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The dairy sector is a women-centric endeavor. It is an instrument for elevating the vulnerable section of society, particularly the farm women. Farm women contribute diligently towards dairy activities. The study was conducted in the East district of Sikkim in the year 2021. A simple random technique was used for selecting four blocks, five villages from each block, and ten respondents from each village were randomly selected. A personal interview schedule was used for the collection of data. Data were collected from 200 dairy farm women owning at least one dairy cattle. The study analyzes the feedback of dairy farm women based on five aspects, i.e., economical, technical, administrative, information networking, and independent decision-making. The result revealed that the high cost of concentrate, feed, and fodder, delayed service of animal health officials, lack of financial support from the government, irregular information on government schemes on dairy, and non-availability of financial support to women farmers were some of the major feedbacks given by the respondents.

Inter-subject or subject-independent emotion recognition has been a challenging task in affective computing. This work is about an easy-to-implement emotion recognition model that classifies emotions from EEG signals subject independently. It is based on the famous EEGNet architecture, which is used in EEG-related BCIs. We used the Dataset on Emotion using Naturalistic Stimuli (DENS) dataset. The dataset contains the Emotional Events -- the precise information of the emotion timings that participants felt. The model is a combination of regular, depthwise and separable convolution layers of CNN to classify the emotions. The model has the capacity to learn the spatial features of the EEG channels and the temporal features of the EEG signals variability with time. The model is evaluated for the valence space ratings. The model achieved an accuracy of 73.04%.

Malaria still threatens half the globe population despite successful Artemisinin-based combination therapy. One of the reasons for our inability to eradicate malaria is the emergence of resistance to current antimalarials. Thus, there is a need to develop new antimalarials targeting Plasmodium proteins. The present study reported the design and synthesis of 4, 6 and 7-substituted quinoline-3-carboxylates 9(a–o) and carboxylic acids 10(a–b) for the inhibition of Plasmodium N-Myristoyltransferases (NMTs) using computational biology tools followed by chemical synthesis and functional analysis. The designed compounds exhibited a glide score of −9.241 to −6.960 kcal/mol for PvNMT and −7.538 kcal/mol for PfNMT model proteins. Development of the synthesized compounds was established via NMR, HRMS and single crystal X-ray diffraction study. The synthesized compounds were evaluated for their in vitro antimalarial efficacy against CQ-sensitive Pf3D7 and CQ-resistant PfINDO lines followed by cell toxicity evaluation. In silico results highlighted the compound ethyl 6-methyl-4-(naphthalen-2-yloxy)quinoline-3-carboxylate (9a) as a promising inhibitor with a glide score of −9.084 kcal/mol for PvNMT and −6.975 kcal/mol for PfNMT with IC50 values of 6.58 µM for Pf3D7 line. Furthermore, compounds 9n and 9o exhibited excellent anti-plasmodial activity (Pf3D7 IC50 = 3.96, 6.71 µM, and PfINDO IC50 = 6.38, 2.8 µM, respectively). The conformational stability of 9a with the active site of the target protein was analyzed through MD simulation and was found concordance with in vitro results. Thus, our study provides scaffolds for the development of potent antimalarials targeting both Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium falciparum. Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma

Neural networks in image processing are becoming a more crucial and integral part of machine learning as computational technology and hardware systems are advanced. Deep learning is also getting attention from the medical sector as it is a prominent process for classifying diseases. There is a lot of research to predict retinal diseases using deep learning algorithms like Convolutional Neural Network (CNN). Still, there are not many researches for predicting diseases like CNV which stands for choroidal neovascularization, DME, which stands for Diabetic Macular Edema; and DRUSEN. In our research paper, the CNN (Convolutional Neural Networks) algorithm labeled the dataset of OCT retinal images into four types: CNV, DME, DRUSEN, and Natural Retina. We have also done several preprocessing on the images before passing these to the neural network. We have implemented different models for our algorithm where individual models have different hidden layers. At the end of our following research, we have found that our algorithm CNN generates 93% accuracy.

