Land Degradation – Its Extent and Determinants in Mountainous Regions of Himachal Pradesh

The study has been undertaken with the objectives of finding the extent of land degradation and its determinants in the mountainous regions of Himachal Pradesh by dividing the state into four zones. Multistage random sampling technique has been adopted to select the sample farmers from each zone. Logit analysis has been carried out to find the probability of different factors affecting land degradation. The factors whose effect on land degradation has been reported are: total owned land, land fragmentation, family labour, non-farm income, farm income, migration, leasing-out of land and education level of members in a household. The study has suggested some measures to minimize land degradation and consequently increase production and income levels in this difficult terrain of the country.Agricultural and Food Policy,

Technical Efficiency in North-Western Himalayan Region: A Study of Himachal Pradesh Agriculture

The technical efficiency of Himachal farmers, studied using the frontier production function, has been found to vary widely across cereal crops in the state. It has been found that the average yield of all the major cereal crops is below the national average, except the maize crop, which has been found in surplus in the state. Maize → wheat and paddy → wheat have been noted as the major crop rotations being followed in the study area. The analysis of cross sectional data has revealed inefficiency in terms of inputs application. The mean technical efficiencies have revealed that a considerable portion of frontier output is left untapped, it is 35-42 per cent in maize, 44-50 per cent in paddy and 61-67 per cent in wheat. The ratio of marginal value productivity (MVP) and marginal factor cost (MFC) has been found to be more than one in case of 50 per cent inputs for all the crops. However, the female labour for most of the crops has values less than one and with negative signs as most of the work (agricultural operations) in the hills is being performed by women. The results have indicated that there is a scope to increase the returns from wheat production by using more farmyard manure, chemical fertilizers, male labour, female labour and bullock labour in zone I. Similarly, in the case of maize (local) in zone I, the yield could be increased by increasing the use of more of farmyard manure, chemical fertilizers, male labour and seeds. The analysis has also revealed that a majority of the farmers operate at low level of efficiency due to practising of traditional cultivation methods. It is felt that there is a need to educate females in resource management, preferably through female extension workers.Farm Management, Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies,

Separation of Enantiomers of Metolazone by Thin Layer Chromatography Using a Chiral Selector

Enantiomeric separation of (RS)-Metolazone has been achieved by thin-layer chromatography (TLC) using both direct modes. cyclodextrin, containing hydroxylic group, was utilized as the chiral selector. For enantioseparation, cyclodextrin was used as a chiral additive in the stationary phase in a non-covalent mode and there was no chiral additive in the mobile phase; the native enantiomers were isolated and characterized. Cyclodextrin was also added to mobile phase and there was no chiral selector in the stationary phase. The spots were then isolated and characterized. The effect of the composition of the mobile phase, pH, and temperature was studied for the optimization of successful separation conditions. The spots were located in an iodine chamber

FUNGAL INFECTIONS ASSOCIATED WITH COVID-19

To study fungal infections such as Mucormycosis, Aspergillosis, Candidiasis, Cryptococcosis associated with Covid-19. A detailed study was done with the information gathered from the articles in specified databases, online sources, and online published materials to have current details of the situation of fungal infections in covid patients. Fungal infections were seen among covid-19 patients mostly due to opportunistic fungal pathogens such as Mucor, Candida, Aspergillus, and Cryptococcus. The reason behind rising opportunistic fungal infections among covid-19 patients may be the immunocompromised host. The most common species responsible for fungal infections in covid-19 were noticed to be of genus Mucor, A. flavus, and A. fumigatus species of genus Aspergillus, C. albicans species of genus Candida, C. neoformans, and C. gattii species of genus Cryptococcus. Patients suffering or recovered from covid-19 are now facing numerous Secondary Infections. The majority of secondary infections associated with covid-19 are Fungal Infections. Mucormycosis, candidiasis, aspergillosis, cryptococcosis as opportunistic infections are seen widely in the covid-19 treated patients. Rapid progression of such fungal infections is required to be controlled by early diagnosis of infection and by identifying the underlying risk parameters. Protocols for disease management will be beneficial too

