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I'timād-ud-Daulah (Mîrzâ Gıyâsüddîn Muhammed Tahrânî) is not from Iran, contrary to what is believed, but one of the Turks emigrated from Iran to India. The Tomb of I'timād-ud-Daulah is located in the center of the city of Agra in the state of Uttar Pradesh in India, in the north of the Agra Fort and in the east of the Yamuna River. In the inscriptions on the building, there are the dates of h. 1037 (g. 1627/28) and h. 1039 (g. 1629/30) and the signature of Abd al Nabi alQurashi, the calligrapher. Although there is not an inscription, endowment or official document about the founder, it is accepted that it was built by Nur Jahan, one of the important woman founders of the period, for her father Mîrzâ Gıyâsüddîn Muhammed Tahrânî and her mother Asmat Begum. The basis of this is the fact that the tombs she built for her husband Jahangir Shah and herself in Lahore are quite similar to I'timād-ud-Daulah in terms of architectural and decorative characteristics. The tomb has an important place in the 17th century Turkish-Islamic architecture. It stands out in many ways among other tombs built during the Mughal period in India. It also serves as an example for the pure tombs or complex structures that include tombs that were built in the later period. The tomb is a pioneer in design in terms of architectural decorations of the Taj Mahal. However, although it is the source of inspiration for Taj Mahal’s designs, it is not as well-known as Taj Mahal. In addition to the fact that the building was the pioneer of many novelties among Turkish-Islamic buildings located in India that had not been seen before, it adhered to the Mughal tomb architecture tradition with its plan schema. Through this study, the location, history, founder and architectural and decorative characteristics of the tomb of I'timād-ud-Daulah have been examined, and it has been aimed at contributing the further studies on Mughal period architecture in India and introducing the building, which has not been emphasized so far, to the world of science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Historians have often highlighted the centrality of bazaars and the streets in urban public life in India as a space for politics and mobilisation. Historically, these bazaars and streets have been the domain of men, while spaces created by dominant urban planning logics like sequestered parks and enclosed marketplaces are marked by exclusion across various axes. Where do women then find opportunities for leisure, solidarity, chance encounter, or discursive politics? The paper explores this question through a case study of a low-income riverside settlement in Agra using ethnographic field work conducted in 2019. This included observations, interviews, and group discussions with residents, community leaders, and police officials, and a systematic review of local and national news reports. The paper finds that for women, public spaces like riverbanks, streets, and large parks are characterised by a 'mahaul' (translated here as affective environment) that is risky and 'kharab' (immoral or corrupt) due to their sticky affective association with harassment, transgression, romance, and the risk of elopements. Instead, women find opportunities for leisure and sociality by coming together on cots in shared courtyards or rooftops within their neighbourhood – these form their 'enclosed outside' where they find opportunities for sociality, leisure (which exists simultaneously with work), and discussion. By centring women's experiences, vocabularies, and everyday relationship with public spaces, and underscoring the register of 'affect' in these experiences, this paper makes an important contribution to the growing literature on gendering right to the city and the feminist argument for women's right to leisure spaces. The paper also centres the importance of local built elements like shared courtyards within a neighbourhood especially for women, with implications for urban planning and design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the Baburid State, which was established in 1526 in India, the capital city was changed from time to time due to political, economic and social reasons. In this context, the cities of Agra, Delhi, Fatehpur Sikri and Lahore have assumed capital positions at different times. However, in the event of a change or relocation of the capital, the star of the city, which was previously the capital, never faded and its vitality continued since Agra and Delhi, as well as being commercial attractions, were built on ancient history. Fetihpur Sikri hosted religious and spiritual personalities. Lahore, on the other hand, had the task of being an important intersection connecting land trade with other regions of India, as well as being of military importance with its geostrategic location. The time limitation of this study, which deals with the capital cities in Baburid State, is the cross-section between 1526 and 1707. The sources used in the study are the sources written by the Baburid rulers or their relatives such as Vekayi (Baburnama), Akbarnama and Tuzuk i Jahangiri (Jahangirnama), and the memoirs and reports containing the impressions of travelers and merchants such as Bernier and Tavernier who went to India. In addition, the current literature on Indian and Baburid city history studies was also benefited. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the Baburid State, which was established in 1526 in India, the capital city was changed from time to time due to political, economic and social reasons. In this context, the cities of Agra, Delhi, Fatehpur Sikri and Lahore have assumed capital positions at different times. However, in the event of a change or relocation of the capital, the star of the city, which was previously the capital, never faded and its vitality continued since Agra and Delhi, as well as being commercial attractions, were built on ancient history. Fetihpur Sikri hosted religious and spiritual personalities. Lahore, on the other hand, had the task of being an important intersection connecting land trade with other regions of India, as well as being of military importance with its geostrategic location. The time limitation of this study, which deals with the capital cities in Baburid State, is the cross-section between 1526 and 1707. The sources used in the study are the sources written by the Baburid rulers or their relatives such as Vekayi (Baburnama), Akbarnama and Tuzuk i Jahangiri (Jahangirnama), and the memoirs and reports containing the impressions of travelers and merchants such as Bernier and Tavernier who went to India. In addition, the current literature on Indian and Baburid city history studies was also benefited. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Analysing old maps and correlating patterns with remote sensing (RS) images have been a useful technique for identifying features of cultural heritage. The present work has conducted a geospatial analysis of Mughal Agra by comparing historical maps and satellite imagery. This paper make two distinct contributions: (1) it expands existing findings on the riverfront Mughal city by identifying the position and footprint of all the riverfront complexes (by complex we mean property that have or had Mughal mansions, gardens or tombs) marked in a Mughal map of 1720, and (2) it makes original contribution by delineating the two-tiers of city walls and further attempts to comprehend the spatial transformations of the city since the Mughal period. This exploration resulted in recognizing traces of many lost historical built forms like city walls, gateways and riverfront complexes those of which have transformed, integrated, camouflaged or sometimes lost within the urban fabric of the present city of Agra. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fluoride (F−), a harmful compound if present in high concentration, is typically found in groundwater. It is important to investigate the F− concentrations in groundwaters of areas where individuals use groundwater for drinking purposes. The objectives of this study were: (a) to estimate the F− exposure, and (b) to assess the non-carcinogenic risk through consumption of groundwater among urban population (different age groups) of Agra city. A total of 28 groundwater samples were collected from Agra city in May 2016, which comprised 22 samples from hand pump and 6 samples from tube wells from shallow aquifers at different sites. The F− concentrations varied from 0.90 to 4.12 mg/L with an average value of 1.88 mg/L. The results obtained reveal that about 64% of the samples exceeded the F− permissible limit of 1.5 mg/L. Nevertheless, 32% of the samples were well within the WHO drinking water guidelines and 3.5% of the samples from the groundwater were below the 1.0 mg/L threshold. The maximum estimated exposure doses were 0.69, 0.31 and 0.12 mg/kg/day for infants, children and adults, respectively. A dental fluorosis becomes evident when the results obtained are compared with an oral reference dose of 0.06 mg/kg/day. The hazard quotient (HQ) was found to be more than 1 for infants and children in all the studied areas which indicates that young consumers are more vulnerable to non-carcinogenic risk due to exposure of F−. On the other hand, the adults at about 71% of the sampled sites may be victims of non-carcinogenic risk. From the results obtained in this study, it is recommended that there be implementation of the appropriate remediation for defluoridation of water to circumvent the population from the probable health risks of F−. Image 1 • A total of 64% samples exceeded the standard limit of fluoride set by World Health Organization/Bureau of Indian Standards. • The estimated exposure doses (EDs) were 0.69, 0.31 and 0.12 mg/kg/day for infants, children, and