Agricultural transformation and indigenous communities : A case study of the Soliga Communities in the montane forests, Southern India

Rural indigenous communities (Adivasi) represent some of the most marginalized and poorest people in India. Their socio-economic and cultural livelihoods are subject to rapid change. Introduction of commercial agriculture and new cash crops as well as the establishment of Protected Areas (PAs) in the forests that are traditionally used by indigenous communities are important drivers for change. The development-oriented work of NGOs, the introduction of formal education and the establishment of new infrastructure (e.g. roads) are other factors in this regard. Agricultural transformation impacts massively on the socio-economic as well as cultural conditions of the indigenous communities, especially on those living in remote montane forest areas. In most cases, the transition goes from low input low output subsistence farming and agro-forestry practices to commercial farming. The transformation goes together with a shift from, and loss of, traditional knowledge systems towards induced agricultural practices based on modern science-based knowledge. The main objective of this study was to understand how agricultural transformation and designation of Protected Areas impact on the land uses and livelihoods of the Soliga communities living in and around the Male Mahadeshwara Wildlife Sanctuary, in the Karnataka State, and the Sathyamangalam Wildlife Sanctuary, in Tamil Nadu State. This research applied a multi-faceted methodological approach. A pre-study has been conducted in February/March 2013 to select the case studies and to collect first hand local information that allowed the scholar to narrow down the research approach. The Soliga communities, their village heads, State Forest Department officials and NGO representatives in the areas have been interviewed. A three-tier methodology has been carried out during the main field research period in India (June 2013 until February 2014). Firstly, a literature review has been used for developing a suitable, place-case specific, and gender-sensitive analytical framework for assessing local knowledge of agricultural management. Secondly, GIS mapping has been resorted to map land use and land cover of the study areas for the past 10 years and finally qualitative participatory appraisals have been used to derive narratives of the past and existing situations using semi-structured interviews, oral histories and participant observations. The outcome of the research helps to understand the underlying agricultural transformation processes and the drivers of land use changes of the indigenous communities in this part of India and to recommend for sustainable land use policies and its implementation that better reflects the needs and concerns of the indigenous communities. The comparative study was done to bring out the positive and negative practical outcomes of the various policies adopted by the two different states with regard to tribal rights of use of forest land for crop cultivation. The pros and cons of both the state policies have been recorded according to the local people’s perceptions and used to evaluate the functioning of the Wildlife Sanctuaries with regard to environmental protection and conservation.Die ländlichen, indigenen Gemeinschaften (Adivasi) gehören zu den am meisten benachteiligten und ärmsten Bevölkerungsgruppen in Indien. Ihr sozio-ökonomischer und kultureller Zustand unterliegt einem schnellen Wandel. Die Einführung der kommerziellen