Ertugliflozin: a novel anti-diabetic drug

Diabetes Mellitus is a disorder of global proportion. Despite various treatment modalities presently being available, yet the desired glycaemic control and patient outcomes have not been achieved completely. Sodium glucose co-transporter type 2 inhibitors (SGLT2 inhibitors) are one such promising group of emerging drugs in diabetes treatment. Ertugliflozin prevents the reabsorption of glucose by inhibiting sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) at proximal convoluted tubules. Ertugliflozin is available as 5mg and 15mg tablets. Ertugliflozin has been related to genital mycotic infections and urinary tract infections. Benefits of Ertugliflozin include better control on blood glucose, body weight and blood pressure

Ultrasound Assisted Facile Synthesis of 2-Benzylidenebenzofuran-3(2H)-ones

2-Benzylidenebenzofuran-3(2H)-ones commonly known as aurones, are an important class of oxygen heterocyclic compounds of flavonoid family. They exhibit some biological activities such as antioxidant, antifungal, anticancer, enzyme inhibitory, antiparasitic and antileishmanial activities. They are also responsible for imparting yellow color to the flowers and fruits. Owing to their varied importance, a simple and efficient method for the synthesis of 2-benzylidenebenzofuran-3(2H)-ones involving the reaction of 1-(2'-hydroxy-phenyl)-3-phenyl-propenones with copper acetate in ethanol under ultrasonic irradiation conditions has been described. The present method offers a faster reaction and a higher yield than conventional methods

Reproductive age mortality survey: a tool to determine level of underreporting of maternal mortality

Background: For achieving sustainable development goals, tracking all maternal deaths without missing any is a crucial step. Underreporting of maternal deaths is an issue especially in developing countries like India. Objectives of this study were to estimate maternal deaths using Reproductive Age Mortality Survey (RAMOS) methodology in a district of North India and to study medical causes responsible for maternal deaths.Methods: A Reproductive Age Mortality Study (RAMOS) was carried out in a district of North India for the period 2009 to 2012. Records of female deaths in the reproductive age group were reviewed using multiple sources and verbal autopsy was conducted. Maternal deaths thus identified were compared with the officially reported maternal deaths for the same period for finding out the under reporting. Verbal autopsy was conducted to find out causes of maternal deaths.Results: A total of 16 women were identified as maternal deaths using RAMOS methodology. The officially reported maternal deaths were 8, thus under reporting of 100%. The 16 maternal deaths consisted of 14 (87.5%) direct maternal deaths and 2 (12.5%) indirect maternal deaths. One or the other form of delay was recognized in 8 of 16 maternal deaths. There was delay in recognizing the warning signs for urgent health care requirement (first delay) in 4 of 16 maternal deaths. There was delay on part of health facility to diagnose the complication and act appropriately (third delay) in 4 cases.Conclusions: It is concluded that the reporting system for maternal deaths need to be strengthened. Health workers should be adequately trained on reporting maternal death cases. On this foundation verbal autopsy should be conducted for all the reported deaths of women of reproductive age group to know the circumstances leading to maternal deaths.

Antibacterial Performance Evaluation of Silver Coated River Sand for Water Decontamination Application

The presence of microbes in drinking water is a serious health hazard demanding immediate attention. Silver is known for centuries for its highly effective antimicrobial properties against a variety of microorganisms. Sand is a natural filter media that is widely used in water purification systems for the removal of dirt and suspended matter from water. Hence the development of additional antimicrobial features in commonly used filter material i.e. sand by coating with silver is an alternative technology for providing a safe drinking-water free from microbes. The present study was performed to develop a cost-effective material with antimicrobial properties by coating locally available river sand with silver. The coated material was subsequently used for its antimicrobial performance by using standard methods. To perform the tests E.coli was isolated from wastewater by using standard microbiological protocols. Thereafter, a biochemical test and antibiotic sensitivity assay were performed. Synthesised silver-coated sand was tested for its antibacterial activity against E.coli through the agar well diffusion method. The results showed a zone of clearance ≥40 mm with 700 mg of synthesised sample. To further determine the efficacy of developed material against E.coli load in artificially contaminated water, experiments were conducted by passing contaminated water through the material stuffed inside a hollow tube filter. A colony count reduction of 86.67 per cent was observed on passing 1000 ml of 3x103 CFU/ml contaminated water through the filter. The present study suggests that additional functionality of microbial reduction can be introduced in the sand through the silver coating. The developed material can be effectively used for the removal of fecal coliforms (E.coli) present in water bodies at an effective cost in addition to the removal of traditional impurities like dirt and suspended materials

