Organic agriculture in relation to food security of developing countries

A study was conducted to investigate the differences in farm production, input use and farm income between organic and conventional systems in three regions (Uttaranchal, Madhya Pradesh and Tamilnadu) of India. From each region, 40 organic and 40 conventional farmers were interviewed with semi structured questionnaire. The results showed that input costs were less in the organic system while either total farm yield or net margin was righter in the organic system in two of the three regions. In Tamilnadu specializing in rice production, rice yield was less under organic system while net margin did not differ signifcantly. In addition, the IFPRI-IMPACT model was used to fnd out the impact of large scale conversion to organic farming on food security of Sub-Saharan Africa. The model showed that large scale conversion to organic farming in Europe and North America will not have major impact on food security of Africa and large scale conversion in Sub-Saharan Africa will improve the local food security

STUDIES ON BIOACTIVE POTENTIAL OF STREPTOMYCES SPP. (KX710212). ISOLATED FROM ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTED SAMPLE, RANIPET, VELLORE, INDIA

ABSTRACTObjective: Natural products from bacterial origin played and still play a valuable role in drug discovery and provide diverse health-promotingcompounds that help to cure or alleviate serious diseases.Methods: A total of 4 actinobacterial strains were isolated from 2 different environmental polluted soil samples collected from Ranipet, Vellore, TamilNadu, India. Of 15 isolates screened for antibacterial property, 4 isolates (PS1, PS2, and PS3) were found potent and characterized phenotypically andgenotypically.Results: The 16S rDNA gene sequences of potent strain showed 97% similarity with Streptomyces spp. and termed as Streptomyces sp. The bioactivitywas revealed by antibacterial and antioxidant activity.Conclusion: Hence, these findings provide scientific evidence to validate the pharmacological use and have the potential contribution in the discoveryof new lead that play a key role in the field of therapeutics.Keywords: Actinomycetes, Bioactive compounds, Antibacterial property

Ice nucleation active bacteria and its mitigation on tomato (Solanum lycopersicum)

Microbes play a vital role in ice nucleation, supporting bio-precipitation, and allowing plants to live in low-water environments. A field experiment was conducted during December 2018 with two phyllosphere microorganisms’ spraying viz., Pseudomonas aeruginosa and pink-pigmented facultative methylotrophs (PPFM) and under three moisture regimes (0.6, 0.8, 1.0 IW/CPE (irrigation water/ cumulative pan evaporation) ratio) on tomato (PKM 1) in Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu). A laboratory experiment was conducted to confirm ice nucleation using two phyllosphere microorganisms’ P. aeruginosa and PPFM. The bioprecipitation impacts on tomatoes were assessed using a set of physiological parameters such as photosynthetic rate, average chlorophyll Index and the ice nucleation activity (INA) assessed using tube nucleation test and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The results showed that the mean photosynthetic rate of PPFM sprayed tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) (PKM 1) plants (40.7 μmol CO2/m2/s) at 10 DAS was significantly higher than P. aeruginosa sprayed plant (38.7 μmol CO2/m2/s) under different irrigation regimes. The average chlorophyll Index value of the P. aeruginosa sprayed tomato plants (58.1) was higher than PPFM sprayed plants (56.4). The tube nucleation tests were proved that ice crystallization induced by P. aeruginosa in super-cooled buffer at - 2 to -10°C while PPFM not catalyze the buffer even after 3hours. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) indicated the P. aeruginosa growth at the upper surface of the leaf and PPFM growth more at the lower surface of the leaf compared to without inoculation of microbes on leaves. Overall, the result revealed that P. aeruginosa may assist in ice nucleation activity that will help to make artificial rain in the near future

Probiotic Effect of Lactobacillus Isolates Against Bacterial Pathogens in Fresh Water Fish

A total of 59 Lactobacillus isolates were isolated from 5 different fresh water fish such as Cat fish ( Clarias orientalis) , Hari fish (Anguilla sp), Rohu fish ( Labeo rohita), Jillabe fish (Oreochromis sp) and Gende fish ( Punitus carnaticus). Among the 59 isolates only 4 Lactobacillus isolates were selected for further study. Based on morphological and biochemical characteristics, the isolates were identified as Lactobacillus sp. The pathogen were isolated from infected cat fishes, characterized and identified as Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Aeromonas sp and Aeromonas salmonicida. The Lactobacillus isolates were screened for antagonistic activity against Aeromonas, Vibrio sp. by agar diffusion assay. Among the 4 isolates, Lactobacilli RLD2 showed significant antagonistic activity against Aeromonas and Vibrio sp alone. and was further evaluated by standard plate count assay for the viability of pathogen. The isolate was multiplied and the fish feed was supplement with Lactobacillus isolates. The results reveal that the size, weight of the fish was statically increased in comparison to that of control fish. The present study concluded that the Lactobacillus isolates could be used as probiotic bacteria in aquaculture, to manage aeromonasis