Landwirtschaft sowie die Ausweisung von Schutzgebieten (Protected Areas, PAs) in den Wäldern welche traditionell von indigenen Gemeinschaften genutzt werden, sind wichtige Triebkräfte der Veränderung. Die entwicklungsorientierte Arbeit von Nichtregierungsorganisationen (NGOs), die Einführung von Schulbildung und der Auf- und Ausbau der technischen Infrastruktur (zum Beispiel Straßen) sind ebensolche Faktoren. Der landwirtschaftliche Wandel hat massiven Einfluss auf die sozio-ökonomische und kulturelle Situation von indigenen Gemeinschaften, vor allem in den bislang noch weitgehend autonom lebenden indigenen Gruppen in den Bergregenwäldern Süd-Indiens. In den meisten Fällen findet ein Wandel von extensiver Subsistenzwirtschaft und agroforstwirtschaftlichen Tätigkeiten hin zur kommerziellen Landwirtschaft statt. Der Wandel geht mit dem Verlust traditioneller Kenntnisse einher, welche durch „modernes“, wissenschaftlich fundiertes Wissen über landwirtschaftliche Praktiken ersetzt werden. Die vorliegende Forschungsarbeit konzentriert sich auf die Frage wie sich der landwirtschaftliche Wandel und die Ausweisung von Naturschutzgebieten in den Bergregenwäldern Süd-Indiens auf die Landnutzung und den Lebensunterhalt der dort lebenden indigenen Soliga -Gemeinschaften auswirkt. Als Fallbeispiele dienen das Male Mahadeshwara-Wildschutzgebiet im Bundesstaat Karnataka und das Sathyamangalam-Wildschutzgebiet im Bundesstaat Tamil Nadu. Hierbei wurde ein vielschichtiger methodischer Ansatz gewählt. In einer Vorstudie im Februar/März 2013 wurden die beiden Fallbeispiele ausgewählt und erste Informationen vor Ort gesammelt, um den Forschungsansatz einzugrenzen. Es wurden Menschen aus den Soliga- und Lingayat-Gemeinschaften, ihre Dorfältesten, Angestellte der staatlichen Forstbehörden und Vertreter von NGOs, die in den Gebieten aktiv sind, befragt. In der Hauptphase der Feldforschung (Juni 2013 bis Februar 2014) in Indien wurde ein ein dreistufiger Ansatz genutzt. Zuerst wurde eine Literaturanalyse durchgeführt, um daraus einen geschlechterspezifischen, geeigneten und angepassten analytischen Ansatz zu entwickeln, womit das lokale Wissen über die Bewirtschaftung der landwirtschaftlichen Flächen beurteilt werden konnte. Im nächsten Schritt wurde eine GIS-basierte Kartierung durchgeführt, um die Flächennutzung und Bodenbedeckung der letzten 10 Jahre in den Forschungsgebieten zu erfassen. Anschließend wurden qualitative, partizipative Bewertungsansätze wie teilstrukturierte Haushaltsbefragungen, mündliche Überlieferungen und teilnehmende Beobachtung genutzt, um detailierte Primärdaten und Informationen zu vergangenen und derzeitigen Bedigungen, Aktivitäten und Maßnahmen zu erhalten. Die Ergebnisse dieser Forschung wurden verwendet, um die Prozesse des landwirtschaftlichen Wandels und die Antriebskräfte der Landnutzungsänderungen der indigenen Gemeinschaften in diesem Teil Indiens zu verstehen und Empfehlungen für eine nachhaltige Flächennutzungspolitik und deren Umsetzung zu geben, welche die Bedürfnisse und Anliegen der Gemeinschaften besser widerspiegeln. Die vergleichende Studie wurde angefertigt, um die positiven und negativen Folgen verschiedener politischer Regelungen in beiden Bundesstaaten in Bezug auf die Rechte indigener Völker zur Nutzung von Waldflächen für den Ackerbau aufzuzeigen. Die Wahrnehmung beider staatlicher, politischer Regelungen durch die Menschen vor Ort wurde dazu genutzt, die Vor- und Nachteile der Regelungen zu erfassen, sowie die Wirksamkeit von Wildschutzgebieten für den Natur- und Umweltschutz zu bewerten