Effect of varieties and storage on the quality parameters of nectarine (Prunus persica)-based intermediate moisture food (IMF) products

Fruits play an important role in maintaining a healthy life. Nectarine is a hybrid fruit of peach and plum, wherein efforts were made to develop intermediate moisture food products (jam and jelly) from nectarine varieties (May Fire, Snow Queen, and Silver King). The study aimed to determine the effect of storage on the nutritional (TSS, pH, acidity, ascorbic acid, and sugars) and sensory parameters (color, taste, flavor, texture, and overall acceptability) of jam and jelly at different storage intervals. Storage had a nonsignificant effect on the total soluble solids, with reported mean values of 69.670 Brix, while the pH content of jam varied significantly from 2.90-2.20 during 6 months of storage. The values for acidity and total sugars increased (P≤0.05) significantly from 1.92-2.03 percent and 57.04 to 56.93 percent, respectively. However, the ascorbic acid content decreased significantly from 4.64 - 1.66 mg/100 g. In the case of jelly, the total soluble solids and pH decreased from 67.78 – 67.440 Brix and 2.70 – 2.48, respectively, during storage for 6 months at ambient temperature. The ascorbic acid content decreased from 4.56-2.10 mg/100 g. Among cultivars, there was a nonsignificant difference in the nutritional parameters of jam, but in the case of jelly, different cultivars had a significant effect on TSS, pH, and ascorbic acid content. Organoleptically, the nectarine jam was rated as ‘liked very much’, while the jelly ‘liked slightly’, with good storage acceptance up to 6 months. Being nectarine as a superfood can be explored to develop speciality food products for vulnerable sections of society

Study on Air Bacteria at Different Altitudinal Locations in Tezpur to Tawang Axis

Microflora plays an important role in modulating environmental quality. Among microflora, bacteria are omnipresent in the environment. Pathogenic bacteria, present in air, are known to affect significantly the health and well-being of human, animal or plant populations. Air bacteria monitoring is thus essential for surveillance of pathogenic microorganisms from public health perspective besides its significant implications in detection and mitigation of biothreat related issues. Despite the geo-politically strategic importance of northeast India, there is scarcity of data on human health and disease surveillance. Considering these facts, we, for the first time studied the bacterial diversity of air at six important sites adjacent to the international border in the northeast region of India, having an altitude range of 73 m (Tezpur) to 4170 m (Sela Pass) above sea level. Standard microbiological techniques, such as Tryptone Soya Agar, Mannitol salt and McConkey agar strips and plates were used for air bacterial load assessment and culture for subsequent analysis using biochemical and molecular techniques. Following RFLP study, twenty six different bacterial colonies were isolated. Subsequently, bacteria identification was carried out by examining the substrate utilisation patterns, sequencing 16S rRNA gene and phylogenetic analysis. Results of the study reveal that the isolates mostly belong to two genera Bacillus and Staphylococcus (eleven in each genus), along with Micrococcus, Pseduomonas and Acinetobacter. Based on significant match of our sequences with that of medically important bacterial 16S rRNA sequences available at 16SpathDB 2.0 and review of available literature, we found that a number of these bacterial species have the pathogenic potential. In this manuscript we report our results and discuss the importance of air bacterial surveillance from the perspective of human health, hygiene and biothreat mitigation