adults, respectively. • The HQ was more than 1 for infants and children at all sites while it was greater than 1in 71% of adults. • There were potential non-carcinogenic effects on infants and children highly exposed to fluoride in the study area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Men who have sex with men (MSMs) are a group of high-risk individuals in India, who have remained neglected for a long time. Stigma, discrimination and laws criminalizing sex between men undermine access to HIV/AIDS and other health care services. In this study, we determined the seroprevalence and risk factors for HIV and syphilis infections among a group of MSMs attending an Integrated Counseling & Testing Centre (ICTC) at Agra during 2009–11. The results have been compared with those in other regions of the country. There were 277 MSMs registered with a nongovernmental organization (NGO), Khushi, involved in a Targeted Intervention (TI) project, who were tested for HIV and venereal disease research laboratory (VDRL) infections. Sociodemographic profile, risk factors, sexual identity, general health care access, and previous HIV and/or sexually transmitted infection (STI) testing, etc., were documented. The prevalence of HIV and syphilis infections among the MSMs are 11.9% (33/277) and 11.1% (31/277), respectively. There were 74% of them in the age group of 15–35 years, illiterate, and having no specific job. Alcohol, drug abuse, and high-risk behavior were common as they preferred to be in groups. There were 70% of HIV-positive MSMs, and 87% of those having sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) were unmarried and had multiple partners. Some of the MSMs were married and in bisexual relationships, and they might serve as an important bridge population between men and women. High prevalence of HIV and STDs in this group emphasizes the need for public health interventions aimed at reduction of risky behavior, education and counseling to urge them to seek health care advice when needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Rethinking the logic of institutional environments aiming to facilitate agroforestry smallholders in economic development, this article compares smallholder input supply systems for crop and tree seeds in sub‐Saharan Africa and reflects on two basic challenges: (1) how to develop a large number of relevant tree crops for different agroecologies, (2) how to reach smallholders in rural areas. Policy options for improving agroforestry input supply systems are discussed, whereby our article concludes with suggestions how sectoral approaches for crop seed systems can be modified to agroforestry seed‐seedling systems. Biophysical differences have practical implications for how the logic of the ‘African green revolution’ would be translated into a corresponding revolution for agroforestry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Staphylococcus aureuscauses acute and chronic forms of infection, the latter often associated with formation of a biofilm. It has previously been demonstrated that mutation ofatl, codY, rot, sarA, andsigBlimits biofilm formation in the USA300 strain LAC while mutation ofagr, fur, andmgrAhas the opposite effect. Here we used a murine sepsis model to assess the impact of these same loci in acute infection. Mutation ofagr, atl, andfurhad no impact on virulence, while mutation ofmgrAandrotincreased virulence. In contrast, mutation ofcodY, sarA, andsigBsignificantly attenuated virulence. Mutation ofsigBresulted in reduced accumulation of AgrA and SarA, while mutation ofsarAresulted in reduced accumulation of AgrA, but this cannot account for the reduced virulence ofsarAorsigBmutants because the isogenicagrmutant was not attenuated. Indeed, as assessed by accumulation of alpha toxin and protein A, all of the mutants we examined exhibited unique phenotypes by comparison to anagrmutant and to each other. Attenuation of thesarA, sigBandcodYmutants was correlated with increased production of extracellular proteases and global changes in extracellular protein profiles. These results suggest that the inability to repress the production of extracellular proteases plays a key role in attenuating the virulence ofS. aureusin acute as well as chronic, biofilm-associated infections, thus opening up the possibility that strategies aimed at the de-repression of protease production could be used to broad therapeutic advantage. They also suggest that the impact ofcodY, sarA, andsigBon protease production occurs via anagr-independent mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria has caused difficulty in treating infectious diseases. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is one of the most commonly recognized antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Novel antibiotics are urgently required to treat these bacteria. Raw materials derived from natural sources can be used for the development of novel antibiotics, such as Chamaecyparis obtusa ( C. obtusa), which has been traditionally used in treating asthmatic disease. In this study, the antibacterial activity of the essential oil (EO) extracted from C. obtusa leaves against MRSA was investigated. MRSA growth and acid production from glucose metabolism were inhibited at concentrations greater than 0.1 mg/mL C. obtusa EO. MRSA biofilm formation was observed using scanning electron microscopy and safranin staining. C. obtusa EO inhibited MRSA biofilm formation at concentrations greater than 0.1 mg/mL. Using real-time polymerase chain reaction, mRNA expression of virulence factor genes, sea, agrA, and sarA, was observed. agrA expression was inhibited with C. obtusa EO concentrations greater than 0.2 mg/mL, whereas inhibition of sea and sarA expression was also observed at a concentration of 0.3 mg/mL. C. obtusa EO was analyzed by gas chromatography (GC) and GC coupled for mass spectrometry, which identified 59 constituents, accounting to 98.99% of the total EO. These findings suggest that C. obtusa EO has antibacterial effects against MRSA, which might be associated with the major components of C. obtusa EO, such as sabinene (19.06%), α-terpinyl acetate (16.99%), bornyl acetate (10.48%), limonene (8.54%), elemol (7.47%), myrcene (5.86%), γ-terpinene (4.04%), and hibaene (3.01%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we estimated the CD4+, CD8+, CD3+ cell counts and the CD4/CD8 ratio among normal healthy controls (adults and children), leprosy patients (without any complications and during reactional states), TB patients (with and without HIV), and HIV-positive patients (early infection and full-blown AIDS) and correlated the changes with disease progression. In our study, it was observed that among adults, CD4+ cell counts ranged from 518–1098, CD8+ from 312–952, whereas CD4/CD8 ratio from 0.75–2.30. Among children, both CD4+ and CD8+ cells were more and the CD4/CD8 ratio varied from 0.91–3.17. With regard to leprosy patients, we observed that CD4+ and CD8+ cell counts were lower among PB (pauci-bacillary) and MB (multi-bacillary) patients. CD4/CD8 ratio was 0.99 ± 0.28 among PB patients while the ratio was lower, 0.78 ± 0.20, among MB patients. CD4+ cell counts were raised during RR (reversal reactions) and ENL (erythema nodosum leprosum) among the PB and MB patients whereas the CD8+ cell counts were lower among PB and MB patients. CD4/CD8 ratio doubled during reactional episodes of RR and ENL. Among the HIV-negative tuberculosis (TB) patients, both the CD4+ and CD8+ cell counts were found to be less and the CD4/CD8 ratio varied between 0.53–1.75. Among the HIV-positive TB patients and HIV-positive patients, both the CD4+ and CD8+ cells were very less and ratio drops significantly. In the initial stages of infection, as CD4+ counts drop, an increase in the CD8+ cell counts was observed and the ratio declines. In full-blown cases, CD4+ cell counts were very low, 3–4 to 54 cells, CD8+ cells from 12–211 and the ratio drops too low. This study is the first of its kind in this region of the country and assumes importance since no other study has reported the values of CD4+ and CD8+ T-lymphocyte counts among patients with mycobacterial diseases (leprosy and TB), HIV infections along with normal healthy individuals of the region, and correlation with clinical presentations of patients. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Morphometric analysis of four sub-watersheds namely Pidhaura, Batesar, Balapur and Pariar forming parts of Yamuna River around Bah Tahsil of Agra district have been carried out using Geocoded FCC of bands 2, 3 and 4 of IRS- 1D, LISS-III, SOI toposheets number 54 J/5 and 54 J/9 and GIS softwares - ArcGIS, Arcview and 3Dem software for preparation of DEM. The present study shows that the terrain exhibits dendritic to sub-dendritic drainage pattern, stream order ranges from third to fourth order; drainage density varies slightly and has very coarse to coarse texture in Pidhaura and Balarpur sub-watersheds and fine drainage texture in Batesar and Pariar sub-watersheds. The other parameters determined and discussed include bifurcation ratio, elongation ratio, stream frequency, infiltration number, length of overland flow and relief aspects of the watersheds. The mean bifurcation ratio depicts that the basin falls under normal basin category. The elongation ratio shows that Balarpur sub-watershed mark elongation pattern, whereas, Pidhaura, Batesar and Pariar sub-watersheds possess circular shape. The present study concludes that remote sensing techniques proved to be a competent tool in morphometric analysis of drainage basin and channel network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent studies point to the importance of small-noncoding RNAs (sRNAs) in bacterial virulence control. In Staphylococcus aureus, functional dissections of sRNAs are limited to RNA