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This paper outlines the efforts at establishing observatories in India for modern astronomical observations made by aristocrats over the last century or so prior to Indian independence in 1947. The focus of this paper is therefore on three institutions only, the Royal Observatory at Lucknow, Trevandrum Observatory, and Nizamiah Observatory in Hyderabad. This demonstrates that the concept of 'patronage' was alive and well in nineteenth century India, just as it was in Britain, Europe and North America. These observatories primarily were established either to encourage educated Indians to gain a realistic knowledge of Western astronomy, or so that India itself could contribute to that body of research knowledge. One of these institutions, Nizamiah Observatory was India's sole observatory involved in the ambitious international Astrographic Catalogue and Carte du Ciel and Project. It is telling that quite early in its history this Observatory ended up with a university, while this fate later befell Trevandrum Observatory. It is notable that none of the observatories discussed in this paper has survived in its original form through to the present day as a forefront astronomical research facility. Moreover, relatively early in its history Trevandrum Observatory abandoned astronomy and shifted its focus to geomagnetism. Unlike the observatories discussed in the first paper in this series, none of the observatories reviewed in this paper was set up primarily to further Britain's colonial ambitions. All were local Indian initiatives, yet each received support, in one way or another, from British astronomers or observatories--so the colonial link was still there, but only as an underlying element. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Total electron data (TEC) from GPS nowadays can be used as a tool for understanding the space weather phenomena. The development of prediction model for TEC is quiet crucial and challenging due to the dynamic behavior of the ionosphere, since it depends on different factors such as seasonal, diurnal and spatial variations, solar geomagnetic conditions etc. In this paper, an attempt is made for predicting the GPS derived TEC values for different GNSS stations over India using a hybrid method based on Ensemble empirical mode decomposition (EEMD) and Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) deep learning method. The daily TEC time series data from the IISc Bangalore (Latitude 13.021, Longitude 77.570), Lucknow (Latitude 26.912, Longitude 80.956) and Hyderabad (Latitude 17.417, Longitude 78.551) stations over India during the period 2008 to 2015 of solar cycle 23 and 24 is used for analysis. The assessment of model performance for testing predicted output compared with LSTM and EMD-LSTM models, and their comparison results show that the hybrid EEMD-LSTM model presents better than the other models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Over the past three decades, there has been a significant rise in the prevalence of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) globally, accompanied by a relative decline in communicable diseases. Aims: With this background, the research was planned to determine the prevalence of acanthosis nigricans (AN) or skin tags (STs) in the study population and to examine the relationship between the presence of AN and ST with commonly used indicators such as waist-to-height ratio (W/Ht.), Indian Diabetes Risk Score (IDRS), and body mass index for predicting the risk of NCDs. Settings and Design: This cross-sectional study was done at a health facility in Lucknow (India). Methodology: Consecutive sampling was employed to select 152 apparently healthy adults as the participants. Data collection involved administering a questionnaire and conducting anthropometry using standardized methods. Visual inspection was conducted to identify AN or ST on the common sites. Statistical Analysis Used: Data entry was done in Microsoft Office Excel, followed by data analysis using SPSS. To test the association between variables "significance of difference of mean," Chi-square test, logistic regression analysis, and estimation of Kohen's kappa were used. A "P" value was considered statistically significant at <0.05 level. The sensitivity and specificity of AN and ST were also estimated in predicting the risk of NCDs. Results: The prevalence of AN was 19.08% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 12.76%–25.40%), while the prevalence of STs was 28.29% (95% CI = 21.05%–35.53%). AN showed a sensitivity of 22.4% and specificity of 96.3% with W/Ht. ratio as the standard, and a sensitivity of 26.44% and specificity of 90.77% with IDRS as the standard. ST exhibited a sensitivity of 32.0% and specificity of 88.89% with W/Ht. ratio as the standard, and a sensitivity of 37.93% and specificity of 84.62% with IDRS as the standard. Conclusion: AN and ST can be used as simple and time-saving tools in screening protocols for (NCDs). Further research is desirable to validate the findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The study was aimed at identifying the incidence of unreported probable hypoglycaemia in individuals with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) on