Can Google Help Your Nearsightedness? A Google Trend Analysis of Public Interest in Myopic Progression

Sugi Panneerselvam, Nina Diklich, Jonathan Tijerina, Michelle M Falcone, Kara M Cavuoto Department of Ophthalmology, Bascom Palmer Eye Institute/University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, USACorrespondence: Kara M Cavuoto, Department of Ophthalmology, Bascom Palmer Eye Institute/University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, 900 NW 17th Street, Miami, FL, 33136, USA, Tel +1-305-326-6324, Fax +1-305-547-3675, Email [email protected]: To explore public interest in myopia progression and management and to correlate these trends to available treatments.Methods: Keywords were chosen for interest in myopia overall and those signifying interest in myopia treatments. Treatment options were separated into four main categories: atropine, glasses, contact lenses, and orthokeratology. Search terms were queried across ten years of Google Trends data and the relative search volume was analyzed to quantify the change in search volume over time.Results: A positive linear trend over time was present for all myopia interest keywords except “nearsighted” (p = 0.074) and “near work myopia” (p = 0.086). Interest in the four myopia treatment categories included in this study also displayed a significant positive trend over time. There is also a statistically significant positive correlation between all four treatment options and four of the seven categories of population interest, “myopia control”, “myopia”, “myopia progression”, and “screen time myopia”.Conclusion: This study demonstrates the utility of GT to correlate public interest in myopia treatments over time. All treatment terms had statistically significant linear search volume growth over a ten-year period. The positive correlation between interest in myopia as a health problem and available treatments supports existing evidence that GT can track rising public health concerns and corresponding treatment-seeking behaviors.Keywords: myopia, Google Trends, nearsighted, orthokeratology, atropin

The IMEx coronavirus interactome: an evolving map of Coronaviridae-host molecular interactions

The current coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV)-2, has spurred a wave of research of nearly unprecedented scale. Among the different strategies that are being used to understand the disease and develop effective treatments, the study of physical molecular interactions can provide fine-grained resolution of the mechanisms behind the virus biology and the human organism response. We present a curated dataset of physical molecular interactions focused on proteins from SARS-CoV-2, SARS-CoV-1 and other members of the Coronaviridae family that has been manually extracted by International Molecular Exchange (IMEx) Consortium curators. Currently, the dataset comprises over 4400 binarized interactions extracted from 151 publications. The dataset can be accessed in the standard formats recommended by the Proteomics Standards Initiative (HUPO-PSI) at the IntAct database website (https://www.ebi.ac.uk/intact) and will be continuously updated as research on COVID-19 progresses

A Scoping Review: Overview of Current Respectful Maternity Care Research by Research Approach and Study Location

Introduction: Disrespectful care during childbirth contributes to poor health outcomes, perpetuates disparities, and encourages childbirth outside of healthcare facilities. To measure disrespectful care, investigators use many research approaches. Most research has focused on low/low-middle income countries. This scoping review aims to 1) summarize current research and research approaches to analyze whether these approaches identify the same types of mistreatment and 2) identify gaps in current research analyzing disrespectful care during childbirth. Methods: Following PRISMA guidelines, this review utilized search terms to filter articles from the Pubmed database. Using specific criteria, articles were then excluded by title and abstract, then full article review. Included articles were organized by research approach and analyzed for study location and the presence of 9 types of mistreatment. Results: 102 included articles were organized by research approach, including direct labor observation, survey, interview, and focus groups, yielding 144 total studies to account for articles with more than one research approach. Each research approach identified all 9 types of mistreatment, with neglect/abandonment, verbal mistreatment, and physical mistreatment reported the most. Low-income countries represented 134/144 studies, with most research centered in East Africa and India. High-income countries represented only 7% of research. Discussion: This review is the first to organize current respectful maternity care research by research approach and study location. Analysis of study location shows gaps in research, particularly among high-income countries. Further research, particularly in high-income countries, is necessary to better this global health concern

Modern microwave methods in solid state inorganic materials chemistry: from fundamentals to manufacturing

No abstract available