Resistance in sorghum to shoot fly Atherigona soccata: Evidence for the source of leaf surface wetness

Leaf surface wetness (LSW) of the central whorl leaf of sorghum seedlings has been associated with susceptibility to shoot fly. Previous physical and physiological evidence suggested that LSW originates from the plant. This was confirmed by radioactive labelling methods using tritium and carbon-14. Tritiated water applied to the soil of potted seedlings was translocated to the surface of the whorl leaf. There were significant differences in the amount of tritiated water collected from susceptible (CSH 5) and resistant (IS 18551) genotypes. Studies with carbon-14 labelling of sorghum seedlings indicated the presence of (small amounts of) solutes in the surface water that may affect larval movement and survival

Justice at Sea: Fishers’ politics and marine conservation in coastal Odisha, India

This is a paper about the politics of fishing rights in and around the Gahirmatha marine sanctuary in coastal Odisha, in eastern India. Claims to the resources of this sanctuary are politicised through the creation of a particularly damaging narrative by influential Odiya environmental actors about Bengalis, as illegal immigrants who have hurt the ecosystem through their fishing practices. Anchored within a theoretical framework of justice as recognition, the paper considers the making of a regional Odiya environmentalism that is, potentially, deeply exclusionary. It details how an argument about ‘illegal Bengalis’ depriving ‘indigenous Odiyas’ of their legitimate ‘traditional fishing rights’ derives from particular notions of indigeneity and territory. But the paper also shows that such environmentalism is tenuous, and fits uneasily with the everyday social landscape of fishing in coastal Odisha. It concludes that a wider class conflict between small fishers and the state over a sanctuary sets the context in which questions about legitimate resource rights are raised, sometimes with important effects, like when out at sea

Au/TiO2(110) interfacial reconstruction stability from ab initio

We determine the stability and properties of interfaces of low-index Au surfaces adhered to TiO2(110), using density functional theory energy density calculations. We consider Au(100) and Au(111) epitaxies on rutile TiO2(110) surface, as observed in experiments. For each epitaxy, we consider several different interfaces: Au(111)//TiO2(110) and Au(100)//TiO2(110), with and without bridging oxygen, Au(111) on 1x2 added-row TiO2(110) reconstruction, and Au(111) on a proposed 1x2 TiO reconstruction. The density functional theory energy density method computes the energy changes on each of the atoms while forming the interface, and evaluates the work of adhesion to determine the equilibrium interfacial structure.Comment: 20 pages, 11 figure

Alternate cytoplasms and apomixis of sorghum and pearl millet

Cytoplasmic-nuclear male sterility (CAdS) has been an important factor in the improvement o f sorghum and pearl millet by increasing yield, expanding production, and stimulatingresearch and breeding. The identification o f alternate sterility-inducing cytoplasms and their emerging deployment hold promise for further advances. Current research to determine the cause and control o f CMS in these species could lead to greater efficiency and effectiveness in using CMS to select parents andproduce hybrids. Apomixis, although not now used with either sorghum or pearl millet, has the potential to be as important as male sterility in these species. Potential sources have been identified and research is in progress on characterization, introgression, and enhancement. The ability to perpetuate hybrid vigor by self-pollination could be very important in some o f the major sorghum and millet growing areas

Companions of Stars: From Other Stars to Brown Dwarfs to Planets: The Discovery of the First Methane Brown Dwarf

The discovery of the first methane brown dwarf provides a framework for describing the important advances in both fundamental physics and astrophysics that are due to the study of companions of stars. I present a few highlights of the history of this subject along with details of the discovery of the brown dwarf Gliese 229B. The nature of companions of stars is discussed with an attempt to avoid biases induced by anthropocentric nomenclature. With the newer types of remote reconnaissance of nearby stars and their systems of companions, an exciting and perhaps even more profound set of contributions to science is within reach in the near future. This includes an exploration of the diversity of planets in the universe and perhaps soon the first solid evidence for biological activity outside our Solar System.Comment: 31 pages, 13 figure

Trick or treat? Muslim Thangals, psychologisation and pragmatic realism in Northern Kerala, India

Thangals are an endogamous community in Kerala, India, of Yemeni heritage who claim direct descent from the Prophet Muhammad’s family. Due to their sacrosanct status, many thangals work as religious healers and thus are part of the informal mental health care system in Northern Kerala. Using the case of one thangal healer as an illustration of the many ritual healers in Kerala who engage the modern discourse of psychology in their practices, I argue that the psychologisation of ritual healing is part of a wider trend: the increasing rationalisation and scientification of traditional medical practices, whereby an increasing number of traditional healers negotiate science, modernity and religion and position their practice within these contested fields. Based on the analysis of this thangal’s healing practice in the local context of Northern Kerala, I further argue that in order to understand “ritual” healing, scholars should emphasise pragmatic realism more than doctrinal purity

Introduction: reconsidering the region in India: mobilities, actors and development politics

In this introduction to a special issue on ‘Reconsidering the Region in India’, we aim to develop a synthetic and theoretically nuanced account of the multifarious ways in which the idea of region has been imbricated in diverse spatial, political, cultural and socio-economic configurations. We draw from various bodies of anthropological, geographic and historical literature to elaborate on three themes that we believe are central to understanding contemporary processes of region-making in India: trans-regional mobilities and connections; the actors who produce and perform regional imaginaries; and changing regional politics of development.IS