Use plan; Remote sensing.

Land development and its consequent use has a large impact on its immediate environment and sustainability. Hence, land use planning forms an important core component in development programmes of hilly areas for evolving effective plans at regional level. Hilly terrains offer a lot of challenges in land use planning due to their intricate bio-physical and socio-economic setup. Hence, the integration of scientific input through advanced techniques are required. The north-eastern part of India are well known for its inherent practice of shifting cultivation which have rendered considerable destruction to both land resources and environment. There is a necessity to develop proper strategies or land use plans which can counteract these detrimental effects on environment, and at the same time improve productivity of land. This study deals with the application of remote sensing and GIS for land use planning in Lawngtlai district of Mizoram, India. Indian Remote Sensing satellite data (LISS-III and Cartosat-I) has been used for generating various GIS layers like land use, slope, soil, drainage, etc. Integration of these with collected ground data resulted in generation of a comprehensive land use plan for the study area. The analysis in a GIS system helped in bringing out maps and statistics with constructive options for alternate land use plans which are both productive and sustainable. This information will be very useful at district level to plan according to the schemes and resources available

Evaluation of recombinant outer membrane protein C based indirect enzyme-linked immunoassay for the detection of Salmonella antibodies in poultry

Aim: To evaluate the efficacy of recombinant outer membrane proteinC (rOmpC) based enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA) for the diagnosis of salmonellosis in poultry. Materials and Methods: Three antigens were prepared, and the indirect ELISA was standardized using the antigens and the antiserum raised in chicken against Omp and rOmpC. Sera were collected from a total of 255 apparently healthy field chickens and screened for the presence of Salmonella antibodies by this ELISA. Results: The sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis analysis of Omp revealed major polypeptides at 36, 42 and 52 kDa, and the rOmpC was evident by a single protein band of 43 kDa. The Omp and rOmpC antigen revealed an optimum concentration of 78 and 156 ng, respectively, in the assay, while the whole cell antigen gave an optimum reaction at a concentration of 106 organisms/ml. The test was found to be specific as it did not react with any of the antisera of seven other organisms. The developed ELISA detected Salmonella antibodies from 22 (8.62%) samples with rOmpC antigen, while 24 (9.41%) samples gave a positive reaction with both Omp and whole cell antigens. Conclusion: We suggest rOmpC based indirect ELISA as a suitable screening tool for serological monitoring of poultry flocks

Immediate effect of verapamil on pulmonary functions in bronchial asthma

This article describes the immediate effect of verapamil, a calcium antagonist, on pulmonary functions in bronchial asthma. The effect of oral administration of 80 mg of verapamil or placebo was studied in a randomized double-blind manner in 30 extrinsic asthmatic subjects. No significant bronchodilator effect was observed with verapamil administration. There were no significant changes in heart rate and blood pressure after verapamil

Is transition zone index useful in assessing bladder outflow obstruction due to benign prostatic hyperplasia?: A prospective study

BACKGROUND: Benign prostatic enlargement (BPE) is the commonest cause of bladder outlet obstruction in men above 50 years of age. Though pressure-flow study is the gold standard in establishing outlet obstruction, it is associated with definite morbidity. Several noninvasive parameters are described to diagnose outlet obstruction due to BPE and evaluate treatment efficacy. AIM: We studied the role of transitional zone index (TZI) in assessing bladder outlet obstruction (BOO) due to BPE. SETTING AND DESIGN: Prospective hospital-based cross-sectional diagnostic study. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-five men aged between 50 and 77 years with untreated lower urinary tract symptoms due to BPE were studied. Patients with prostate cancer, prostatitis, active UTI urethral stricture, neurovesical dysfunction and diabetes mellitus were excluded. All patients underwent a standard assessment using the American Urological Association (AUA) symptom score, uroflow, pressure-flow (PF) study and transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) estimation of TZI. Investigators undertaking PF studies and TRUS were blinded to the investigation of others. From the PF studies, Abrams Griffith (AG) number was calculated. Based on this, patients were grouped into obstructed (AG>40) and unobstructed (AG< 40) groups. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: TZI was calculated and compared with PF studies using Mann-Whitney U test, logistic regression analysis and receiver operator characteristic curve (ROC). RESULTS: The mean age was 63.2 years (SD). The mean AUA scores and peak flow rate were 16.7 and 7.5 ml/sec, respectively. Of the 35 men, 21 were obstructed and 14 were unobstructed. TZI was not significantly different between the two groups, while the differences in age, AUA symptom score, prostate volume and TZ volume were statistically significant. Logistic regression model did not show any independent effect of TZI in predicting obstruction. ROC curve showed a poor overall accuracy in diagnosing obstruction due to BPE. CONCLUSION: Age, prostate volume and TZ volume are better indicators than TZI in diagnosis of BOO secondary to BPE

