Ecology and conservation of golden jackal (Canis aureus) in Jodhpur, Rajasthan

At north-west of India there is dry, semi arid region called as The Great Indian Thar desert. It lies between 24o and 35o 5’ N latitude and 70o 7’ and 76o 2’ E. Mammals of Thar desert includes the wolf (Canis lupus), the stripped hyaena (Hyaena hyaena), golden Jackal (Canis aureus), the Indian desert fox (Vulpes v. pusilla), wild bore (Susscrofaspc.), black buck (Antilo pecervicapra), blue bull (Boselaphus tragocamelus), chinkara (Gazella benneti), Hanuman langur (Semenopithecus entellus) etc. Golden Jackal is unique in distribution, occurrence, and survives at different environmental conditions in India including the hot desert. Present study has been carried out at Phitkasni village, situated south-east of Jodhpur city. Large population of golden Jackal has observed and data of their homerange, territory, inter-specific relation, conflict with human and mortality has been studied. It is concluded that regular monitoring and proper conservation management is needed in this area so Jackal and other carnivore like wolf, desert fox and hyena can also be conserved

Epidemiology of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae colonization in ICU: a pilot study from a tertiary care hospital in Western Rajasthan, India

Background: Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) is a serious global public health threat. Antibiotic overuse, improper sanitation and unhygienic practices lead to large scale carriage and rapid spread.Methods: This is a prospective hospital based study planned for a period of 3 months including all patients admitted to 14 bedded Trauma ICU of a tertiary care hospital in Rajasthan. Rectal swabs were collected from admitted patients and carriage of carbapenem resistant Enterobacteriaceae looked for as per CDC guidelines. Screening of the Enterobacteriaceae colonies for carbapenemase production was done by Modified Hodge test. Carbapenem-resistant isolates were also tested for Metallo beta lactamase production by phenotypic disc confirmatory test.Results: A total of 73 patients were screened and 27 CRE isolates were obtained, carriage rate being 37%. A high level of resistance was seen to aminoglycosides, fluoroquinolones and cephalosporins. 100% sensitivity was however seen to Colistin, Tigecycline and Fosfomycin. 5 out of 27 strains showed a positive MHT test. Metallo beta lactamase (MBL) production was seen in 21/25 strains as tested by meropenem and Meropenem-EDTA discs.Conclusions: The current pilot study finds out the prevalence of CRE carriage among critically ill patients and stresses upon strong need for stringent infection control measures

Ultrafast spin-nematic and ferroelectric phase transitions induced by femto-second light pulses

Optically-induced phase transitions of the manganite $\rm Pr_{1/3}Ca_{2/3}MnO_3$ have been simulated using a model Hamiltonian, that captures the dynamics of strongly correlated charge, orbital, lattice, and spin degrees of freedom. Its parameters have been extracted from first-principles calculations. Beyond a critical intensity of a femto-second light pulse, the material undergoes ultra-fast and non-thermal magnetic phase transition from a non-collinear to collinear antiferromagnetic phases. The light-pulse excites selectively either a spin-nematic or a ferroelectric phase depending on the light-polarization. The behavior can be traced to an optically induced ferromagnetic coupling between Mn-trimers, i.e. polarons which are delocalized over three Mn-sites. The polarization guides the polymerization of the polaronic crystal into distinct patterns of ferromagnetic chains determining the target phase.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figure

Genetic Variability, Diversity and Interrelationship for Twelve Grain Minerals in 122 Commercial Pearl Millet Cultivars in India

Pearl millet contributes to the major source of dietary calories and essential micronutrients intake among rural populations in certain regions of India as its grains are more nutritious than other cereals. The aims of this investigation were to profile cultivar nutrition, diversity and interrelationship for grain minerals (Ca, K, Mg, Na, P, S, Cu, Fe, Mn, Zn, Mo and Ni) among 122 pearl millet hybrids and open-pollinated varieties in India. Trials were evaluated in randomized complete block design with three replications at two locations (Patancheru and Mandor) representing two major cultivation zones. The grain minerals in cultivars exhibited two- to- four-fold variation. Positive and significant correlations were noted among different minerals. A higher magnitude of positive and significant association between Fe and Zn (r = 0.71, P\0.01) and with other minerals suggested the existence of greater genetic potential for the concurrent improvement of Fe and Zn without lowering the other grain minerals in pearl millet. The first two principal components accounted for 49% of variation. Euclidian distancebased cluster analysis grouped the 122 cultivars into seven clusters. Cluster I had higher mean for Fe (56 mg kg-1) and Zn (49 mg kg-1), in which ICTP 8203, Ajeet 38, Sanjivani 222,PAC 903 and 86 M86 were identified as rich sources of iron, zinc and calcium with considerable levels of other nutrients. About 65% of cultivars for iron and 100% of cultivars for zinc have met the minimum standards set forth by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research. This indicates the feasibility of breeding nutrient-rich hybrids with competitive yields through mainstreaming in future

