Machinability study on Al7075/Al2O3-SiC hybrid composites

In the present research, the effects of volume fraction of SiC+Al2O3 particles and aging temperature on the machinability of stir-casted Al7075 metal matrix composites (MMC) have been investigated. The hybrid composites were fabricated using the liquid metallurgy route. Al7075 was reinforced with different wt. % of SiC (3%, 6%, and 9%) and Al2O3 (2%, 4%, and 6%) which were used to fabricate the hybrid metal matrix composites. The samples were aged at different temperatures (140 ºC, 160 ºC, and 180 ºC) for 4 h and cooled at furnace temperature (27 ºC). The machinability of hybrid metal matrix composites was studied by carrying out L27 orthogonal array experiments. Three process parameters were selected, such as 0.2 mm/min of the depth of cut, 0.1 mm/min of feed rate, and 1500 rpm of spindle speed. The obtained results indicate that the surface roughness and machining force of MMCs increase with an increase in weight percentage of Al2O3/SiC and decrease with the increase in aging temperature. Optimum machining force and surface roughness were obtained at 2% Al2O3 + 3 % SiC and 180°C of aging temperature

Genetic diversity and differentiation among populations of the Indian eri silkworm, Samia cynthia ricini, revealed by ISSR markers

Samia cynthia ricini (Lepidoptera:Saturniidae), the Indian eri silkworm, contributes significantly to the production of commercial silk and is widely distributed in the Brahmaputra river valley in North-Eastern India. Due to over exploitation coupled with rapid deforestation, most of the natural populations of S. cynthia ricini are dwindling rapidly and its preservation has become an important goal. Assessment of the genetic structure of each population is a prerequisite for a sustainable conservation program. DNA fingerprinting to detect genetic variation has been used in different insect species not only between populations, but also between individuals within a population. Since, information on the genetic basis of phenotypic variability and genetic diversity within the S. cynthia ricini populations is scanty, inter simple sequence repeat (ISSR) system was used to assess genetic diversity and differentiation among six commercially exploited S. cynthia ricini populations. Twenty ISSR primers produced 87% of inter population variability among the six populations. Genetic distance was lowest between the populations Khanapara (E5) and Mendipathar (E6) (0.0654) and highest between Dhanubhanga (E4) and Titabar (E3) (0.3811). Within population, heterozygosity was higher in Borduar (E2) (0.1093) and lowest in Titabar (E3) (0.0510). Highest gene flow (0.9035) was between E5 and E6 and the lowest (0.2172) was between E3 and E5. Regression analysis showed positive correlation between genetic distance and geographic distance among the populations. The high GST value (0.657) among the populations combined with low gene flow contributes significantly to the genetic differentiation among the S. cynthia ricini populations. Based on genetic diversity, these populations can be considered as different ecotypes and in situ conservation of them is recommended

Austro-Asiatic Tribes of Northeast India Provide Hitherto Missing Genetic Link between South and Southeast Asia

Northeast India, the only region which currently forms a land bridge between the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, has been proposed as an important corridor for the initial peopling of East Asia. Given that the Austro-Asiatic linguistic family is considered to be the oldest and spoken by certain tribes in India, Northeast India and entire Southeast Asia, we expect that populations of this family from Northeast India should provide the signatures of genetic link between Indian and Southeast Asian populations. In order to test this hypothesis, we analyzed mtDNA and Y-Chromosome SNP and STR data of the eight groups of the Austro-Asiatic Khasi from Northeast India and the neighboring Garo and compared with that of other relevant Asian populations. The results suggest that the Austro-Asiatic Khasi tribes of Northeast India represent a genetic continuity between the populations of South and Southeast Asia, thereby advocating that northeast India could have been a major corridor for the movement of populations from India to East/Southeast Asia

Local diversity in settlement, demography and subsistence across the southern Indian Neolithic-Iron Age transition: site growth and abandonment at Sanganakallu-Kupgal