1-Methyl-3-(naphthalen-1-yl)-3,3a,4,9b-tetra­hydro-1H-chromeno[4,3-c]isoxazole-3a-carbonitrile

In the title compound, C22H18N2O2, the pyran ring of the chromene unit is fused with an isoxazole ring, which adopts an N-envelope conformation with the N atom lying 1.3291 (14) Å from the mean plane of the remaining ring atoms [maximum deviation = 0.341 (2) Å]. The dihedral angle between the isoxazole and chromene units is 43.74 (8)° and that between the iosxazole ring and the naphthalene ring system is 58.82 (8)°. In the crystal, the molecules are linked by weak C—H⋯π inter­actions

Novel Variants In <i>znf34</i> And Other Brain‐expressed Transcription Factors Are Shared Among Early‐onset Mdd Relatives

There are no known genetic variants with large effects on susceptibility to major depressive disorder (MDD). Although one proposed study approach is to increase sensitivity by increasing sample sizes, another is to focus on families with multiple affected individuals to identify genes with rare or novel variants with strong effects. Choosing the family-based approach, we performed whole-exome analysis on affected individuals (n = 12) across five MDD families, each with at least five affected individuals, early onset, and prepubertal diagnoses. We identified 67 genes where novel deleterious variants were shared among affected relatives. Gene ontology analysis shows that of these 67 genes, 18 encode transcriptional regulators, eight of which are expressed in the human brain, including four KRAB-A box-containing Zn2+ finger repressors. One of these, ZNF34, has been reported as being associated with bipolar disorder and as differentially expressed in bipolar disorder patients compared to healthy controls. We found a novel variant—encoding a non-conservative P17R substitution in the conserved repressor domain of ZNF34 protein—segregating completely with MDD in all available individuals in the family in which it was discovered. Further analysis showed a common ZNF34 coding indel segregating with MDD in a separate family, possibly indicating the presence of an unobserved, linked, rare variant in that particular family. Our results indicate that genes encoding transcription factors expressed in the brain might be an important group of MDD candidate genes and that rare variants in ZNF34 might contribute to susceptibility to MDD and perhaps other affective disorders

Sputum conversion at the end of intensive phase of Category-1 regimen in the treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis patients with diabetes mellitus or HIV infection: An analysis of risk factors

Background & objectives: New smear-positive pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) patients in the Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP) are treated with a 6-month short-course chemotherapy (SCC) regimen irrespective of co-morbid conditions. We undertook this retrospective analysis to compare sputum conversion rates (smear, culture) at the end of intensive phase (IP) of Category-1 regimen among patients admitted to concurrent controlled clinical trials: pulmonary tuberculosis alone (PTB) or with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM-TB) or HIV infection (HIV-TB), and to identify the risk factors influencing sputum conversion. Methods: In this retrospective analysis sputum conversion rates at the end of intensive phase (IP) in three concurrent studies undertaken among PTB, DM-TB and HIV-TB patients, during 1998 – 2002 at the Tuberculosis Research Centre (TRC), Chennai, were compared. Sputum smears were examined by fluorescent microscopy. HIV infected patients did not receive anti-retroviral treatment (ART). Patients with DM were treated with oral hypoglycaemic drugs or insulin (sc). Results: The study population included 98, 92 and 88 patients in the PTB, DM-TB and HIV-TB studies. At the end of IP the smear conversion (58, 61, and 62%) and culture conversion (86, 88 and 92%) rates were similar in the three groups respectively. The variables associated with lack of sputum smear or culture conversion were age >45 yr, higher pre-treatment smear and culture grading, and extent of the radiographic involvement. Interpretation & conclusions: Our findings confirm that the current policy of the control programme to treat all pulmonary TB patients with or with out co-morbid conditions with Category-I regimen appears to be appropriate

Cost-Effectiveness of HIV Testing Referral Strategies among Tuberculosis Patients in India

Background: Indian guidelines recommend routine referral for HIV testing of all tuberculosis (TB) patients in the nine states with the highest HIV prevalence, and selective referral for testing elsewhere. We assessed the clinical impact and cost-effectiveness of alternative HIV testing referral strategies among TB patients in India. Methods and Findings: We utilized a computer model of HIV and TB disease to project outcomes for patients with active TB in India. We compared life expectancy, cost, and cost-effectiveness for three HIV testing referral strategies: 1) selective referral for HIV testing of those with increased HIV risk, 2) routine referral of patients in the nine highest HIV prevalence states with selective referral elsewhere (current standard), and 3) routine referral of all patients for HIV testing. TB-related data were from the World Health Organization. HIV prevalence among TB patients was 9.0% in the highest prevalence states, 2.9% in the other states, and 4.9% overall. The selective referral strategy, beginning from age 33.50 years, had a projected discounted life expectancy of 16.88 years and a mean lifetime HIV/TB treatment cost of US$100. The current standard increased mean life expectancy to 16.90 years with additional per-person cost of US$10; the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio was US$650/year of life saved (YLS) compared to selective referral. Routine referral of all patients for HIV testing increased life expectancy to 16.91 years, with an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of US$730/YLS compared to the current standard. For HIV-infected patients cured of TB, receiving antiretroviral therapy increased survival from 4.71 to 13.87 years. Results were most sensitive to the HIV prevalence and the cost of second-line antiretroviral therapy. Conclusions: Referral of all patients with active TB in India for HIV testing will be both effective and cost-effective. While effective implementation of this strategy would require investment, routine, voluntary HIV testing of TB patients in India should be recommended