Heterocyclic compounds are important because they have almost all types of pharmacological properties. Due to these properties of heterocyclic compounds, they attracted the researchers for the development of more effective newer drug molecules. In this review, we are focused on benzothiazole and its derivatives, which are used for the synthesis of various biologically active molecules. Benzothiazole derivatives have been possessed the various type of pharmacological activities like antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, anticonvulsant, antiviral, anthelmintic, antioxidant, anticancer, and other anticipated activities. Hence, structural alterations have resulted in different benzothiazole derivatives that illustrated a wide variety of pharmacological activities.

Frequent extreme weather events result in huge economic losses for farming communities in Sundarbans region, which threatens the livelihood security of smallholder farming communities. Different agricultural enterprises in the region are facing continuous threats due to saline water intrusion, crop losses due to heavy rain, and flooding. To overcome these problems, the farming community have adopted several coping mechanisms to sustain their livelihood against the continuous threat of extreme weather events. This paper focuses on the coping mechanism followed by the farming community in the Sundarbans region of India. Primary data were collected from randomly selected 1200 farmers from six blocks of Sundarbans. Farm households who were engaged in different agricultural enterprise like cultivating field crops, livestock rearing, fish farming were selected as respondents for the study. Analytical Hierarchy Process was applied to prioritize the coping mechanism as followed by the farming communities. The coping mechanisms were assessed on the basis of ease of implementation, cost involved, effectiveness as well as durability of the strategy for long-term application. Effectiveness and durability of the coping strategy got the highest weights of 0.492 and 0.309, respectively. Coping mechanisms pertaining to managing soil health against soil salinity, raising livestock and fish species as well as cultivating field crops were identified and prioritized according to the perceived benefit of the mechanism against extreme weather events. These coping mechanisms after proper fine-tuning can help in formulating strong and sustainable development policies for agricultural and allied sectors in the Sundarbans region of India.

Background: The ethnopharmacological relevance suggests that the ethnic minorities of India use leaves of Cissampelos pareira L. as a traditional medicine for curing various psychopharmacological disorders. Objective: To evaluate anti-depressant, anxiolytic, and muscle relaxant activity of hydro-alcoholic extract of Cissampelos pareira. Methods: Leaves of Cissampelos pareira were extracted using a hydro-alcoholic solvent. The safety of hydro-alcoholic extract of Cissampelos pareira was assessed by acute oral toxicity (OECD 423). The anti-depressant activity was measured using open field test, locomotor test, despair swim test, tail suspension test. The anxiolytic activity was assessed using elevated plus maze and hole board test, and skeletal muscle relaxant activity was assessed using rotarod, grip strength, chimney, and inclined plane test. Results: No moribund status or mortality was observed in experimental mice up to 2000 mg/kg dose of Cissampelos pareira hydro-alcoholic extract (CPHE). In the open field and actophotometer tests, CPHE 200 and 400 mg/kg treated mice significantly abridged ambulation, number of central squares crossed, total locomotion, and depicted less coordinated movements, and in despair swim and tail suspension tests, CPHE 400 mg/kg treated mice significantly decreased duration of immobility and increased number of climbing, confirming its anti-depressant effect. In an elevated plus-maze test, CPHE 200 and 400 mg/kg increased the open arm exploration, while in the hole board test, CPHE 400 mg/kg treated rats augmented the number of head dips, depicting its anxiolytic effect. In rotarod, grip strength, and inclined plane test, CPHE 400 mg/kg treated mice decreased the fall-off time on a rotating rod, suspended wire, or inclined plane. Furthermore, in the chimney test, treatment with CPHE 400 depicted less coordinated movements in mice; the mice of this group took more time to leave the cylinder, depicting its skeletal muscle relaxant effect. Conclusion: Based on the results, of this study, it can be concluded that CPHE 400 mg/kg exhibits strong anti-depressant, anxiolytic, and muscle relaxant effects, justifying its traditional uses.

