Pathogenic and morphological variability among the isolates of Fusarium udum (Butler) causing wilt of pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan)

Wilt is the most serious disease causing irreversible losses and lethal damage to the crop in Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa and the West Bengal states of Eastern India. Because of the existence of high pathogen variability, management of the disease using resistant cultivars will be a challenging task. For breeding resistant varieties, knowledge of pathogen variability in the particular crop area is essential.  In present study, fifteen isolates viz., Fu-9, Fu-10, Fu-27,Fu-32, Fu-42, Fu-49, Fu-63, Fu-72, Fu-73, Fu-74,Fu-75,Fu-84, Fu-86, Fu-87, Fu-97of Fusarium udum  obtained from wilt infected pigeonpea plants of Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa and West Bengal of Eastern India were assessed for the phenotypic variation.  The isolates exhibited considerable variations in cultural and morphological characters viz., radial growth, mycelial color, sporulation, size and shape of macroconidia. Pathogenic variability on soil inoculated pot grown plants of pigeonpea resulted in 12.0 to 57.1 percent wilt incidence. The isolates also exhibited significant variations in symptoms like drooping of shoots, latent period, timing of fungal invasion, vascular clogging, drooping of shoots, and wilt establishment etc.  Based on the wilt incidence, the fifteen isolates were distinguished into pathogenic groups. Fu- 10, Fu-27, Fu-32 and Fu-49  were found highly pathogenic and predominantly causing the typical wilt symptoms of more than one 31% wilt incidence. The present study indicates the existence of variability among isolates of vascular wilt pathogen collected from Eastern region of India.

“I Forgot My Numbers and the Machine Swallowed It Up”: Adults With Learning Disabilities Share Their Perspectives on the Shift to a Cashless Society

Introduction This paper examines the experiences of people with learning disabilities in the United Kingdom as society transitions towards cashless transactions and services. It is a significant study because it highlights the need to understand their digital financial experiences. Methods This study employed an inclusive, interpretivist approach, focusing on participatory methods. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to analyse data from focus groups including 40 people with learning disabilities across 3 day services. This original study included co-researchers with lived experience of learning disabilities who assisted in data collection and analysis. Results Four key themes emerged: heterogeneity of preferences for cash versus digital payments; the urgent need for support and training in digital financial literacy; balancing safeguarding and fostering independence; and accessibility challenges in physical and online banking environments. Conclusions The shift to a cashless society poses significant challenges for people with learning disabilities, requiring tailored support and training in digital finance. Financial institutions should be cognisant of these needs, suggesting that systemic changes are required for improved financial inclusion. The study highlights the importance of including people with learning disabilities in the design of digital financial tools and policies, to support their financial autonomy and independence

Foraging Behaviour of Heifers, Sheep and Goats in Grass-Legume Cafeteria

The paper reports findings of a grazing trial with heifers, sheep and goats in a grass–legume cafeteria involving 45x10 m alternate strips of 18 grasses and 18 legumes. In the first year heifers were grazed. Sheep were introduced in the second year and goats in the third year. The stocking rate was 1.5 ACU/ha. Foraging behaviour of three kinds of animals differed in many respects with grazing and rest durations, choice of species in the forenoon and afternoon and in different seasons. Heifers, by and large, preferred grasses over legumes and browse. Sheep, on the contrary, preferred legumes over grasses and browse. Goats preferred browse and legumes over grasses. These findings serve as base line information in designing a silvopastoral system for mixed herd grazing which low and medium level farmers practice

A systematic review of current knowledge of HIV epidemiology and of sexual behaviour in Nepal

OBJECTIVE: To systematically review information on HIV epidemiology and on sexual behaviour in Nepal with a view to identifying gaps in current knowledge. METHODS: Systematic review covering electronic databases, web-based information, personal contact with experts and hand searching of key journals. RESULTS: HIV-1 seroprevalence has been rising rapidly in association with high-risk behaviours, with current levels of 40% amongst the nation's injecting drug users and approaching 20% amongst Kathmandu's female commercial sex workers (FCSWs). HIV seroprevalence remains low in the general population (0.29% of 15–49 year olds). There are significant methodological limitations in many of the seroprevalence studies identified, and these estimates need to be treated with caution. There are extensive migration patterns both within the country and internationally which provide the potential for considerable sexual networking. However, studies of sexual behaviour have focused on FCSWs and the extent of sexual networks within the general population is largely unknown. CONCLUSIONS: Whilst some of the ingredients are present for an explosive HIV epidemic in Nepal, crucial knowledge on sexual behaviour in the general population is missing. Research on sexual networking is urgently required to guide HIV control in Nepal. There is also a need for further good-quality epidemiological studies of HIV seroprevalence

Eta Prime Gluonic Contribution to the Nucleon Self-Energy in an Effective Theory

We estimate a possible η′ gluonic contribution to the self-energy of a nucleon in an effective theory. The couplings of the topological charge density to nucleons give rise to OZI violating η′-nucleon interactions. The one-loop self-energy of nucleon arising due to these interactions is studied using a heavy baryon chiral perturbation theory. The divergences have been removed using appropriate form factors. The nontrivial structure of the QCD vacuum has also been taken into account. The numerical results are sensitive to the choice of the regulator to a nonnegligible extent. We get the total contribution to the nucleon mass coming from its interaction with the topological charge density δmtot≅-(2.5–7.5)% of the nucleon mass

A study of the pd→pdηp d \to p d \eta reaction

A study of the $p d \to p d \eta$ reaction in the energy range where the recent data from Uppsala are available, is done in the two-step model of $\eta$ production including the final state interaction. The $\eta -d$ final state interaction is incorporated through the solution of the Lippmann Schwinger equation using an elastic scattering matrix element, $T_{\eta d \to \eta d}$, which is required to be half off-shell. It is written in a factorized form, with an off-shell form factor multiplying an on-shell part given by an effective range expansion up to the fourth power in momentum. The parameters of this expansion have been taken from an existing recent relativistic Faddeev equation solution for the $\eta NN$ system corresponding to different $\eta-N$ scattering amplitudes. Calculations have also been done using few body equations within a finite rank approximation (FRA) to generate $T_{\eta d \to \eta d}$. The $p-d$ final state interaction is included in the spirit of the Watson-Migdal prescription by multiplying the matrix element by the inverse of the Jost function. The $\eta-d$ interaction is found to be dominant in the region of small invariant $\eta -d$ mass, $M_{\eta d}$. The $p-d$ interaction enhances the cross section in the whole region of $M_{\eta d}$, but is larger for large $M_{\eta d}$. We find nearly isotropic angular distributions of the proton and the deuteron in the final state. All the above observations are in agreement with data. The production mechanism for the entire range of the existing data on the $p d \to p d \eta$ reaction seems to be dominated by the two-step model of $\eta$ production.Comment: 22 pages, 12 figures, accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.