Voluntary teacher forum(s): an experience of a journey (Rajasthan)

Background and History Evolution of Voluntary Teacher Forum is rooted in some organizational priorities, concerns of teacher community and joint initiative. It was in 2009 that as an organization we were in Tonk and Sirohi District and were exploring alternate methods of teacher professional development under the circumstances when in Rajasthan entire academic support system for teachers consisting Block Resource Center and Cluster Resource Centers were abolished. We were thinking about an idea that is ideologically different, which is primarily driven by teachers, assumes that teacher is a thinking individual, and which does not have problems of formal in-service teacher training programs. In our effort to address this we decided to provide a platform to self-introspecting teachers where they can share with, question and learn from each other. The central idea was/is to provide teachers the needed space to talk openly about all issues concerning the teaching-learning processes in schools. Hence we decided to create voluntary spaces for teachers

A Holistic Methodology for Improved RFID Network Lifetime by Advanced Cluster Head Selection using Dragonfly Algorithm

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) networks usually require many tags along with readers and computation facilities. Those networks have limitations with respect to computing power and energy consumption. Thus, for saving energy and to make the best use of the resources, networks should operate and be able to recover in an efficient way. This will also reduce the energy expenditure of RFID readers. In this work, the RFID network life span will be enlarged through an energy-efficient cluster-based protocol used together with the Dragonfly algorithm. There are two stages in the processing of the clustering system: the cluster formation from the whole structure and the election of a cluster leader. After completing those procedures, the cluster leader controls the other nodes that are not leaders. The system works with a large energy node that provides an amount of energy while transmitting aggregated data near a base station

Congenital epidermoid cyst of penis with hypospadias: A case report

The epidermoid cysts are the most common cutaneous cysts and may develop from any parts of the human body. Primary epidermoid cyst with hypospadias in the penis is very rare. Here, we present the case of a slow growing, mobilized; non-tender frenulum of the penis mass in a 44-year-old male patient. Complete excision of the cyst was performed under spinal anesthesia. Histopathological examination confirmed the mass to be an epidermoid cyst. Care must be given during examination to rule out another entity. If thereis any indication, complete excision and hypospadias repair is the best treatment

Mapping grain iron and zinc content QTLs in an Iniadi-derived immortal population of pearl millet

Pearl millet is a climate-resilient nutritious crop requiring low inputs, and is capable of giving economic returns in marginal agro-ecologies. In this study, we report large effect iron (Fe) and zinc (Zn) content QTLs using DArT arrays and SSRs to generate a genetic linkage map using 317 RIL population derived from (ICMS 8511-S1-17-2-1-1-B-P03 ? AIMP 92901-S1-183-2-2-B-08) cross. The base map (7 LGs) of 196 loci was 964.2 cM (Haldane). AIMP 92901-S1-183-2-2-B-08 is a high grain Fe and Zn line, an Iniadi parent tracing its origin to the Togolese Republic, West Africa. QTL analysis revealed a large number of QTLs for grain iron (Fe) and zinc (Zn) content. The concentration of grain Fe in the RIL population ranged between 20 and 131 ppm, and Zn from 18-110 ppm. A total of 19 QTLs for Fe and Zn were detected, of which 11 were for Fe and 8 were for Zn. The portion of observed phenotypic variance explained by different QTLs for grain Fe and Zn concentrations varied between 9.0-31.9% (cumulative 74%) and 9.4-30.4% (cumulative 65%), respectively. Three large effect QTLs for both minerals were co-mapped in this population - one on Linkage group (LG) 1 and the remaining two on LG7. The favourable alleles for QTLs of both the mineral micronutrients were contributed by the male parent (AIMP 92901-deriv-08). Three putative epistasis interactions were observed for Fe while single digenic interaction was for Zn. The reported QTLs may be useful in marker-assisted selection programs for seed and restorer parent breeding and population improvement programs in pearl millet.authorsversionPeer reviewe

Forecasting of growth rates of wheat yield of Uttar Pradesh through non-linear growth models

