The MT production process in plants and animals is distinct, where it has been expressed explicitly in chloroplasts and mitochondria in plants. Tryptophan acts as the precursor for the formation of phyto-melatonin, along with intermediates including tryptamine, serotonin, N-acetyl serotonin, and 5-methoxy tryptamine. It plays a vital role in growth phases such as the seed germination and seedling growth of crop plants. MT significantly impacts the gas exchange, thereby improving physio-chemical functions in plant systems. During stress, the excessive generation and accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) causes protein oxidation, lipid peroxidation, nucleic acid damage, and enzyme inhibition. Because it directly acts as an antioxidant compound, it awakens the plant antioxidant defense system during stress and reduces the production of ROS, which results in decreasing cellular oxidative damage. MT can enhance plant growth and development in response to various abiotic stresses such as drought, salinity, high temperature, flooding, and heavy metals by regulating the antioxidant mechanism of plants. However, these reactions differ significantly from crop to crop and are based on the level and kind of stress. The role of MT in the physiological functions of plants towards plant growth and development, tolerance towards various abiotic stresses, and approaches for enhancing the endogenous MT in plant systems are broadly reviewed and it is suggested that MT is a steering compound in directing major physiological functions of plants under the changing climate in future