PERSON, NUMBER AND GENDER MARKERS AMONG HINDI SPEAKING TYPICALLY DEVELOPING CHILDREN

Language is a human system of communication that uses arbitrary signal such as voice sounds, gestures and or written symbols. Language acquisition refers to the way the child acquires or learns a language. It is a hierarchical process which has specific age for achieving each process. Syntax, a component of language is defined as the study of principles and process by which sentences are constructed in particular languages. Understanding language development and syntax levels helps us determine the child’s language adequacy. Solid syntactic skills require an understanding and use of correct word order and organisation in phrases and sentences with appropriate morphosyntactic operations. The morpho syntactical language includes plural markers, case markers, PNG markers etc. the study focuses on development of PNG markers among children who are native speakers of Hindi language. The study highlights the need to carry out more research in this area for better understanding of language acquisition among these children in order to develop both assessments and intervention programmes. Presently, the lack of acquisition data has hinged the development of any standardized tests in Hindi. Thereby, the study aims to explore PNG markers in Hindi speaking typically developing children with the objective of analysing the data of among these children across 4 to 6yrs. The results show that most of these markers developed by 4years of age. Most importantly as age increased these markers also increased. By 6 years of age most of these markers developed completely. The study also discusses various studies supporting the results

Influência de práticas culturais e da resistência genética na intensidade do cancro da haste e produção de soja no Cerrado

Os efeitos de práticas culturais e resistência genética na intensidade ao cancro-da-haste da soja (Diaporthe phaseolorum f.sp. meridionalis - Dpm) foram examinados na safra 1995-96 em áreas de produção comercial, que haviam sido severamente atacadas na safra anterior (1994-95). Um experimento investigou os efeitos de cultivo mínimo (MT) e do plantio direto (NT) no desenvolvimento da doença e produtividade das cultivares FT-Cristalina e FT-Seriema. Em outro experimento, semeado em plantio direto, estudou-se o efeito da densidade de plantas (8, 15, 21 e 36 plantas/m) no desenvolvimento da doença e produtividade das cvs. FT-Cristalina (suscetivel), FT- 101 (moderadamente resistente) e FT-104 (resistente). Incidência e severidade da doença foram menores em NT do que em MT. A produtividade aumentou no sistema NT (23% para ‘FT-Cristalina’ e 14% para ‘FT-Seriema’), comparada com as produtividades em MT. As curvas de progresso da doença foram melhor descritas pelos mo- delos de Gompertz e logístico. A severidade do cancro aumentou pro- porcionalmente ao aumento das densidades de plantio nas cvs. suscetível e moderadamente resistente. No final do ciclo, 100% das plantas da cv. FT-Cristalina estavam infetadas por Dpm, em todas as densidades de plantio. Níveis intermediários de doença foram observa- dos na cv. FT-101, enquanto apenas níveis muito baixos de doença ocorreram na cv. FT-104. Estabeleceu-se uma correlação negativa entre severidade de cancro-da-haste e produção. Algumas das práticas estudadas demonstraram potential para aplicação direta no controle da doença, e poderiam ser combinadas considerando-se seus efeitos aditivos.Field experiments were conducted in the 1995-96 soybean (Glycine max) growing season to evaluate the effects of cultural practices and host genetic resistance on the intensity of soybean stem canker, caused by Diaporthe phaseolorum f.sp. meridionalis (Dpm). Experiments were conducted in a commercial field severely infected in the previous (1994-95) season. In one study, minimum tillage (MT) and no-tillage (NT) cropping systems were investigated for their effects on disease development and on plant yields in cvs. FT- Cristalina (susceptible) and FT-Seriema (moderately resistant). Another study evaluated the effects of plant densities (8, 15, 21 and 36 plants/m) on disease development in cvs. FT-Cristalina, FT-101 (moderately resistant) and FT-104 (resistant). Disease incidence and severity were consistently lower in NT than in MT, and plant yields were increased by 23% and 14% in the NT system for the susceptible and moderately resistant cultivars, respectively, compared to the yields in the MT system. The Gompertz and Logistic models described well the disease progress curves in all situations. For both susceptible and moderately resistant cultivars, disease severity increased proportionately to the increase in plant densities. At the end of the season, 100% of the plants of cv. FT-Cristalina were infected by Dpm, at all plant densities. Disease levels on cv. FT-101 were intermediate while only very low disease levels were recorded on cv. FT-104. There was a consistent negative correlation between stem canker severity and yield. Some practices demonstrated potential for direct application in disease control, and could be combined considering their additive effects