anti-diabetic medications, using the screening Stanford Hypoglycemia Questionnaire (SHQ) in real-world situations. Methods: It was a multicentre cross-sectional study on consecutive individuals attending 10 diabetes care centres in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India. The inclusion criteria were as follows: known individuals with T2DM, literate, age greater than or equal to 18 years, on at least one anti-diabetic agent for more than a month and not engaged in regular self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG). Results: This study was conducted from August 2017 to April 2018, involving 1198 participants. The mean age of the individuals enrolled was 53.45 years (±10.83), with males comprising 55.3% of the population. It was found that 63.6% of patients were on sulphonylurea (SU), 14.5% were on pioglitazone, 92.2% on metformin, 62.3% on Dipeptidyl peptidase (DPP4i) and 12.8% on Sodium-glucose cotransporter (SGLT2i). The mean SHQ score was 1.81 (±1.59). Probable hypoglycaemia was mild in 57.59%, moderate in 14.69% and severe in 1.41%. Those with diabetic neuropathy (P = <0.001), retinopathy (P = <0.001) and nephropathy (P = <0.001) had significantly higher SHQ scores. Insulin or SU use was associated with a significantly higher SHQ score. Concomitant statin use was associated with a lower incidence of mild, moderate and severe hypoglycaemia (P = 0.01). On multivariate analysis, we found that age, sex, systolic blood pressure (SBP), insulin use and fasting blood sugar were the most important factors associated with an increased risk of hypoglycaemia with an R2 cut-off of 0.7. Conclusion: SHQ was discovered to be a simple and cost-effective screening tool for outpatient detection of hypoglycaemia in an Indian setting, and it can add value to management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The present study investigates bioaccumulation factor (Bfc), Edaphic pollution indices and associated health risk assessment of trace metals (TMs) i.e., Cu, Fe, Zn, Mn and Co in the crops, agricultural soil (AgS), and irrigation water (IgW) collected from various peri-urban area of metropolitan city of India, Lucknow. Though the level of these TMs was within the permissible limits (PL) (FAO/WHO, 2011) in AgS and IgW however it was higher than PL in tomato, spinach and wheat cultivated in the fields. The bioaccumulation factor of Cu, Fe and Mn in edible parts of tomato, spinach and wheat was 8 to 25 times higher through the AgS and 10 to 300 times higher through the IgW in the tomato, spinach and wheat samples. The enrichment factor (Efc), contamination factor (Cfc), contamination degree (Cdg) and modified contamination degree (mCdg) values of Co, Cu, Mn, Fe and Zn ranged from low to high levels of contamination, whereas the geo-accumulation index reflected low contamination in agricultural soil. on the other hand, the metal pollution load index (Mpi) was found strongly contaminated in most of the study areas. Due to the consumption of these contaminated vegetables and cereal (VCs) by human consumers, the hazard quotient (HQ), total hazard quotient (THQ) and hazard index (HI) were found to be more than the requisite value of 1, which indicates a far-long health risk in this crowded city and its surrounding regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction:Cervical carcinoma is the second most common malignancy in women worldwide. It is estimated that over a million women worldwide currently have cervical cancer. Worldwide, cervical cancer is both the fourth-most common cancer and the fourth-most common cause of death from cancer in women. In 2012, 528, 000 new cases of cervical cancer were diagnosed, and 266, 000 women died of the disease (GLOBOCAN 2012), nearly 90% of them in lowto middle-income class countries. Multifactorial causation, potential for prevention, and the sheer threat it poses make cervical cancer an important disease for in-depth studies, as has been attempted by this paper by studying the hypoxic marker. Recently, there has been increasing interest in the identification of biomarkers able to predict both response to treatment and survival. Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the association of hypoxic marker Carbonic anhydrase (CAIX) markers to predict the clinical outcome of patients with cervical carcinoma. Materials and methods:This study was conducted on biopsy proven previously untreated cases of cancer cervix who presented to the Department of Radiotherapy at King George's Medical University (KGMU), Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India. The study was a single institution, non-randomised, prospective study to evaluate carbonic anhydrase IX as a biomarker in cancer cervix patients undergoing radiotherapy. Sample size: Total 75 samples • 25 healthy control subjects (Age and sex matched) • 25 cancer cervix patients (duplicate samples i.e. baseline and follow up). Approximately 2 ml of blood was withdrawn before initiation of treatment and at the time of first follow up. Standard treatment was given as external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) with concurrent chemotherapy followed by intracavitary radiotherapy (ICRT). Blood samples was analysed for