Wheat production in India is about 70 million tonnes per year which counts for approximately 12 per cent of world’s production. Being the second largest in population, it is also the second largest in wheat consumption after China, with a huge and growing wheat demand. Major wheat growing states in India are Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Bihar. All of north is replenished with wheat cultivation. Uttar Pradesh, the largest wheat growing region of the country, produces around 28 million tonnes of wheat and Bihar produces around 5 million tonnes. The usual parametric approach for growth rate analysis is to assume multiplicative error in the underlying nonlinear geometric model and then fit the linearized model by ‘method of least squares'. This paper deals with a critical study of wheat yield of Uttar Pradesh with a non-linear approach. The available data of rice during different years is taken into consideration and different statistical models are fitted for that. The time series data on annual yield of wheat in UP from 1970-2010 were collected from various sources. Growth rates are computed through non-linear models, viz. Logistic, Gompertz and Monomolecular models. Different nonlinear procedures such as Gauss-Newton Method, Steepest-Descent Method, Levenberg-Merquadt Technique and Do Not Use Derivative (DUD) Method were used in this study to estimate the nonlinear growth rates. The results showed that logistic model performed better followed by Gompertz and monomolecular

Cloning and expression of cultural filtrate proteins from novel and native strains of Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis and their application in ELISA based sero-diagnosis of Johne's disease

Johne's disease (JD), caused by Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP), is endemic in livestock leading to low per animal productivity. MAP as survives pasteurization, poses a public health problem because of high exposure to animals and humans. There is an urgent need for newer diagnostic tests with high specificity and sensitivity as the current ones suffer from lower sensitivity and specificity. In present study, six Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP)-specific culture filtrate proteins (CFPs) were produced and evaluated for sero-diagnosis of MAP infection in goat and cattle herds in India. Genes encoding for six MAP-CFPs were amplified and cloned into easy cloning vector pJET1.2/pTZ57R followed by sub-cloning into expression vector pET28a (+)/pET22b (+) containing C-terminal Histidine. Recombinant CFPs (r-CFPs) expressions were optimized in Escherichia coli (Rosetta cells) and purified using Ni-NTA affinity chromatography. In SDS-PAGE, MAP CFPs viz., 1693c, 2168c, ModD, 85C, Pep AN and Pep AC showed 22, 24, 55, 38, 20 and 25 kDa molecular masses, respectively. Identity of these r-CFPs was further confirmed by immuno-blotting. We developed six different ELISAs using the six individual r-CFPs and one additional ELISA i.e. cocktail ELISA (c-ELISA) was prepared using cocktail of all 6 r-CFPs. The performance of all seven ELISAs were further evaluated against whole cell protoplasmic based indigenous ELISA (i-ELISA). c-ELISA showed almost similar sensitivity as shown by i-ELISA. However, individual r-CFP based ELISA could not reach up to the sensitivity of cocktail of six r-CFPs. None of the r-CFP showed any false positive (as compare to i-ELISA) thereby specificity was 100%. Results of ELISA tests based on cocktail of r-CFPs, ModD and 85C were quite similar to i-ELISA from goat sera whereas in cattle serum c-ELISA was comparable with i-ELISA. Our study showed a comparable specificity of c-ELISA for the diagnosis of JD and it may have applicability in region where disease is endemic. Future validation of c-ELISA against gold standard or confirmatory tests would give a better insight on its diagnostic potential over i-ELISA

Cloning and expression of cultural filtrate proteins from novel and native strains of Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis and their application in ELISA based sero-diagnosis of Johne's disease