The Southern Indian Neolithic-Iron Age transition demonstrates considerable regional variability in settlement location, density, and size. While researchers have shown that the region around the Tungabhadra and Krishna River basins displays significant subsistence and demographic continuity, and intensification, from the Neolithic into the Iron Age ca. 1200 cal. BC, archaeological and chronometric records in the Sanganakallu region point to hilltop village expansion during the Late Neolithic and ‘Megalithic’ transition period (ca. 1400–1200 cal. BC) prior to apparent abandonment ca. 1200 cal. BC, with little evidence for the introduction of iron technology into the region. We suggest that the difference in these settlement histories is a result of differential access to stable water resources during a period of weakening and fluctuating monsoon across a generally arid landscape. Here, we describe well-dated, integrated chronological, archaeobotanical, archaeozoological and archaeological survey datasets from the Sanganakallu-Kupgal site complex that together demonstrate an intensification of settlement, subsistence and craft production on local hilltops prior to almost complete abandonment ca. 1200 cal. BC. Although the southern Deccan region as a whole may have witnessed demographic increase, as well as subsistence and cultural continuity, at this time, this broader pattern of continuity and resilience is punctuated by local examples of abandonment and mobility driven by an increasing practical and political concern with water

Global age-sex-specific mortality, life expectancy, and population estimates in 204 countries and territories and 811 subnational locations, 1950–2021, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic: a comprehensive demographic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

Background Estimates of demographic metrics are crucial to assess levels and trends of population health outcomes. The profound impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on populations worldwide has underscored the need for timely estimates to understand this unprecedented event within the context of long-term population health trends. The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2021 provides new demographic estimates for 204 countries and territories and 811 additional subnational locations from 1950 to 2021, with a particular emphasis on changes in mortality and life expectancy that occurred during the 2020–21 COVID-19 pandemic period. Methods 22 223 data sources from vital registration, sample registration, surveys, censuses, and other sources were used to estimate mortality, with a subset of these sources used exclusively to estimate excess mortality due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 2026 data sources were used for population estimation. Additional sources were used to estimate migration; the effects of the HIV epidemic; and demographic discontinuities due to conflicts, famines, natural disasters, and pandemics, which are used as inputs for estimating mortality and population. Spatiotemporal Gaussian process regression (ST-GPR) was used to generate under-5 mortality rates, which synthesised 30 763 location-years of vital registration and sample registration data, 1365 surveys and censuses, and 80 other sources. ST-GPR was also used to estimate adult mortality (between ages 15 and 59 years) based on information from 31 642 location-years of vital registration and sample registration data, 355 surveys and censuses, and 24 other sources. Estimates of child and adult mortality rates were then used to generate life tables with a relational model life table system. For countries with large HIV epidemics, life tables were adjusted using independent estimates of HIV-specific mortality generated via an epidemiological analysis of HIV prevalence surveys, antenatal clinic serosurveillance, and other data sources. Excess mortality due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021 was determined by subtracting observed all-cause mortality (adjusted for late registration and mortality anomalies) from the mortality expected in the absence of the pandemic. Expected mortality was calculated based on historical trends using an ensemble of models. In location-years where all-cause mortality data were unavailable, we estimated excess mortality rates using a regression model with covariates pertaining to the pandemic. Population size was computed using a Bayesian hierarchical cohort component model. Life expectancy was calculated using age-specific mortality rates and standard demographic methods. Uncertainty intervals (UIs) were calculated for every metric using the 25th and 975th ordered values from a 1000-draw posterior distribution. Findings Global all-cause mortality followed two distinct patterns over the study period: age-standardised mortality rates declined between 1950 and 2019 (a 62·8% [95% UI 60·5–65·1] decline), and increased during the COVID-19 pandemic period (2020–21; 5·1% [0·9–9·6] increase). In contrast with the overall reverse in mortality trends during the pandemic period, child mortality continued to decline, with 4·66 million (3·98–5·50) global deaths in children younger than 5 years in 2021 compared with 5·21 million (4·50–6·01) in 2019. An estimated 131 million (126–137) people died globally from all causes in 2020 and 2021 combined, of which 15·9 million (14·7–17·2) were due to the COVID-19 pandemic (measured by excess mortality, which includes deaths directly due to SARS-CoV-2 infection and those indirectly due to other social, economic, or behavioural changes associated with the pandemic). Excess mortality rates exceeded 150 deaths per 100 000 population during at least one year of the pandemic in 80 countries and territories, whereas 20 nations had a negative excess mortality rate in 2020 or 2021, indicating that all-cause mortality in these countries was lower during the pandemic than expected based on historical trends. Between 1950 and 2021, global life expectancy at birth increased by 22·7 years (20·8–24·8), from 49·0 years (46·7–51·3) to 71·7 years (70·9–72·5). Global life expectancy at birth declined by 1·6 years (1·0–2·2) between 2019 and 2021, reversing historical trends. An increase in life expectancy was only observed in 32 (15·7%) of 204 countries and territories between 2019 and 2021. The global population reached 7·89 billion (7·67–8·13) people in 2021, by which time 56 of 204 countries and territories had peaked and subsequently populations have declined. The largest proportion of population growth between 2020 and 2021 was in sub-Saharan Africa (39·5% [28·4–52·7]) and south Asia (26·3% [9·0–44·7]). From 2000 to 2021, the ratio of the population aged 65 years and older to the population aged younger than 15 years increased in 188 (92·2%) of 204 nations. Interpretation Global adult mortality rates markedly increased during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021, reversing past decreasing trends, while child mortality rates continued to decline, albeit more slowly than in earlier years. Although COVID-19 had a substantial impact on many demographic indicators during the first 2 years of the pandemic, overall global health progress over the 72 years evaluated has been profound, with considerable improvements in mortality and life expectancy. Additionally, we observed a deceleration of global population growth since 2017, despite steady or increasing growth in lower-income countries, combined with a continued global shift of population age structures towards older ages. These demographic changes will likely present future challenges to health systems, economies, and societies. The comprehensive demographic estimates reported here will enable researchers, policy makers, health practitioners, and other key stakeholders to better understand and address the profound changes that have occurred in the global health landscape following the first 2 years of the COVID-19 pandemic, and longer-term trends beyond the pandemic