Indiscriminate and unscientific application of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, adversely affect the agricultural production system by damaging soil health, contaminating natural water bodies and ground water. As a result of prolonged use of excessive chemical fertilizers and pesticides, the yield of field crops are decreasing due to poor soil health and produced crops also adversely impact human health. For animal husbandry enterprise, fodder production is one of the major activities. Injudicious use of chemicals can reduce fodder production as well as productivity of livestock can also be reduced. Under these circumstances, demonstration of fodder berseem and oats cultivation by using biofertilizers and biopesticides were carried out in farmer’s field at three blocks of Nadia district of West Bengal, India. The study was conducted in the winter season of the year 2020-21; the selected farmers were trained and method demonstrations of fodder crop production were carried out. The demonstration results suggested that average yield of berseem fodder crop was 53.33±2.80 t ha-1 whereas oats fodder crop was 43.07±2.16 t ha-1. The BC ratio of fodder crop cultivation suggested that, by the cultivation of both fodder crops farmers got substantial economic return. Fodder produced by the using biofertilizers and biopesticide contain good amount of dry matter as well as crude protein. From the study it can be concluded that both the fodder crops can be grown in the farmers’ field of the study area by using the biofertilizers and biopesticide without deteriorating the fodder yield and fodder quality.

Background: Oxadiazole derivatives are the biologically active hetrocyclic compounds. So we synthesized a series of Mannich bases, 3-(arylaminomethyl)-5-(pyridin-4-yl)- 1,3,4-oxadiazole-(3H)-thi-2-one derivatives (3a-3g) were synthesized from Isoniazid [INH (1)], a first line antimycobacterial drug and these compounds were evaluated as antimycobacterial agents. Methods: The INH was reacted with potassium hydroxide and carbon disulfide to give 5-(pyridin- 4-yl)-1,3,4-oxadiazole-2(3H)-thione (2), followed by reacting compound 2 with appropriate aromatic amines in the presence of formaldehyde to obtain desired compounds (3a-3g). The structures of these compounds have been established by IR, 1H-NMR, Mass spectral and elemental analysis. These synthesized compounds (3a-3g) were evaluated for their antimycobacterial activity against M. tuberculosis H37Rv strain. Results: All the synthesized compounds (3a-3g) were exhibited antimycobacterial activity and compared to reference drugs Streptomycin (MIC value of 6.25μg/mL), INH (MIC value of 3.125μg/mL) and pyrizinamide (MIC value of 3.125μg/mL). Compounds 3c and 3e were exhibited most promising antimycobacterial activity. Conclusion: All the title compounds were synthesized, characterized and exhibited promising antimycobacterial activity against M. tuberculosis H37Rv strain.

Background: The extensive search for a novel therapeutic agent against Alzheimer's Disease (AD) in medical and pharmaceutical research still continues. Despite a lot being explored about its therapeutics, there is still much more to learn in order to achieve promising therapeutic agents against AD. Phytochemicals, especially secondary metabolites, are the major focus of the investigators for AD treatment. Objective: To describe major therapeutics targets of AD and the role of isothiocyanates (ITCs) in modulating these targets. Methods: Scientific databases, including Elsevier, Science Direct, Pub med, were explored. The explored literature was mainly journal publications on pathogenesis and targets of AD, and the effect of various ITCs in the modulation of these targets. Results: The major targets of AD include the Nrf-2/ARE signaling pathway, MAPKs pathway, GSK-3 signaling, and Ubiquitin-Protease system. ITCs, such as Sulforaphane, Allyl isothiocyanates, Moringin, 6-(methylsulfinyl) hexyl ITC, Phenethyl isothiocyanates, and Erucin, were reported to exert a protective effect against AD via modulating one of the several above mentioned targets. Conclusion: This article gives a detailed description of the therapeutic targets of AD and sheds light that phytochemicals, such as ITCs, can exert a protective effect against AD by targeting those pathways. However, properly designed research and clinical trials are required to include ITCs as a mainstream agent against AD.

Mastitis in dairy cattle is the most common management disorder that causes higher economic losses by lowering production and quality of milk leads to substantial economical loss. The aim of this article was to review worldwide important advances in strategies to control mastitis for production augmentation in dairy cattle. Many scientists worked to identify effective strategies to control mastitis caused by Streptococcus agalactiae, Staphylococcus aureus, and others. It is necessary to identify mechanisms of infection, define clinical and subclinical states of disease, determine exposure time, and identify pathogen-specific characteristics. Evolvement of management strategies that incorporated hygienic procedures (animal, floor, and milkman), post milking standing period of animal and strategic use of antibiotic or herbal therapy at dry-off, nutritional supplementation, fly control, body condition score optimization, etc., resulted in widespread control of mastitis. The udder, teat of animal, scientific management of milking, automatic milking procedure, genetic selection are considered as important factors to control mastitis. As farm management changed, scientists were directed to redefine control of mastitis caused by opportunistic pathogens of environmental sources and have sought to explore management strategies which will maintain animal well-being in a judicial way. Although significant advances in mastitis management have been made changing herd structure, changing climatic scenario and more rigorous milk processing standards ensure that mastitis will remain important issue for future research.