the level of CAIX..Statistical analyses was performed with the SPSS software package v13.0. Results: Pre-treatment high level of carbonic anhydrase IX correlated with poor treatment outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surface water bodies are vital source of water for human consumption, domestic needs, agriculture, industrial activities, and also for aquatic life and ecosystems. In this study, a stretch of river Gomti was studied at 5 sites in Lucknow for two consecutive seasons during 2019. The physicochemical-bacteriological parameters of water and sediment samples were analyzed, followed by multivariate statistics. Mean values of pH, turbidity, EC, TS, TDS, TSS, DO, BOD, COD, nitrate, phosphate, sulfate, total alkalinity, total hardness, chloride, and fluoride during the pre-monsoon period were 7.4 ± 0.2, 5.2 ± 3.3 (NTU), 444.4 ± 97.4 (µS/cm), 274.6 ± 61.6, 254.3 ± 50.2, 21.9 ± 11, 5.4 ± 1.6, 10.2 ± 5.9, 31.2 ± 13.3, 1.2 ± 0.5, 1.7 ± 1.1, 25.9 ± 3.7, 204 ± 41.8, 146.2 ± 11.5, 15.5 ± 8.7, and 0.5 ± 0.1 mg/l, respectively. The corresponding values during the post-monsoon season were 7.5 ± 0.2, 5.5 ± 3.2 (NTU), 436 ± 75.1 (µS/cm), 273.7 ± 124.2, 209.7 ± 82.5, 63.9 ± 43.4, 5.6 ± 1.6, 15.8 ± 8.9, 39.2 ± 23.5, 5.4 ± 4.6, 1.4 ± 0.9, 25.5 ± 5, 199.2 ± 36.6, 134 ± 8.6, 20.2 ± 8.9, and 1.7 ± 0.2 mg/l, respectively. Concentration of pollutants significantly increased by 5–15% from sampling station S1 (upstream) to S5 (downstream). Enumerations of fecal coliform and Escherichia coli bacteria were low at S1 but significantly higher at the S5 site. WQI ranged from 88 to 345 during pre-monsoon and 159 to 422 during post-monsoon period, indicating poor water quality which was unsuitable for drinking purposes. Strong positive correlations (≥ 0.9) were observed among pH, chloride, phosphate, sulfate, turbidity, conductivity, TS, TDS, BOD, and COD for water samples during both seasons. The data reveals that pollution load increases gradually from upstream to downstream due to the increasing discharge of raw sewage. Regulatory bodies should formulate strict regulations and ensure their implementation for the protection and management of river water quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An experiment was carried out in the department of Horticulture, Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University (BBAU), Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India to evaluate the morphological variation of ber fruits collected from widely and naturally grown ber crops inside the main campus of the university. There were 85 morphotypes selected for the study and fruit morphological characters were studied at the departmental laboratory with CRD statistical design and data of various morphotypes were compared at 5% level of significance. The results revealed that the highest fruit weight (15.33 g), fruit length (43.92 mm), fruit width (30.09 mm), fruit volume (14.23ml), pulp weight (14.26g), Pulp thickness (11.12 mm), pulp per cent (92.84%) was observed in B-45 morphotype. These physical characters seemed to be good for customer attractiveness. Considering the morphocharacteristic performance of fruit of 85 ber morphotypes grown in side BBAU campus, it may be concluded that the ber morphotype B-45 could be used for further crop improvement programme for its bigger fruit size, high pulp content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The conflict between the vitality of natural ecosystem versus artificially developed systems has existed since decades. The ecological sensitivity and socio-economic aspects associated with riverfront development along rivers have attracted the attention of environmentalists and ecologists across the globe. The present study evaluates the impacts of channelization and riverfront development on the water quality of river Gomti through Water Pollution Index (WPI) and other statistical tools. Of the total studied sites, 75% were found to be in the 'highly polluted' category even after the development of riverfront. An approximate increase of 274.5% and 171.76% was witnessed in the WPI values at the midstream sites of Kudiaghat and Daliganj, respectively. This increase in the WPI values clearly stated the deteriorated water quality of river Gomti after the channelization. The major issue of domestic sewage discharge with partial or no treatment into the river seems to be unresolved even after a considerable period of riverfront development. This study can provide a reference database toward development of such projects across the globe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Menstruation is a normal physiologic phenomenon. Due to lack of awareness regarding menstrual hygiene among adolescent girls in India, majority have unhygienic practices which make them vulnerable to various adverse health and social outcomes. Aims and Objective: The aim of this study was to compare the awareness and perception of pre- and postmenarchal adolescent girls regarding menstrual hygiene. Settings and Design: A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted by the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and Paediatrics of a Government tertiary care center, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh for 6 months from 1 July 2019 to 31 December 2019. Material and Methods: The study was undertaken among 120 adolescent girls between 09 and 19 years of age. Premenarchal age group was from 9 to 12 years and postmenarchal was 13–19 years. All the adolescent girls who fulfilled the inclusion criteria were subjected to a pretested prevalidated semi-structured questionnaire assessing their awareness and perceptions regarding menstrual hygiene. Result: Of 120 respondents, 43 girls were aware of menstruation prior to attainment of menarche. Mother was the first informant regarding menstruation in the case of 49 (49.65%) girls. A total of 57 girls believed it as a physiological process. 