219-229Johne's disease (JD), caused by Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP), is endemic in livestock leading to low per animal productivity. MAP as survives pasteurization, poses a public health problem because of high exposure to animals and humans. There is an urgent need for newer diagnostic tests with high specificity and sensitivity as the current ones suffer from lower sensitivity and specificity. In present study, six Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP)-specific culture filtrate proteins (CFPs) were produced and evaluated for sero-diagnosis of MAP infection in goat and cattle herds in India. Genes encoding for six MAP-CFPs were amplified and cloned into easy cloning vector pJET1.2/pTZ57R followed by sub-cloning into expression vector pET28a (+)/pET22b (+) containing C-terminal Histidine. Recombinant CFPs (r-CFPs) expressions were optimized in Escherichia coli (Rosetta cells) and purified using Ni-NTA affinity chromatography. In SDS-PAGE, MAP CFPs viz., 1693c, 2168c, ModD, 85C, Pep AN and Pep AC showed 22, 24, 55, 38, 20 and 25 kDa molecular masses, respectively. Identity of these r-CFPs was further confirmed by immuno-blotting. We developed six different ELISAs using the six individual r-CFPs and one additional ELISA i.e. cocktail ELISA (c-ELISA) was prepared using cocktail of all 6 r-CFPs. The performance of all seven ELISAs were further evaluated against whole cell protoplasmic based indigenous ELISA (i-ELISA). c-ELISA showed almost similar sensitivity as shown by i-ELISA. However, individual r-CFP based ELISA could not reach up to the sensitivity of cocktail of six r-CFPs. None of the r-CFP showed any false positive (as compare to i-ELISA) thereby specificity was 100%. Results of ELISA tests based on cocktail of r-CFPs, ModD and 85C were quite similar to i-ELISA from goat sera whereas in cattle serum c-ELISA was comparable with i-ELISA. Our study showed a comparable specificity of c-ELISA for the diagnosis of JD and it may have applicability in region where disease is endemic. Future validation of c-ELISA against gold standard or confirmatory tests would give a better insight on its diagnostic potential over i-ELISA

Development and Application of High-Density Axiom Cajanus SNP Array with 56K SNPs to Understand the Genome Architecture of Released Cultivars and Founder Genotypes

As one of the major outputs of next-generation sequencing (NGS), a large number of genome-wide single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have been developed in pigeonpea [Cajanus cajan (L.) Huth.]. However, SNPs require a genotyping platform or assay to be used in different evolutionary studies or in crop improvement programs. Therefore, we developed an Axiom Cajanus SNP array with 56K SNPs uniformly distributed across the genome and assessed its utility in a genetic diversity study. From the whole-genome resequencing (WGRS) data on 104 pigeonpea lines, ∼2 million sequence variations (SNPs and insertion–deletions [InDels]) were identified, from which a subset of 56,512 unique and informative sequence variations were selected to develop the array. The Axiom Cajanus SNP array developed was used for genotyping 103 pigeonpea lines encompassing 63 cultivars released between 1960 and 2014 and 40 breeding, germplasm, and founder lines. Genotyping data thus generated on 103 pigeonpea lines provided 51,201 polymorphic SNPs and InDels. Genetic diversity analysis provided in-depth insights into the genetic architecture and trends in temporal diversity in pigeonpea cultivars. Therefore, the continuous use of the high-density Axiom Cajanus SNP array developed will accelerate high-resolution trait mapping, marker-assisted breeding, and genomic selection efforts in pigeonpea

Hydrogen Sulfide and Silicon Together Alleviate Chromium (VI) Toxicity by Modulating Morpho-Physiological and Key Antioxidant Defense Systems in Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) Varieties

Extensive use of chromium (Cr) in anthropogenic activities leads to Cr toxicity in plants causing serious threat to the environment. Cr toxicity impairs plant growth, development, and metabolism. In the present study, we explored the effect of NaHS [a hydrogen sulfide; (H2S), donor] and silicon (Si), alone or in combination, on two chickpea (Cicer arietinum) varieties (Pusa 2085 and Pusa Green 112), in pot conditions under Cr stress. Cr stress increased accumulation of Cr reduction of the plasma membrane (PM) H+-ATPase activity and decreased in photosynthetic pigments, essential minerals, relative water contents (RWC), and enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants in both the varieties. Exogenous application of NaHS and Si on plants exposed to Cr stress mitigated the effect of Cr and enhanced the physiological and biochemical parameters by reducing Cr accumulation and oxidative stress in roots and leaves. The interactive effects of NaHS and Si showed a highly significant and positive correlation with PM H+-ATPase activity, photosynthetic pigments, essential minerals, RWC, proline content, and enzymatic antioxidant activities (catalase, peroxidase, ascorbate peroxidase, dehydroascorbate reductase, superoxide dismutase, and monodehydroascorbate reductase). A similar trend was observed for non-enzymatic antioxidant activities (ascorbic acid, glutathione, oxidized glutathione, and dehydroascorbic acid level) in leaves while oxidative damage in roots and leaves showed a negative correlation. Exogenous application of NaHS + Si could enhance Cr stress tolerance in chickpea and field studies are warranted for assessing crop yield under Cr-affected area