Emotion recognition using EEG signals is an emerging area of research due to its broad applicability in BCI. Emotional feelings are hard to stimulate in the lab. Emotions do not last long, yet they need enough context to be perceived and felt. However, most EEG-related emotion databases either suffer from emotionally irrelevant details (due to prolonged duration stimulus) or have minimal context doubting the feeling of any emotion using the stimulus. We tried to reduce the impact of this trade-off by designing an experiment in which participants are free to report their emotional feelings simultaneously watching the emotional stimulus. We called these reported emotional feelings "Emotional Events" in our Dataset on Emotion with Naturalistic Stimuli (DENS). We used EEG signals to classify emotional events on different combinations of Valence(V) and Arousal(A) dimensions and compared the results with benchmark datasets of DEAP and SEED. STFT is used for feature extraction and used in the classification model consisting of CNN-LSTM hybrid layers. We achieved significantly higher accuracy with our data compared to DEEP and SEED data. We conclude that having precise information about emotional feelings improves the classification accuracy compared to long-duration EEG signals which might be contaminated by mind-wandering.

Twenty-four weaned male Barbari kids (age 144.67 days; weight 11.99 ± 0.49 kg) were divided equally into three groups (T

Dhaka is one of the world's most populated cities and lacks the open fields and greeneries required for healthy living. Whereas urban sustainability depends on the greenness of the environment and the reduction of food dependency on the rural supply, currently, the city is failing to meet both requirements. The aim of this research is to understand why rooftop gardening (RTG) has failed to find its place in the policy agenda of Bangladesh, despite having support from citizens and experts. In answering this question, the authors have analysed the current state of rooftop gardening in Bangladesh with its major challenges and opportunities, explored the perception held by the city residents and agriculture professionals toward rooftop gardening, and discussed the existing institutional structure affecting the current rooftop gardening practices. The research presented in this paper argues that even though citizens have a positive attitude about rooftop gardening and experts consider it a viable opportunity, the existing policy process has hindered it from being a part of the policy agenda. Two online surveys were conducted on city residents and agriculture professionals from government and academic institutions. Interested participants from both categories participated in online interviews for in-depth discussions. In effect, the study shows that in the case of Dhaka city, the issue-framing is still at a very early stage. Though experts understand the value of RTG, they have not managed to raise enough awareness. From this perspective, experts have not played an adequate 'instrumental' role. As these two streams are quite weak, they are unlikely to join forces and intersect with the politics stream, where no attention to Rooftop gardening (RTG) can be observed at this point. Consequently, the researchers have not seen the RTG issue achieve enough policy momentum.

The 2nd Fully Revised Edition of the very well accepted book contains all the relevant, uated and revised topics including current and emerging areas pertaining to extension science which includes Concepts and Principles of Extension, Rural Sociology and Psychology, Research Methodology, Developmental Schemes in India, Management, Programme Planning and Evaluation, Process of Communication, Information and Communication Technology, Diffusion of Innovation, Training for Development, Farm Journalism, Women empowerment and Gender Mainstreaming. The data has been fully uated with years clearly marked against each to avoid confusion. Students who are aspiring to become experts in the field of Extension Science, this book will be quite helpful for them to prepare for all competitive exams including ARS and PG entrance examination in addition to equipping them in all the dimensions of extension education.