32 (53.3%) girls knew the use of sanitary pads during menstruation. Regarding restrictions practiced, 136 (85%) girls practiced different restrictions during menstruation. Conclusion: Adolescent girls, being vulnerable, need to have adequate and correct awareness regarding menstrual hygiene. This will protect them from risk of developing reproductive or sexually transmitted infections (RTI/STI) which is a burden on our society and render many females infertile and cause other adverse health outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The poppy seeds commonly known as ‘khus-khus’ or ‘postadana’, obtained from opium poppy plant (Papaver somniferum L.) is known one of the world’s oldest medicinal plant. Its alkaloids, seeds and oil used since time immemorial for therapeutic, food stuffs and economical purpose. An effective breeding program plays an important role for selection, genetic improvement and development of high yielding cultivars/variety in opium poppy. Therefore, a study was conceded out to evaluate the genetic variability, path analysis for different agronomic traits along with their major chemical constituents of opium alkaloids in 30 accessions/landraces of opium poppy (Papaver somniferum L.) collected from different geographical places of India. Methods: The 30 genotypes of Opium poppy including different breeding lines and landraces collected from different places were grown in year (2017-18) in randomized complete-block designs (RCBD) with three replications at the research farm of CSIR-Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (CIMAP), Lucknow. Morpho-metric data were recorded on five competitive randomly selected plants in each line for following thirteen traits. Dried husk/straw capsules were chemically analyzed through HPLC. The pooled mean data were statistically analysed by using Windostat statistical software 4.0 versions available at Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, CSIR-CIMAP Lucknow. Result: Variation among the mean of thirty diverse genetic stocks was highly significant (p<0.01) for all thirteen traits. High heritability coupled with high Genetic advance as percent mean (GAM) and Genotypic coefficient of variation (GCV) for the traits Thebaine and Nosacapine. The results of associations studies revealed that the trait capsule/plant was positively and significantly correlated with seed (g)yield/plant (gm) and nosacapine at both genotypic and phenotypic level. According to results, a significant genetic variability was also present among 30 accessions, simple selection can be employed to improve seed yield along with alkaloids yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A detailed investigation on the potentially drought-prone regions over India is presented in this study based on the balance between precipitation and potential evapotranspiration (PET) during the southwest Asian mid-monsoon season. We introduce a parameter named dry day frequency (DDF) which is found suitable to present the drought index (DI) in mid-monsoon season, hence strongly associated with the possibility of drought occurrences. The present study investigates the probable aspects which influence the DDF over these regions, revealing that the abundance of anthropogenic aerosols especially over urbanized locations has a prevailing role in the growth of DDF during the last few decades. The prominent increasing trend in DDF over Lucknow (26.84 ∘ N, 80.94 ∘ E), a densely populated urban location situated in the Indo-Gangetic Plain, strongly reflects the dominant association of anthropogenic aerosols with the increasing dry phase occurrences. Increase in DDF (∼90 %) during the last 60 years is observed over this urban area compared to a broader region in its surroundings. In addition, periodic impacts of large-scale phenomena like ENSO (El Niño–Southern Oscillation) or SSN (sunspot number) become weaker when the study location is downscaled towards an urbanized region. Finally, when long-term projections of DDF are drawn using the high urbanization scenario of RCP 8.5, a huge rise in dry days is seen during mid-July to mid-September (reaching up to 50 dry days by the year 2100 over Lucknow), which will be a crucial concern for policymakers in future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Health insurance has been acknowledged by researchers as a valuable tool in health financing. In spite of its significance, a subscription paralysis has been observed in India for this product. People who can afford health insurance are also found to be either ignorant or aversive