The COMBREX Project: Design, Methodology, and Initial Results

© 2013 Brian P. et al.Prior to the “genomic era,” when the acquisition of DNA sequence involved significant labor and expense, the sequencing of genes was strongly linked to the experimental characterization of their products. Sequencing at that time directly resulted from the need to understand an experimentally determined phenotype or biochemical activity. Now that DNA sequencing has become orders of magnitude faster and less expensive, focus has shifted to sequencing entire genomes. Since biochemistry and genetics have not, by and large, enjoyed the same improvement of scale, public sequence repositories now predominantly contain putative protein sequences for which there is no direct experimental evidence of function. Computational approaches attempt to leverage evidence associated with the ever-smaller fraction of experimentally analyzed proteins to predict function for these putative proteins. Maximizing our understanding of function over the universe of proteins in toto requires not only robust computational methods of inference but also a judicious allocation of experimental resources, focusing on proteins whose experimental characterization will maximize the number and accuracy of follow-on predictions.COMBREX is funded by a GO grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) (1RC2GM092602-01).Peer Reviewe

The charming sideshow : Cheerleading, girls\u27 culture and schooling

The research study, \u27The Charming Sideshow\u27: Cheerleading, Girls\u27 Culture and Public Schooling uses cheerleading as a window to explore the tensions between peer culture, status and the extracurricula through the experiences of cheerleaders in high school. This study takes seriously an activity that is simultaneously marginalized while being considered mainstream. Usually subject to dismissiveness or a flippant mockery, it is clubbed with soap operas or romance novels, activities considered trivial and associated with women. By moving cheerleading from the sidelines to the center, this study looks at cheerleading as a site from which to examine themes of stratification, and the networks girls create in order to deal with gender inequities as they experience them. This study provides an insight into how girls relate to athletic activities, the meaning they make of the rituals associated with cheerleading, and how they determine what is important for them in the schooling process. The study is grounded in qualitative research methods involving in-depth interviews and participant observations of thirty cheerleaders at three high schools. To facilitate a greater understanding of the cultural construction of cheerleading, it also incorporates ten interviews with women who were cheerleaders in their school days. The study is located historically through an analysis of historical documents. This study illustrates that cheerleading, like other forms of popular culture is not a static activity. Instead, the meanings of cheerleading shift and are negotiated by girls across time and around issues of race and class

A Review on Genomics APIs

The constant improvement and falling prices of whole human genome Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) has resulted in rapid adoption of genomic information at both clinics and research institutions. Considered together, the complexity of genomics data, due to its large volume and diversity along with the need for genomic data sharing, has resulted in the creation of Application Programming Interface (API) for secure, modular, interoperable access to genomic data from different applications, platforms, and even organizations. The Genomics APIs are a set of special protocols that assist software developers in dealing with multiple genomic data sources for building seamless, interoperable applications leading to the advancement of both genomic and clinical research. These APIs help define a standard for retrieval of genomic data from multiple sources as well as to better package genomic information for integration with Electronic Health Records. This review covers three currently available Genomics APIs: a) Google Genomics, b) SMART Genomics, and c) 23andMe. The functionalities, reference implementations (if available) and authentication protocols of each API are reviewed. A comparative analysis of the different features across the three APIs is provided in the Discussion section. Though Genomics APIs are still under active development and have yet to reach widespread adoption, they hold the promise to make building of complicated genomics applications easier with downstream constructive effects on healthcare