Background: Dry period duration of dairy cow is considered as an important factor to maintain udder health and milk production. Methods: To investigate the effect of dry period duration (DPD) on udder health, milk production and body condition of dairy cows at lower Gangetic tropics, observations were taken from 25 Jersey crossbred cows which were divided into 2 comparable group viz: 1st group (11 cows), having 50 to 60 days DPD and 2nd group (14 cows), having more than 60 days DPD. Result: Statistically analyzed data revealed that milk somatic cell count, MCMT, milk pH and EC were significantly (P less than 0.01) varied between two group from second month onwards and continue up to 4th months of lactation. Critical analysis of battery tests clearly confirmed the diagnosis for occurring of subclinical mastitis with poor udder health status in 2nd group. Total milk production/day/cow were almost similar in both group in first month but second month onwards significantly (P less than 0.01) higher milk production was recorded in 1st than 2nd group. The milk composition parameters revealed non-significant difference between groups whereas milk quality parameter significantly (P less than 0.01) better in 1st than 2nd group. Initial BCS of dry cow of both groups were similar. But BCS at calving was significantly (P less than 0.05) higher in 2nd than 1st group with higher negative changes in BCS % in 2nd group as compared to 1st group. It can be concluded that dry period duration of 50-60 days is better over to prolonged dry period (>60 days). Suitable changes in BCS from dry period to calving is beneficial to get higher milk production, quality, better maintenance of body condition and udder health status of Jersey crossbred cows at tropical lower Gangetic region.

Background: Acute gallstone disease is the highest volume Emergency General Surgical presentation in the UK. Recent data indicate wide variations in the quality of care provided across the country, with national guidance for care delivery not implemented in most UK hospitals. Against this backdrop, the Royal College of Surgeons of England set up a 13-hospital quality improvement collaborative (Chole-QuIC) to support clinical teams to reduce time to surgery for patients with acute gallstone disease requiring emergency cholecystectomy. Methods: Prospective, mixed-methods process evaluation to answer the following: (1) how was the collaborative delivered by the faculty and received, understood and enacted by the participants; (2) what influenced teams’ ability to improve care for patients requiring emergency cholecystectomy? We collected and analysed a range of data including field notes, ethnographic observations of meetings, and project documentation. Analysis was based on the framework approach, informed by Normalisation Process Theory, and involved the creation of comparative case studies based on hospital performance during the project. Results: Chole-QuIC was delivered as planned and was well received and understood by participants. Four hospitals were identified as highly successful, based upon a substantial increase in the number of patients having surgery in line with national guidance. Conversely, four hospitals were identified as challenged, achieving no significant improvement. The comparative analysis indicate that six inter-related influences appeared most associated with improvement: (1) achieving clarity of purpose amongst site leads and key stakeholders; (2) capacity to lead and effective project support; (3) ideas to action; (4) learning from own and others’ experience; (5) creating additional capacity to do emergency cholecystectomies; and (6) coordinating/managing the patient pathway. Conclusion: Collaborative-based quality improvement is a viable strategy for emergency surgery but success requires the deployment of effective clinical strategies in conjunction with improvement strategies. In particular, achieving clarity of purpose about proposed changes amongst key stakeholders was a vital precursor to improvement, enabling the creation of additional surgical capacity and new pathways to be implemented effectively. Protected time, testing ideas, and the ability to learn quickly from data and experience were associated with greater impact within this cohort.

The present experiment was conducted to evaluate the mitigation strategy of the arsenic toxicity induced in Black Bengal kids through dietary supplementation of vitamin E or yeast culture (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) or combination of both. Thirty number of Black Bengal kids (6.15 ± 0.32 kg, 142.87 ± 9.28 days) were divided into equal five groups. Kids under control group (T0) and other treatment groups (T1, T2, T3 and T4) were fed with similar type of basal diet containing concentrate mixture and sorghum sudan grass. Kids under T1, T2, T3 and T4 were fed with 50 ppm arsenic (As)/kg DM of feed in the form of sodium arsenite (NaAsO2). Kids under T2, T3 and T4 were supplemented with Vitamin E (250 IU/kg DM of feed), yeast culture (S. cerevisiae) (4 × 109 CFU/kid/d) and combination of vitamin E and S. cerevisiae with same doses, respectively. The feeding experiment was continued for 20 weeks. Challenge feeding of arsenic (As) significantly (P