towards it. This study is designed to investigate into the socio-economic factors, individuals' health insurance product perception and individuals' personality traits for unbundling the paradox which inhibits people from subscribing to health insurance plans. Methods: This survey was conducted in the region of Lucknow. An online questionnaire was sent to sampled respondents. Response evinced by 263 respondents was formed as a part of study for the further data analysis. For assessing the relationships between variables T-test and F-test were applied as a part of quantitative measuring tool. Finally, logistic regression technique was used to estimate the factors that influence respondents' decision to purchase health insurance. Results: Age, dependent family members, medical expenditure, health status and individual's product perception were found to be significantly associated with health insurance subscription in the region. Personality traits have also showed a positive relationship with respondent's insurance status. Conclusion: We found in our study that socio-economic factors, individuals' product perception and personality traits induces health insurance policy subscription in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Acanthocephalans are fish parasites of worldwide distribution, penetrate their thorny proboscis into the intestinal wall of host and absorb nutrients. No diagnostic tool is available except postmortem investigations and identification by parasitologists. The aim of present study was to explore and assign taxonomical status to Pallisentis species prevalent in food fishes of river Gomti, Lucknow, India. Methods: A survey of fishes of river Gomti was carried out during the year 2011-2013. Acanthocephalans recovered from the intestine of Channa punctatus were kept in refrigerator for eversion of proboscis, fixed in A.F.A. fixative (50% alcohol, formalin and acetic acid in ratio of 100: 6: 2.5) for 24 hours further preserved in 70% ethanol. Camera Lucida diagrams of acetoalum carmine stained permanent mounts were made for morphometric studies. Results: Two new species of genus Pallisentis were identified and named as P. channai n. sp. and P. vinodai n. sp., their taxonomical status is based on major characters of proboscis hooks, spines of collar and trunk region, cement gland nuclei. On average 9 fishes were found infected with Pallisentis spp. out of 60 fishes examined randomly. Conclusion: Pallisentis spp. are important parasitic infection in Channidae fishes with the prevalence rate of 15%. Two new species of Pallisentis recognized from Channa punctatus of river Gomti, Lucknow, India and diagnostic features of genus are given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum), a highly valuable medicinal crop, is extremely susceptible to Meloidogyne incognita infestation, leading to severe losses in yield and chemo-pharmaceutical quality. Currently, chemical nematicides are the only effective option for the disease management. However, high toxicity to non-target organisms and adverse impact on soil health motivated the look for ecofriendly alternatives. Here, bioinoculants (Bacillus megatarium ("BM"), B. subtilis ("BS")) were isolated from the rhizosphere of various medicinal and aromatic plants growing in Lucknow region, India. Their biocontrol effects were studied in O. basilicum plants that were invaded by M. incognita either in single or in consortium with Trichoderma harzianum ("TH") and their efficiency compared to chemical nematicide (carbofuran) and a microbial reference strain (Pseudomonas fluorescens). The results show that all bioinoculants enhanced the growth and oil yield production and increased the nutrient content of O. basilicum by significantly reducing M. incognita infestation by 46 to 72%. Among the strains, a consortium of BM and TH was the most potent treatment. The efficiency of these bioinoculants was not restricted to sterile soil condition but remained high also in natural soil conditions, indicating that enriching soils with rhizospheric microbes can be an effective alternative to chemical nematicides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: NFHS-4 stated high unmet need for family planning (FP) among married women in Uttar Pradesh. Unmet need is highest among age groups: 15-19 and 20-24 years. Currently few data is available about unmet need for FP among vulnerable section of the community, i.e.15-24 year's age group living in the urban slums. Therefore this study was conducted to assess the unmet need for FP services and its determinants among this under-privileged and under-served section of society residing in urban slums of Uttar Pradesh, India.Methods: Cross sectional study was conducted in the slums of Lucknow, India. One Urban-Primary Health Centre (U-PHC) was randomly selected from each of the eight Municipal Corporation zones in Lucknow and two notified slums were randomly selected from each U-PHC. All the households in the selected slums were visited for interviewing 33 young married women (YMW) in each slum, with a pre-structured and pre tested questionnaire, to achieve the sample size of 535. Analysis of the data was done using logistic regression.Results: The unmet need for family planning services among