Analysis of Technical Efficiency in Mustard Production in Different Agro-Climatic Zones of Haryana and Punjab

This paper help in analyzing Technical Efficiencies (TE), in different agricultural production stages for growing mustard, adopted by the farmers of Punjab &Haryana in smallholding farming communities following the fast-track agricultural reform of the year 2014 with a view of highlighting key entry points for policy in the context of “Doubling of Farmers Income”. Using a randomly selected sample of 350 smallholder mustard producers in the districts of south western Punjab and north western Haryana, a stochastic frontier production model was applied, using a linear Cobb–Douglas production function to determine the production elasticity coefficients of inputs, technical efficiency and the determinants of efficiency. The TE can be proved immensely helpful to avoid the situation of indebtedness, low yield and farmer’s suicides in other Indian states. The study finds that mustard output responds positively to the increases in inorganic fertilizers, seed quantity, the use of labour and the area planted. The analysis for mustard growers depict 90 per cent of farmers in the study area, are technically efficient between 70 and 85 per cent, with an average of 77 per cent. The crucial factors of technical efficiency were the gender of head, size of family and frequency of extension services and visits, size of farm and the farming region. This paper represents a case study of south western Punjab and western Haryana to conclude the advanced middle stage farmers of both the state transforming the income generation from agricultural production by making possible use of efficient technology in production for High Yield Varieties (HYV) of mustard.JEL Codes: O21, O33, Q12, Q1

Probing the evolution of electronic phase-coexistence in complex systems by terahertz radiation

In complex oxides, the electrons under the influence of competing energetics are the cornerstone of coexistence (or phase-separation) of two or more electronic/magnetic phases in same structural configuration. Probing of growth and evolution of such phase-coexistence state is crucial to determine the correct mechanism of related phase-transition. Here, we demonstrate the combination of terahertz (THz) time-domain spectroscopy and DC transport as a novel strategy to probe the electronic phase-coexistence. This is demonstrated in disorder controlled phase-separated rare-earth nickelate thin films which exhibit metal-insulator transition in dc conductivity at around 180 K but lack this transition in terahertz (THz) dynamics conductivity down to low temperature. Such pronounced disparity exploits two extreme attributes: i) enormous sensitivity of THz radiation to a spatial range of its wavelength-compatible electronic inhomogeneities and ii) insensitivity to a range beyond the size of its wavelength. This feature is generic in nature (sans a photo-induced effect), depends solely on the size of insulating/metallic clusters and formulates a methodology with unique sensitivity to investigate electronic phase-coexistence and phase transition of any material system

Anomalous formation of trihydrogen cations from water on nanoparticles

The H3 + ion plays a key role in interstellar chemistry and can be formed from organic compounds upon interaction with charged particles or radiation. Here the authors demonstrate that H3 + can also be formed from water adsorbed on silica nanoparticles exposed to intense laser pulses, conditions that mimic the impact of charged particles on dust in astrophysical settings

Women candidates and party nomination trends in India: evidence from the 2009 general election

More women MPs than ever before were elected to the lower house of the national parliament of India in the 2009 General Election. Yet, the increase in women’s presence in the Lok Sabha cannot necessarily be attributed to the increased willingness of political parties to field more women candidates, despite rhetorical party political support for increasing women’s participation in political institutions. This article analyses party political nomination of women as candidates in the 2009 election, and finds significant variations in levels of nomination across parties and across India’s states. The article also examines in detail the nomination of female candidates by the two largest political parties, the Indian National Congress party and the Bharatiya Janata Party, both of which support proposals for introducing reserved seats for women in national and state legislatures. The findings reject the proposition that parties only nominate women in unwinnable seats, but finds support for the proposition that parties are risk averse when it comes to nominating women, and that this can restrict the number of women nominated for election. The article concludes with some further questions for future research on gender and political recruitment in India

Is High Resolution Melting Analysis (HRMA) Accurate for Detection of Human Disease-Associated Mutations? A Meta Analysis

BACKGROUND: High Resolution Melting Analysis (HRMA) is becoming the preferred method for mutation detection. However, its accuracy in the individual clinical diagnostic setting is variable. To assess the diagnostic accuracy of HRMA for human mutations in comparison to DNA sequencing in different routine clinical settings, we have conducted a meta-analysis of published reports. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Out of 195 publications obtained from the initial search criteria, thirty-four studies assessing the accuracy of HRMA were included in the meta-analysis. We found that HRMA was a highly sensitive test for detecting disease-associated mutations in humans. Overall, the summary sensitivity was 97.5% (95% confidence interval (CI): 96.8-98.5; I(2) = 27.0%). Subgroup analysis showed even higher sensitivity for non-HR-1 instruments (sensitivity 98.7% (95%CI: 97.7-99.3; I(2) = 0.0%)) and an eligible sample size subgroup (sensitivity 99.3% (95%CI: 98.1-99.8; I(2) = 0.0%)). HRMA specificity showed considerable heterogeneity between studies. Sensitivity of the techniques was influenced by sample size and instrument type but by not sample source or dye type. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: These findings show that HRMA is a highly sensitive, simple and low-cost test to detect human disease-associated mutations, especially for samples with mutations of low incidence. The burden on DNA sequencing could be significantly reduced by the implementation of HRMA, but it should be recognized that its sensitivity varies according to the number of samples with/without mutations, and positive results require DNA sequencing for confirmation

Imprinted CDKN1C Is a Tumor Suppressor in Rhabdoid Tumor and Activated by Restoration of SMARCB1 and Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors

SMARCB1 is deleted in rhabdoid tumor, an aggressive paediatric malignancy affecting the kidney and CNS. We hypothesized that the oncogenic pathway in rhabdoid tumors involved epigenetic silencing of key cell cycle regulators as a consequence of altered chromatin-remodelling, attributable to loss of SMARCB1, and that this hypothesis if proven could provide a biological rationale for testing epigenetic therapies in this disease. We used an inducible expression system to show that the imprinted cell cycle inhibitor CDKN1C is a downstream target for SMARCB1 and is transcriptionally activated by increased histone H3 and H4 acetylation at the promoter. We also show that CDKN1C expression induces cell cycle arrest, CDKN1C knockdown with siRNA is associated with increased proliferation, and is able to compete against the anti-proliferative effect of restored SMARCB1 expression. The histone deacetylase inhibitor (HDACi), Romidepsin, specifically restored CDKN1C expression in rhabdoid tumor cells through promoter histone H3 and H4 acetylation, recapitulating the effect of SMARCB1 on CDKNIC allelic expression, and induced cell cycle arrest in G401 and STM91-01 rhabdoid tumor cell lines. CDKN1C expression was also shown to be generally absent in clinical specimens of rhabdoid tumor, however CDKN1A and CDKN1B expression persisted. Our observations suggest that maintenance of CDKN1C expression plays a critical role in preventing rhabdoid tumor growth. Significantly, we report for the first time, parallels between the molecular pathways of SMARCB1 restoration and Romidepsin treatment, and demonstrate a biological basis for the further exploration of histone deacetylase inhibitors as relevant therapeutic reagents in the treatment of rhabdoid tumor

An open-access database and analysis tool for perovskite solar cells based on the FAIR data principles

Large datasets are now ubiquitous as technology enables higher-throughput experiments, but rarely can a research field truly benefit from the research data generated due to inconsistent formatting, undocumented storage or improper dissemination. Here we extract all the meaningful device data from peer-reviewed papers on metal-halide perovskite solar cells published so far and make them available in a database. We collect data from over 42,400 photovoltaic devices with up to 100 parameters per device. We then develop open-source and accessible procedures to analyse the data, providing examples of insights that can be gleaned from the analysis of a large dataset. The database, graphics and analysis tools are made available to the community and will continue to evolve as an open-source initiative. This approach of extensively capturing the progress of an entire field, including sorting, interactive exploration and graphical representation of the data, will be applicable to many fields in materials science, engineering and biosciences

Multidimensional Signals and Analytic Flexibility: Estimating Degrees of Freedom in Human-Speech Analyses

Recent empirical studies have highlighted the large degree of analytic flexibility in data analysis that can lead to substantially different conclusions based on the same data set. Thus, researchers have expressed their concerns that these researcher degrees of freedom might facilitate bias and can lead to claims that do not stand the test of time. Even greater flexibility is to be expected in fields in which the primary data lend themselves to a variety of possible operationalizations. The multidimensional, temporally extended nature of speech constitutes an ideal testing ground for assessing the variability in analytic approaches, which derives not only from aspects of statistical modeling but also from decisions regarding the quantification of the measured behavior. In this study, we gave the same speech-production data set to 46 teams of researchers and asked them to answer the same research question, resulting in substantial variability in reported effect sizes and their interpretation. Using Bayesian meta-analytic tools, we further found little to no evidence that the observed variability can be explained by analysts’ prior beliefs, expertise, or the perceived quality of their analyses. In light of this idiosyncratic variability, we recommend that researchers more transparently share details of their analysis, strengthen the link between theoretical construct and quantitative system, and calibrate their (un)certainty in their conclusions

Genetic variation affecting DNA methylation and the human imprinting disorder, Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome

Abstract Background Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome (BWS) is an imprinting disorder with a population frequency of approximately 1 in 10,000. The most common epigenetic defect in BWS is a loss of methylation (LOM) at the 11p15.5 imprinting centre, KCNQ1OT1 TSS-DMR, and affects 50% of cases. We hypothesised that genetic factors linked to folate metabolism may play a role in BWS predisposition via effects on methylation maintenance at KCNQ1OT1 TSS-DMR. Results Single nucleotide variants (SNVs) in the folate pathway affecting methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR), methionine synthase reductase (MTRR), 5-methyltetrahydrofolate-homocysteine S-methyltransferase (MTR), cystathionine beta-synthase (CBS) and methionine adenosyltransferase (MAT1A) were examined in 55 BWS patients with KCNQ1OT1 TSS-DMR LOM and in 100 unaffected cases. MTHFR rs1801133: C>T was more prevalent in BWS with KCNQ1OT1 TSS-DMR LOM (p T, rs150331990: A>G and rs757460628: G>A encoding NP_001124295 p.Arg136Cys, p.His1118Arg and p.Arg1223His, respectively. These variants have population frequencies of less than 1 in 1000 and were absent from 100 control cases. Functional characterization using a hemimethylated DNA trapping assay revealed a reduced methyltransferase activity relative to wild-type DNMT1 for each variant ranging from 40 to 70% reduction in activity. Conclusions This study is the first to examine folate pathway genetics in BWS and to identify rare DNMT1 missense variants in affected individuals. Our data suggests that reduced DNMT1 activity could affect maintenance of methylation at KCNQ1OT1 TSS-DMR in some cases of BWS, possibly via a maternal effect in the early embryo. Larger cohort studies are warranted to further interrogate the relationship between impaired MTHFR enzymatic activity attributable to MTHFR rs1801133: C>T, dietary folate intake and BWS