Behavioural disorders amongst children of a rural community of Lucknow, India

Background: Behavioural disturbances are notable child health problem, the importance of which is increasingly recognized in most countries. A behaviour problem is nothing but a deviation from the accepted pattern of behavior on the part of the child when he is exposed to an inconsistent social and cultural environment. Aims & Objectives: To assess the prevalence of behavioural disorders in children of a rural community. Material & Methods: This was a village based cross-sectional study done among the children for the assessing the behavioural disorders. Results: Of the total 1157 children studied, 195 (16.9%) showed one or the other behavioural disorders. Various disorders elicited were bed wetting (11.6%), thumb sucking (3.1%), nail biting (1.6%) and food fad (0.5%). The disorders were more common in preschool children (34.2%) compared to school going age children (11.0%). Behavioural disorders were more frequent in children at extremes of birth orders (birth orders I & V) compared to others. The prevalence of disorders did not differ much in boys (16.2%) and girls (17.6%). Conclusions: The present study has reported a relatively higher prevalence of behavior disorders (16.9%) in children in a rural setting. The pattern of behavior problems was studied in terms of age, sex and birth order. In such children, there is a need for health education and counseling by psychiatrist/psychiatric social worker at the primary care level and must be worked ou

Pearl Millet

Pearl millet [Pennisetum glaucum (L). R. Br.] is cultivated on more than 8 million ha in India, ranking third after rice and wheat in acreage. It is an important source of staple food for human beings and valuable source of fodder for livestock in marginal environments. A significant portion of pearl millet grain is also used for non-food purposes such as poultry and cattle feed and alcohol extraction. Pearl millet improvement research in India is coordinated through the All India Coordinated Pearl Millet Improvement Project (AICPMIP) under the aegis of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). Enormous accomplishments have been made in pearl millet improvement during the last 25 years. This chapter presents an overview of achievements in genetic improvement, cultural practices, disease and insect-pest management, seed production and value addition. Germplasm from diverse genetic backgrounds and breeding materials with adequate disease resistance have been utilized in hybrid parental line breeding programmes leading towards development of hybrids with good adaptation to diverse production environments. During the last 25 years, a total of 115 improved cultivars were released, which provided a wider cultivar choice to farmers in various agro-ecological regions. Agronomic research led to the establishment of detailed recommendations for agroecology specific pearl millet zones which made it possible to harness the yield potential of high-yielding hybrids and varieties. High-yielding hybrids and open-pollinated varieties (OPVs) have been widely adopted by Indian farmers. Currently, nearly 65 % of pearl millet area is under improved cultivars, mainly hybrids. A genetic linkage map of pearl millet has been developed, and quantitative trait loci (QTL) have been identified for traits of economic importance to facilitate molecular marker-assisted selection. Several processing technologies have been standardized to popularize pearl millet-based traditional and health food products. In the future climate change scenario, pearl millet being a highly climate resilient crop will play a greater role in providing food and nutritional security

Morphology of radio relics I: What causes the substructure of synchrotron emission?

High-resolution radio observations of cluster radio relics often show complex spatial and spectral features. However, it is not clear what these features reveal about the underlying magnetic field properties. We performed three-dimensional magneto-hydrodynamical simulations of merger shock waves propagating through a magnetised, turbulent intracluster medium. Our model includes the diffusive shock acceleration of cosmic-ray electrons, their spatial advection and energy losses at run-time. With this set-up we can investigate the relation between radio substructure and pre-shock plasma conditions in the host cluster. We find that upstream turbulence plays a major role in shaping the properties of radio relics produced downstream. Within the assumption of diffusive shock acceleration, we can reproduce the observed discrepancy between the X-ray derived Mach number of shocks, and the Mach number inferred from radio spectra. Our simulated spectral index maps and profiles across the radio relic also suggest that the standard deviation of the upstream magnetic field must be relatively small ($\sigma_B\leq 1 \, \mu$G) in order to reproduce observations and therefore, radio relics can potentially constrain the distribution of magnetic fields in galaxy clusters outskirts.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS, 22 pages, 25 figure