Early Proterozoic Melt Generation Processes beneath the Intra-cratonic Cuddapah Basin, Southern India

Early Proterozoic tholeiitic lavas and sills were emplaced during the initial phase of extension of the intra-cratonic Cuddapah Basin, southern India. Ar-40-Ar-39 laser-fusion determinations on phlogopite mica,from the Tadpatri Fm mafic-ultramafic sill complex, constrain the age of the initial phase of extension and volcanism in the basin at 1.9 Ga. Despite their Early Proterozoic age, the igneous rocks are unmetamorphosed, undeformed and remarkably fresh. They exhibit a wide range in MgO contents (4-28 wt %) and have undergone varying degrees of accumulation or crystal fractionation. Variable La/Nb ratios (1.2-3.7) and epsilon(Nd) values (1 to -10) suggest that some, but not all, of the mafic rocks have been affected by crustal contamination. This appears to have taken place in magma chambers at similar to9 kbar, i.e. the base of the continental crust. Forward modelling of major and trace elements (Fe and Nd) and inverse modelling of rare earth elements suggest that the primary Cuddapah melts were generated by similar to10-15% partial melting of a lherzolite mantle source. This corresponds to a mantle Potential temperature of similar to1500degreesC. The thickness of the mechanical boundary layer predicted by the geochemical modelling is 70 km with a minimum initial lithospheric thickness of 120 kin. This corresponds to a stretching factor of 1.6-1.8. Richter's (1988) secular cooling model for the Earth predicts that, at 1.9 Ga, the ambient mantle had a potential temperature of similar to1500degreesC (i.e. similar to200degreesC hotter than Phanerozoic mantle). If the cooling model is correct then Proterozoic lithospheric stretching and mantle melting beneath the intra-cratonic Cuddapah Basin could have been caused by passive rather than active rifting

Analyses of the relationships between lettuce downy mildew and weather variables using geographic information system techniques

Previous studies in coastal California suggested that morning leaf wetness duration and temperature immediately after the prolonged leaf wetness period affect infection of lettuce by the downy mildew pathogen, Bremia lactucae. In this study, spatial analysis tools in a geographic information system were used to interpolate disease assessment data and then relate them to weather variables measured in 1995 and 1997 at weather stations in the Salinas Valley. Among the variables monitored at these weather stations, midday temperature (10:00 A.M. to 2:00 P.M.) was related most strongly to the interpolated downy mildew incidence in a circular area (radius = 5 km) around each station (r = 0.52, P <0.0001); the higher the midday temperature, the lower the disease incidence. High humidity and prolonged morning leaf wetness duration also were associated with high downy mildew incidence. Cluster analysis resulted in distinct regions with different midday temperatures, which overlapped well (92.2% of the total area) with regions distinguished in previous cluster analyses of downy mildew incidence. Clusters of morning relative humidity showed similar patterns, although they overlapped less well with clusters of disease incidence. These results confirmed that midday temperature is an important determining factor for lettuce downy mildew, and its effects should be incorporated into a disease warning system for coastal California. Cluster analyses based on the effects of temperature have great potential for use in regional downy mildew risk assessment

Metacarbonatite or marble? — the case of the carbonate, pyroxenite, calcite–apatite rock complex at Borra, Eastern Ghats, India