YMW was 55.3%. About 40.9% of the unmet need was for spacing methods and 14.4% for limiting methods. Important reasons cited for unmet need for family planning services were negligent attitude of the women towards family planning, opposition by husband or others, embarrassment / hesitation / shyness for contraceptive use, poor knowledge of the FP method or availability of family planning services. Among method related reasons health concerns and fear of side effects were frequently cited reasons. On multiple logistic regression: age, educational status, duration of marriage, number of pregnancies, knowledge of contraceptive methods, opposition to contraceptive use and contact with Auxiliary Nurse Midwife (ANM) showed independently significant association with unmet need for family planning services.Conclusions: Unmet need for family planning services is very high among the YMW of urban slums. The findings stress that program managers should take into cognizance these determinants of high level of unmet need for family planning among YMW and make intense efforts for addressing these issues in a holistic manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Study of Copper, Zinc and Selenium associated with Superoxide Dismutase, Catalase and Glutathione Peroxidase level in serum of Breast cancer patients of North India A. K. Singh, V. Jain, G. N. Singh 1Department of Surgery, King George's Medical University, 2Surgery, King Georg's Medical University, Lucknow, India I declare that my presentation : will not include discussion of unapproved or "off-label" usage of a commercial product or device. Introduction: Breast cancer in women is most common cancer world wide and second most common cancer overall. Trace elements and antioxidant enzymes have been found involved in development and prevention of malignancies including breast cancer. This study aims to find out association between trace elements: copper, zinc and selenium along with antioxidant enzymes: SOD, Catalase, Glutathione peroxidise levels in breast cancer patients of various clinical stages. Materials & Methods: This Prospective observational cohort study is conducted in department of general surgery, King George's Medical University, Lucknow, U.P., India. Blood sample of 152 breast cancer patients were analysed and age matched with 152 controls. Unpaired t-test is used to compare the antioxidant enzymesand trace elements between cases and controls. The plasma level of copper, zinc, selenium and antioxidant enzymes (SOD, Catalase, Glutathione peroxidase) were analysed in both groups to find out any statistically significant correlation. Results: Plasma copper levels (μgm/dl) are higher in cases with mean of 132.43±6.10 vs controls 113.58±11.70 with p<0.0001. Plasma zinc levels (μgm/dl) (case: 88.25±6.30, control: 109.92±8.33, p<0.0001)) and selenium (μmol/dl) (case:3.27±0.18, control: 3.33±0.22 (p<0.0001)) are lower in breast cancer patients. Mean levels of Superoxide dismutase (IU/ ml) (case: 9.49±6.25, control: 27.04±4.39, p<0.0001), Catalase (IU/ ml) (case:0.09±0.08, control: 0.29±0.24, p<0.0001) and Glutathione peroxidise (nanomolNADPH oxidase/min/mg protein) (case: 16.96±10.20, control; 46.70±14.18, p<0.0001) are observed to be lower in breast cancer patients. Blood level of selenium, Superoxide dismutase, Catalase and Glutathione peroxidase are found to have a direct correlation while Plasma levels of Copper has inverse correlation with advanced stages of breast cancer Conclusion: Lower levels of antioxidant enzymes (Superoxide dismutase, Catalase and Glutathione peroxidase) and selenium found in breast cancer patients along with higher copper levels suggest that these metals and antioxidant enzymes play role in etiopathogenesis and aggressiveness of disease. This gives insight to initiate research for additive therapy of antioxidants and selenium in patients of breast cancer to achieve better outcome. Disclosure of Interest: None Declared. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The basin was calibrated through monthly discharge for the period (2002–2008) including 2 years as warm-up (2000–2001), after that model was validated on 5 years of hydrometeorological datasets (2009–2013) at two gauge sites located at Neemsar (upstream gauge) and Lucknow (downstream gauge). It is found that the most sensitive parameter for moisture condition II (CN2) was initial curve number. The p-factor and r-factor were obtained in calibration period at Neemsar 0.73 and 0.58 while at Lucknow values are 0.79 and 0.51, whereas in validation period values are 0.61, 0.45 and 1.22, 0.75, respectively. Three statistical parameters have been used to evaluate the SWAT model performance such as Coefficient of Determination (R2), Nash–Sutcliff efficiency (NSE), percent bias (PBIAS). The NSE and R2 values were observed as 0.85, 0.84 and 0.87, 0.86, respectively, in the time of calibration period and values is 0.76, 0.76 and 0.79, 0.83, respectively, in the time of validation period at two above said gauging stations. The PBIAS values during calibration and validation period are − 13.3, − 14.7 and − 4.0, − 15.7, respectively, at the same gauge site which indicates good model performance result. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]