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Not AvailableGenetic linkage maps facilitate the genetic dissection of complex traits and comparative analyses of genome structure, as well as molecular breeding in species of economic importance. Isabgol [Plantago ovata (Forsk.)], a medicinal plant with potent laxative properties is used in several traditional systems of Medicines and cultivated in India. We explored the DNA sequences of Isabgol in the Genbank (NCBI) and developed over 1500 simple sequence repeats (SSR) markers. Some of them were validated through DNA amplification. Transferability of SSRs from wild Plantago species viz., P. major, P. coronopus, P. lancelolata, P. maritina and P. intermida into Plantago ovata was studied. We developed a genetic linkage map using recombinant inbred lines (RILs) population which comprises of 30 random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers spreading across 11 linkage groups (PO-1 to PO-11) with a total map distance of 75.6 cM. The SSR markers developed will have applications in assessing the functional diversity, comparative mapping and other applications in isabgol.Not Availabl

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Not AvailableAshwagandha (Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal) is a potent medicinal plant originated in the Indian sub continent and is widely used in traditional systems of medicine globally. Pure lines form an important genetic resource for improvement of yield and quality. Root is the economic part used. In the present study, a set of 328 (DWS1-DWS327) pure lines were developed from JA134 out crossed population through individual plant selection, selfing and generation advancement for the first time in Aswagandha. Variation for qualitative and quantitative traits was observed between pure lines and lines with distinct morphological traits were obtained. Heritability and genetic divergence among a set of 48 pure lines with JA134 and JA30 was assessed based on 20 root yield and its component traits. We used Mahalanobis D2 statistics for the genetic divergence estimation. The accessions were grouped into ten clusters, where cluster I was the largest containing 12 accessions, followed by cluster III consisting of ten accessions. Root yield per plant (15.1%) contributed maximum towards genetic diversity. Based on the inter cluster distance and per se performance, the pure lines DWS84 and DWS85 were selected which could be intercrossed to obtain high heterosis and also to recover transgressive segregants for the improvement of root yield and its quality. Pure lines developed in the present study form important genetic resources for the improvement of yield and quality of Aswagandha.ICA

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Not AvailableIsabgol (Plantago ovata Forsk.) is an important export oriented medicinal crop cultivated in India. Morphological characters are useful in crop improvement program as markers. However, there were no reports on inheritance of morphological characters in Isabgol. Our aim is to study the inheritance of leaf color (light and dark green), leaf curling (curly and normal), leaf hairiness (glossy and hairy) and plant height (tall and dwarf) using F2 population derived from a cross derived from DPO-401 and DPO-324 parents. Hybrid (F1) had light green leaves, no leaf curling, hairy leaf and tall plant type. F2 segregation analysis revealed that, there were two (Lr1 and Lr2) genes with duplicate gene action controlling leaf color, single recessive gene (cl) controlling leaf curliness and two genes (H1 and H2) controlling the leaf hairiness with single dominant gene either of H1 or H2 producing the leaf hairy phenotype. Plant height was controlled by two genes (Dw1 and Dw2) with single dominant gene either of Dw1 or Dw2 producing the tall phenotype. The expression of these visible markers is independent of environment and therefore, can be useful as markers in linkage map construction and also as phenotypic tags in marker assisted selection.ICA

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