Carbonatites are often of economic importance, which raises the problem of distinguishing carbonatites from limestones when either are metamorphosed to high-grade marbles. They can be of similar appearance, particularly those from the Proterozoic and Archaean of the Indian Subcontinent. This study also contributes to solving the problem of determining the frequency of alkaline and carbonatitic magmatism during the early history of the Earth. The mineral assemblage of apatite–magnetite–phlogopite–calcite is common to marbles of both carbonatite and limestone origin. If pyrochlore is present that identifies the rock as carbonatite; if anorthite, fassaite, scapolite or spinel then it was formerly a limestone. If these minerals are absent, then trace element analysis can supply the critical Sr and REE data, which are both normally high in carbonatitic rocks and low in former limestones. These distinguishing factors are applied to the metamorphic carbonate, pyroxenite, calcite–apatite rock complex at Borra, Eastern Ghats, India, which has been variously interpreted as formerly a carbonatite and as a limestone. The evidence shows that the Borra rocks are meta-sedimentary

Analyses of the relationships between lettuce downy mildew and weather variables using geographic information system techniques

Previous studies in coastal California suggested that morning leaf wetness duration and temperature immediately after the prolonged leaf wetness period affect infection of lettuce by the downy mildew pathogen, Bremia lactucae. In this study, spatial analysis tools in a geographic information system were used to interpolate disease assessment data and then relate them to weather variables measured in 1995 and 1997 at weather stations in the Salinas Valley. Among the variables monitored at these weather stations, midday temperature (10:00 A.M. to 2:00 P.M.) was related most strongly to the interpolated downy mildew incidence in a circular area (radius = 5 km) around each station (r = 0.52, P <0.0001); the higher the midday temperature, the lower the disease incidence. High humidity and prolonged morning leaf wetness duration also were associated with high downy mildew incidence. Cluster analysis resulted in distinct regions with different midday temperatures, which overlapped well (92.2% of the total area) with regions distinguished in previous cluster analyses of downy mildew incidence. Clusters of morning relative humidity showed similar patterns, although they overlapped less well with clusters of disease incidence. These results confirmed that midday temperature is an important determining factor for lettuce downy mildew, and its effects should be incorporated into a disease warning system for coastal California. Cluster analyses based on the effects of temperature have great potential for use in regional downy mildew risk assessment

Factors affecting the survival of Bremia lactucae sporangia deposited on lettuce leaves

Experiments to identify the factors affecting survival of Bremia lactucae sporangia after deposition on lettuce leaves were conducted in growth chambers and outdoors under ambient conditions. Lettuce seedlings at the four-leaf stage were inoculated with B. lactucae sporangia under dry conditions. Sporangia deposited on lettuce seedlings were incubated at different temperature and relative humidity (RH) combinations, exposed to 100, 50, 25, and 0␜unlight in the second experiment, and exposed to different artificial lights in wavelength ranges of UVA (315 to 400 nm), UVB (280 to 315 nm), or fluorescent light in the third experiment. After exposure for 0 to 48 h in the first experiment and 0 to 12 h in the second and third experiments, seedlings in two pots were sampled for each treatment, and sporangia were washed from 15 leaves excised from the sampled seedlings. Germination of sporangia was determined in water after incubation in the dark at 15°C for 24 h. The sampled seedlings with remaining leaves were first transferred to optimal conditions for infection (24 h), for the development of downy mildew, and then assessed for disease after 9 days. Sporangia survived much longer at 23°C (>12 h) than at 31°C (2 to 5 h), regardless of RH (33 to 76Ž Germination percentage was significantly reduced after exposure to 50 and 100␜unlight. UVB significantly reduced sporangium viability, while fluorescent light and UVA had no effect relative to incubation in the dark. Infection of seedlings followed a pattern similar to germination of sporangia. Solar radiation is the dominant factor determining survival of B. lactucae sporangia, while temperature and RH have small, insignificant effects in coastal areas of California. This suggests that infections by sporangia that survived a day are probable only on cloudy days or on leaves that are highly shaded. Additional keywords: lettuce downy mildew, ultraviolet radiation