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Excellent and prime agricultural technologies even when as technically sound are of limited value and scope if they are not adopted and accepted by the farmers. The farmers need those technologies which increase their net returns and livelihood with keeping minimum risk and within their own purview and management practices. In the era of modernization, the traditional transfers of technology models are inadequate to the meet multiple objectives of poverty reduction, food security, competitiveness, sustainability and demand of the farming community. Keeping these points in mind, to develop and transfer location specific high income generating integrated farming system technologies and models to meet the specific client demand and emphasis on farmer’s participatory research is now gaining momentum in India and that too in North East India. Attempts have been made to integrate the desirable components of farming system research into the mainstream agricultural research so that the technologies developed are relevant, client-oriented and location specific. The Agriculture in the Manipur is complex, diverse and risk prone (CDR) and land is fragmented. Almost 80 per cent population of the region is dependent on agriculture. The farmers are resource poor and practice agriculture mostly for subsistence farming. About 85 per cent of the farmers are small and marginal but sharing only 40 per cent of the land. The hill soil is fragile and less fertile with high acidic in reaction. The crop productivity is very low mainly due to lack of resources, non-adoption of improved technologies and fragile ecosystems. Integrated farming system is a reliable way of obtaining high productivity with substantial nutrient economy for higher resource use efficiency in combination with maximum compatibility and replenishment of organic matter by way of effective recycling of organic residues/wastes etc. obtained through integration of various land- based enterprises. The modules mentioned in this book under transfer of technology and research activities organized by ICAR Research Complex for NEH region, Manipur Centre, Imphal to impart knowledge about the methodology, benefits and component selection at the farmer’s field to increase the livelihood of the resource poor farmers with limited land and other resources. In this book, we tried to cover almost all the aspects related integrated farming system from enterprise selection to integration. We hope that the book will be a valuable source of information for students, teachers, scientists, extension functionaries and policy planners.Not AvailableNot Availabl

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Not AvailableThe direct heritability estimates for piglet weights in pre and post weaning stages were moderate and improvement through mass selection is plausible. In the pre-weaning stage, the piglets had maximum genetic potential at birth (BW) to be exploited through direct selection. The 3 random effects, namely direct additive, maternal additive and litter permanent environmental effects had significant roles during different phases of pre-weaning growth and all must be included in the model used for formulating a breeding program. For post-weaning traits, the direct additive and permanent litter effects were the predominant factors governing the variability. The non-significance of postweaning maternal influence was as per expectation because the piglets moved away from maternal care after 8thweek of age.Not Availabl

Prevalence and Virulence Gene Profiling of Listeria monocytogenes from Fish and Meat Samples from Aizawl, Mizoram

This survey aimed to study the occurrence of Listeria species in fish and meat samples and characterization of their virulence genes. Over all, Listeria spp. was found in 25.22% samples out of which 9.0% and 16.21% were L. monocytogenes and L. innocua,respectively. L. monocytogenes (n=10) belonged to 4b, 4d and 4e serovars. All the isolates revealed presence of virulence genes- plcA and iap, while plcB gene was also present in 90% of the isolates. The occurrence of L. monocytogenes in samples shows cogent evidence for their zoonotic potential and has public health significance

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This Publication deals with the Status of Shifting Cultivation in North Eastern Hill Region of India and Strategies for Jhum Improvement.Not AvailableNot Availabl