Computer vision and IoT-based systems play a significant role in the field of home security. In this paper, we present the design and implementation of IoT-based home security with integrated intrusion detection to minimize the damages caused by the burglary. Also, the proposed system combines a web server with the web application to remotely access and control their status. This system is cost-effective and efficient enough for monitoring home automatically. It includes a real-time identification system that can process images faster. The aim of this paper is to ensure home security by identifying the face. A single-board computer called the Raspberry Pi will capture the images, and from that, the system will detect and identify the face. This project uses the Haar-cascades algorithm for face detection and uses LBPH algorithm for face recognition and uses SQLite which is a lite version of SQL for the Raspberry Pi, along with MYSQL to update the database to the web server. Finally, using an IoT application called Twillo, the images and notifications will be sent to the user by SMS. According to the experimental results, the system can be used as a real-time system. This system can be used without any human intervention. The system includes instant approachability, efficient usage of power and fits user service.

Nowadays Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) based applications are rising in many areas such as industry, health-care, transportation. During the class time, manual collection of attendance consumes considerable amount of time and resources. Having many students in classroom, taking attendance is a difficult task and how to automatic get the attendance rate is very important for school management. In this paper, we proposed an easier way of using the RFID technology on how a school teacher is capable of automatically record the attendance instead of taking attendance manually. An RFID-based attendance management system is designed and implemented, and information service system including programmable devices and web-based applications are used. The test results show that the presented system is practical.

Additional file 1 : Figure S1. Superoxide anion generation in Pyrogallol treated cells. (A) MDA-MB-231 cells were treated with Pyrogallol (10, 20, 50 and 100 μM) for 24 h followed by 30 mins incubation with 10 μM DHE and analyzed for superoxide anion detection using a fluorescence microscope (above). Phase-contrast images of cells after indicated concentration of Pyrogallol treatment (below). Scale bars, 50 μm. (B) MDA-MB-231 cells were treated with 20 μM Pyrogallol for time point as indicated in the figure, and Western blotting was done for mTORC2 specific markers. All data are representative of three independent experiments. Figure S2. Pyrogallol prevents Ras localization to the plasma membrane. MDA-MB-231 cells pre-treated with FTI (Lonafarnib 1 μM) for 4 h followed by stimulation with Pyrogallol (20 μM) for another 24 h. Cells were analyzed for Ras localization by immunofluorescence microscopy. Data are representative of three independent experiments. Figure S3. Evaluation of sequences of peptides. Evaluation of sequences of synthetic peptides identical to the Ras-binding domain (RBD) of mSIN1. Figure S4. Peptide penetration and mutation analysis. (A) Immunofluorescence images of MDA-MB-231 cells treated with FITC-conjugated P4 (50 μg/ml) for 24 h. (B) RBD sequences of wild-type and mutant. Two of the amino acid residues Tyr-323(Y323) and Leu-325(L325) within the region corresponding to P4 in the wild-type RBD, were conserved across the species. The conserved amino acids tyrosine and leucine were mutated with alanine substitutions. Figure S5. Quantification of data of Fig. 1b Densitometric quantification of protein phosphorylation of mTORC2 specific markers by Western blot data (represented in Fig. 1b). **P ≤ 0.01, ***P ≤ 0.001. Figure S6. Quantification of data of Fig. 2c, d, and e. (A) Densitometric quantification of protein phosphorylation of mTORC2 specific markers by Western blot data (represented in Fig. 2c). (B) Densitometric quantification of protein phosphorylation of mTORC2 specific markers by Western blot data (represented in Fig. 2d). (C) Densitometric quantification of protein phosphorylation of mTORC2 specific markers by Western blot data (represented in Fig. 2e). Pyr (Pyrogallol) ns (not significant). *P ≤ 0.05, **P ≤ 0.01, ***P ≤ 0.001. Figure S7. Quantification of data of Fig. 3a and f. (A) Densitometric quantification of protein phosphorylation of mTORC2 specific markers by Western blot data represented in Fig. 3a. (B) Densitometric quantification of Western blot data represented in Fig. 3f. VC (Vehicle control), Pyr (Pyrogallol), and ns, not significant. *P ≤ 0.05, **P ≤ 0.01, ***P ≤ 0.001. Figure S8. Quantification of data of Fig. 4b and c. Densitometric quantification of protein phosphorylation of mTORC2 specific markers by Western blot data (represented in Fig. 4b). ns, not significant. *P ≤ 0.05, **P ≤ 0.01, ***P ≤ 0.001.