Deep Low-frequency Radio Observations of A2256. I. the Filamentary Radio Relic

We present deep and high-fidelity images of the merging galaxy cluster A2256 at low frequencies using the upgraded Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (uGMRT) and LOw-Frequency ARray (LOFAR). This cluster hosts one of the most prominent known relics with a remarkably spectacular network of filamentary substructures. The new uGMRT (300-850 MHz) and LOFAR (120-169 MHz) observations, combined with the archival Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA; 1-4 GHz) data, allowed us to carry out the first spatially resolved spectral analysis of the exceptional relic emission down to 6″ resolution over a broad range of frequencies. Our new sensitive radio images confirm the presence of complex filaments of magnetized relativistic plasma also at low frequencies. We find that the integrated spectrum of the relic is consistent with a single power law, without any sign of spectral steepening, at least below 3 GHz. Unlike previous claims, the relic shows an integrated spectral index of -1.07 ± 0.02 between 144 MHz and 3 GHz, which is consistent with the (quasi)stationary shock approximation. The spatially resolved spectral analysis suggests that the relic surface very likely traces the complex shock front, with a broad distribution of Mach numbers propagating through a turbulent and dynamically active intracluster medium. Our results show that the northern part of the relic is seen edge-on and the southern part close to face-on. We suggest that the complex filaments are regions where higher Mach numbers dominate the (re)acceleration of electrons that are responsible for the observed radio emission

The SDSS-III APOGEE Radial Velocity Survey of M dwarfs I: Description of Survey and Science Goals

We are carrying out a large ancillary program with the SDSS-III, using the fiber-fed multi-object NIR APOGEE spectrograph, to obtain high-resolution H-band spectra of more than 1200 M dwarfs. These observations are used to measure spectroscopic rotational velocities, radial velocities, physical stellar parameters, and variability of the target stars. Here, we describe the target selection for this survey and results from the first year of scientific observations based on spectra that is publicly available in the SDSS-III DR10 data release. As part of this paper we present RVs and vsini of over 200 M dwarfs, with a vsini precision of ~2 km/s and a measurement floor at vsini = 4 km/s. This survey significantly increases the number of M dwarfs studied for vsini and RV variability (at ~100-200 m/s), and will advance the target selection for planned RV and photometric searches for low mass exoplanets around M dwarfs, such as HPF, CARMENES, and TESS. Multiple epochs of radial velocity observations enable us to identify short period binaries, and AO imaging of a subset of stars enables the detection of possible stellar companions at larger separations. The high-resolution H-band APOGEE spectra provide the opportunity to measure physical stellar parameters such as effective temperatures and metallicities for many of these stars. At the culmination of this survey, we will have obtained multi-epoch spectra and RVs for over 1400 stars spanning spectral types of M0-L0, providing the largest set of NIR M dwarf spectra at high resolution, and more than doubling the number of known spectroscopic vsini values for M dwarfs. Furthermore, by modeling telluric lines to correct for small instrumental radial velocity shifts, we hope to achieve a relative velocity precision floor of 50 m/s for bright M dwarfs. We present preliminary results of this telluric modeling technique in this paper.Comment: Submitted to Astronomical Journa

Morphology of radio relics-II. Properties of polarized emission

Radio relics are diffuse radio sources in galaxy clusters that are associated with merger shock waves. Detailed observations of radio relics in total intensity and in polarization show complex structures on kiloparsec scales. The relation between the observed features and the underlying morphology of the magnetic field is not clear. Using 3D magneto-hydrodynamical simulations, we study the polarized emission produced by a shock wave that propagates through a turbulent medium that resembles the intracluster medium. We model the polarized synchrotron emission on the basis of diffusive shock acceleration of cosmic ray electrons. We find that the synchrotron emission produced in a shocked turbulent medium can reproduce some of the observed features in radio relics. Shock compression can give rise to a high polarization fraction at the shock front and a partial alignment of the polarization E-vectors with the shock normal. Our work confirms that radio relics can also be formed in an environment with a tangled magnetic field. We also discuss the effect of Faraday rotation intrinsic to the source, and how our results depend on the angular resolution of observations