III, SprD, RsaE, SprA1, and SSR42 only. Here, we report the identification and functional analyses of a novel sRNA, which we have designated ArtR. Our data show that the AgrA protein can bind to the artR promoter and repress artR transcription, suggesting that, after RNA III, ArtR is the second sRNA regulated by AgrA. Furthermore, ArtR is unique in S. aureus and involved in virulence regulation by activating α-toxin expression. ArtR promotes the degradation of sarT mRNA by RNase III and arrests the translation of SarT by direct binding to the 5′ untranslated region of the sarT mRNA, suggesting that the activation of ArtR on the α-toxin expression was through SarT. This study reveals another kind of staphylococcal regulatory small RNA that plays a role in virulence control. It also indicates the diversity of small RNA-target mRNA interactions and how these multiple interactions can mediate virulence regulation in this pathogen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Remote Sensing and GIS techniques have been proved to be efficient tools in the delineation, updating and morphometric analysis of drainage basin. The present study incorporates a morphometric analysis of three sub-basins of Fatehabad area of Agra district using remote sensing and GIS techniques. The morphometric parameters of the sub-basins are classified under linear, areal and relief aspects. The drainage pattern exhibited by the main river Yamuna and its tributaries shows a dendritic pattern indicating homogenously underlain material while the mean bifurcation ratio values suggest that the geological structures are not disturbing the drainage pattern. The form factor value of sub-basins suggests that the main basin is more or less elongated. Circularity ratio values of the three sub-basins fall within range of elongated basin and low discharge. The area has low density indicating that the region has high permeable sub-soil material and dense vegetation. The values of drainage texture, drainage density and infiltration number indicate that sub-basin-III has the highest infiltration rate and low runoff, hence contributing most to the underground water resources. This study also indicates porous and permeable sub-soil condition in sub-basin-III. The values of sub-basin-I indicate low permeable subsoil material owning to high infiltration number value, hence low infiltration and high runoff. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The new global and African food security agenda is overwhelmingly productionist and rural in its orientation, and is based on the premise that food insecurity is primarily a rural problem requiring a massive increase in smallholder production. This agenda is proceeding despite overwhelming evidence of rapid urbanisation and the growing likelihood of an urban future for the majority of Africans. Urban food insecurity can therefore no longer be ignored. This paper argues that achieving urban food security is the emerging development challenge for the 21st century and that the complexities of urban food systems urgently need to be addressed by researchers, policy makers, and international donors and multilateral agencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents abstracts of several studies on environmental geochemistry. Some of the abstracts presented include "Biogeochemical Cycling of Nutrients in Karstic Catchments, Southwestern China: Linkages to Changes of Eco-Environments," by Congqiang Liu and "Emerging Organic Contamination in China," by Guibin Jiang and colleagues.

Little is known about the regulatory mechanisms that ensure the survival of the food-borne bacterial pathogen Listeria monocytogenes in the telluric environment and on roots. Earlier studies have suggested a regulatory overlap between the Agr cell–cell communication system and the general stress response regulator σB. Here, we investigated the contribution of these two systems to root colonisation and survival in sterilised and biotic soil. The ability to colonise the roots of the grass Festuca arundinacea was significantly compromised in the double mutant (∆ agrA ∆ sigB). In sterile soil at 25°C, a significant defect was observed in the double mutant, suggesting some synergy between these systems. However, growth was observed and similar population dynamics were shown in the parental strain, Δ agrA and Δ sigB mutants. In biotic soil at 25°C, viability of the parental strain declined steadily over a two-week period highlighting the challenging nature of live soil environments. Inactivation of the two systems further decreased survival. The synergistic effect of Agr and σB was stronger in biotic soil. Transcriptional analysis confirmed the expected effects of the mutations on known Agr- and σB-dependent genes. Data highlight the important role that these global regulatory systems play in the natural ecology of this pathogen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]