The productive and reproductive performances of dairy animals have direct effect to milk production and profitability of dairy enterprise. The present study was carried out to analyse the productive and reproductive performance of cattle and buffaloes reared under farmers’ management in three states of differential dairy progress in India. Haryana, Maharashtra and Odisha states were purposively selected from highly, moderately and least dairy progressive states, respectively. The total sample size was 900 containing 300 dairy farmers from each state. The finding shows that the productive and reproductive performances of buffalos in Haryana are better than Maharashtra and Odisha. The productive and reproductive performances of Crossbred were found better in Haryana as well as Maharashtra than Odisha. In Haryana, very few farmers reared Indigenous cattle but the performances were better than Maharashtra and Odisha. The better performance of Haryana may be due to being home track of elite Murrah buffalo, Tharparker and Sahiwal breeds of Indigenous cattle, agro-climatic situations, veterinary services and managerial skills of dairy farmers. To improve the productive and reproductive performance of dairy animals in the moderately progressive (Maharashtra) and least progressive (Odisha) states efforts should be focused on breed improvement, better veterinary infrastructure and enhance the managerial skills of the farmers

Chemotherapy is the most potent therapy for treatment of tuberculosis. In the chemotherapy of tuberculosis, resistance associated with treatment failures emerged and has become a common occurrence all around world. The multi-drug therapy is used to prevent the emergence of drug resistance mutants during the long duration of treatment. Resistance can be defined as single-drug, multi-drugs, depending on the number of drugs and/or which drugs are involved. The drug resistance tuberculosis more prevalent, lack the resources to implement adequate measures to control even the susceptible types of the disease. A high prevalence of primary multidrug-resistant tuberculosis, previous treatment for TB predisposes to the selection of multi drug resistance organisms and non-compliance is a major factor in allowing the resistant organisms to survive.

The effectiveness in TB treatment is difficult because the structural composition of the mycobacterial cell wall is very complicated, which makes many drugs ineffective. Tuberculosis is still one of the most imperative infectious disease worldwide becouse its important reason is drug resistant, persistent or latent tuberculosis and synergism with HIV. Furthermore no any new chemical entity has come. The recently application of modern drug design promise to bring significant development in the fight against TB. In present review we discussed brief introduction of tuberculosis.

Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) are continuously emerging as key tools to support development activities undertaken by Governments, civil society and private enterprises. It has been showing significant result in addressing information asymmetry gap in many sectors and localities, especially in agriculture & allied sector. The rural people, specifically farming communities have been getting timely & relevant information, services & support, and farming inputs. However, the sustainability of these ICT based efforts in improving well-being of farming communities is key to the effectiveness of a rural ICT projects in India. The present paper aimed to determine the sustainability of the aAQUA (Almost All Questions Answered) e-Agriservice in Maharashtra state, western parts of India covering the four districts of the state. The study used the ex-post facto (cause to effect) research design in a quasi-intervention setting. The list of registered users was obtained from the service provider (presently Agrocom Software Technologies Pvt. Ltd.) and total of 120 users were selected randomly from four districts (30 users from each district). The sustainable-Agriservice Index (SeAGRSI) was computed based on the five dimensions viz. technological, economic, social, institutional, and political by using Multi-Criteria Analysis (MCA), Mixed Method Approach and Normalized Rank Order Method (NROM). The study revealed that the SeAGRSI for the social indicators was the highest among other dimensions of the sustainability (SeAGRSI = 0.77) followed by the technologically (0.73), economic (0.71) political (0.62) and institutional (0.58) sustainable. It was also found that the mean SeAGRSI was 0.70 as reported by one third (32.50%) of the users, which means 70 per cent the aAQUA e-Agriservice was technologically, socially, economically, institutionally and politically sustainable.

