ICAR-CGIAR: Agricultural Cooperation

There has been a long association between the CGIAR institutions and the Indian National Agricultural Research and Education System (NARES) and their mutual collaborative efforts have contributed immensely in achieving a remarkable growth in food production in India

Larvicidal and mosquito repellent activities of Pine (Pinus longifolia, Family: Pinaceae) oil

Background & objectives: Various plant-based products are safe and biodegradable alternatives tosynthetic chemicals for use against mosquitoes. Oil of Pinus longifolia is traditionally used forprotection against mosquitoes in some rural areas but there is no documented report of its use againstmosquitoes. The present study was undertaken to scientifically evaluate the activity of Pine oilagainst mosquitoes.Methods: The oil was procured from the market and its contents were chemically analysed. Larvicidalactivity of oil was tested in laboratory bioassays, while repellent action was studied during wholenight bait collections in field by direct application on the skin and after its impregnation on mats.Results: Results showed varying degree of larvicidal activity of Pine oil against mosquitoes with LC50values ranging between 82 and 112 ppm. The Pine oil had strong repellent action against mosquitoesas it provided 100% protection against Anopheles culicifacies for 11 h and 97% protection againstCulex quinquefasciatus for nine hours respectively. Electrically heated mats prepared from Pine oilprovided, 94 and 88% protection against An. culicifacies and Cx. quinquefasciatus for 10 and sevenhours respectively.Interpretaion & conclusion: Pine oil is effective against mosquito larvae at very higher doses whichare not of any practical utility. However, Pine oil showed strong repellent action against An. culicifacies(malaria vector) and Cx. quinquefasciatus (pest mosquito). Thus its use could be popularised asmosquito repellent

Evaluation of the impact of ZeroFly® , an insecticide incorporated plastic sheeting on malaria incidence in two temporary labour shelters in India

Background & objectives: Prevention of malaria is a major technical and operational problem in displaced andmobile populations such as refugee camps and temporary labour settlements. Insecticide incorporated plasticsheeting is a new technology to control mosquitoes in emergency shelters and also temporary habitations atdifferent locations. In view of this, efficacy of ZeroFly®, an insecticide incorporated plastic sheeting (factorytreated with deltamethrin 2.0 g/kg or 265 mg/m2) was evaluated for its efficacy against malaria vectors and itsimpact on malaria incidence in temporary labour settlements in two urban areas in India.Methods: This trial was conducted in two labour settlements in two urban areas, Delhi and Noida (U.P.), Indiawith ~ 250 populations. In an area, two localities were selected for intervention with ZeroFly and untreatedplastic sheets (control). Entomological and epidemiological data were collected using standard methods for one year.Results: Baseline studies on the susceptibility of mosquitoes in Delhi and Noida areas revealed 100% susceptibilityof the malaria vector species Anopheles culicifacies and An. stephensi to deltamethrin. Cone bioassay testsperformed against An. culicifacies and An. stephensi to determine the efficacy of ZeroFly sheets showed 100%mortality against An. culicifacies and An. stephensi with 3 min exposure and after 24 h recovery period. AgainstCulex quinquefasciatus and housefly 100% mortality was obtained after 30 min of exposure period. Interventionwith the ZeroFly plastic sheets resulted in almost complete reduction in the resting density of An. culicifaciesand An. stephensi, the two major malaria vectors and also in the reduction of malaria cases in ZeroFly camps ascompared to control camps. The ZeroFly plastic sheeting was found to be safe for human. Barring some complaintsof skin irritation and itching, which were temporary in nature, no adverse health effects were reported by theusers. The community acceptance was high.Conclusion: Results of the present study revealed that ZeroFly® plastic sheeting is highly effective in reducingthe indoor resting density of mosquitoes, man-vector contact and malaria incidences in labour populations livingin temporary shelters

A dual-pathway model of knowledge exchange: linking human and psychosocial capital with prosocial knowledge effectiveness

Purpose: This study aims to examine a dual-pathway model that recognizes two distinct (formal and informal) but complementary mechanisms of knowledge exchanges – knowledge sharing and knowledge helping. It also investigates how team members use their limited human and psychosocial capital for prosocial knowledge effectiveness. Design/methodology/approach: A survey-based approach was used to examine the hypotheses of the study. A moderated-mediation model was proposed and tested using bootstrap approach. Findings: Knowledge sharing and knowledge helping were found to be the significant links through which human capital (capability) and psychosocial capital (motivation and efficacy) significantly predict prosocial knowledge effectiveness. Post hoc analysis suggests that human capital through knowledge sharing influences team learning, whereas the psychosocial capital through knowledge helping influences team leadership. Originality/value: The present study found two distinct but complementary and yet necessary mechanisms of knowledge exchanges to be linked as the important outlay for the human and psychosocial capital to be effective in the prosocial knowledge behaviours

Measurements of differential production cross sections for a Z boson in association with jets in pp collisions at root s=8 TeV

Peer reviewe