The present study aimed to determine the sustainability of the aAQUA (Almost All Questions Answered) e-Agriservice in Maharashtra state, western parts of India covering the four districts of the state. The study used the ex-post facto (cause to effect) research design in a quasi-intervention setting. The list of registered users was obtained from the service provider (presently Agrocom Software Technologies Pvt. Ltd.) and total of 120 users were selected randomly from four districts (30 users from each district). The sustainable-Agriservice Index (SeAGRSI) was computed based on the five dimensions viz. technological, economic, social, institutional, and political by using combinations of Multi-Criteria Analysis (MCA), Mixed Method Approach and Normalized Rank Order Method (NROM). The study revealed that the SeAGRSI for the social indicators was the highest among other dimensions of the sustainability (SeAGRSI = 0.77) followed by the technologically (0.73), economic (0.71) political (0.62) and institutional (0.58) sustainable. It was also found that the mean SeAGRSI was 0.70 as reported by one third (32.50%) of the users, which means 70% the aAQUA e-Agriservice was technologically, socially, economically, institutionally and politically sustainable. The indicators developed would be useful to develop strategy for sustainability of ICT efforts in many developing countries.

The beneficial effects of a Glomus deserticola strain isolated from the rhizosphere of grasses (belonging to Poaceae family) growing along the industrial waste from a distillery were investigated under stress conditions. The study was conducted to assess the efficacy of the arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungal ecotype in salinity and heavy metal (HM) tolerance of eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) in soils amended with various stress levels of NaCl, zinc and cadmium. Mycorrhizal (M) seedlings produced a significantly (p

Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) have potential to deliver timely and relevant information to farmers. Several projects integrate ICTs to disseminate the agricultural information to farming community. Almost All Questions Answered (aAQUA) e-Agriservice is one such web portal to address the queries raised by farmers. This study was carried out to find the attitude of farmers towards the aAQUA e-Agriservice and to assess its impact in terms of knowledge gain about Improved Dairy Farming Practices (IDFPs). The ex-post-facto research design was followed. The attitude scale and knowledge test were developed and administered to a sample of 120 each from user and non-user dairy farmers in four districts of Maharashtra state. Cronbach's alpha coefficient (#=0.91) of reliability test was employed for measuring the attitude of farmers. The results indicated that one-third (32.50%) of the users had more favourable attitude towards the e-Agriservice followed by 24.17% of the users with favourable attitude. About 47.50% of users had high level (67.72–78.29) of knowledge about IDFPs, whereas one-third (33.33%) of non-users had medium level (58.86–67.71). One way ANOVA revealed that the level of favourableness of attitude of the users towards e-Agriservice on knowledge levels of users about IDFPs found significant at 0.01% level of significance. The study suggested that the attitude of target clientele plays an important role in acceptance of ICT-based interventions which makes them knowledge empowered.

We provide a privacy-friendly cloud-based smart metering storage architecture which provides few-instance storage on encrypted measurements by at the same time allowing SQL queries on them. Our approach is most flexible with respect to two axes: on the one hand it allows to apply filtering rules on encrypted data with respect to various upcoming business cases; on the other hand it provides means for a storageefficient handling of encrypted measurements by applying serverside deduplication techniques over all incoming smart meter measurements. Although the work at hand is purely dedicated to a smart metering architecture we believe our approach to have value for a broader class of IoT cloud storage solutions. Moreover, it is an example for Privacy-by-design supporting the positive-sum paradigm.

Natural antioxidants inhibit the adverse effects of the reactive oxygen species produced in living things and enable to survive. Depending on this principle, humans started using some plant products to cure from various diseases. Natural products have proved of great health impact on human traditionally and scientifically. Moreover, the research has so far done in the field of natural antioxidants. Therefore, antioxidants have been traditionally used as well as experimentally proved beneficial. The antioxidant components of the natural products constitute the major source of human health promotion and maintenance. The nature is still the perfect source for health promotion and for the supplementation of safe drugs. Great attention is mandatory to explore many underestimated plants with highly effective antioxidant activity. Few classes of natural products have received as much attention as phenolics and polyphenols.

Coumarin and its derivatives are widely spread in nature. Coumarin goes to a group as benzopyrones, which consists of a benzene ring connected to a pyrone moiety. Coumarins displayed a broad range of pharmacologically useful profile. Coumarins are considered as a promising group of bioactive compounds that exhibited a wide range of biological activities like anti-microbial, anti-viral, antiparasitic, anti-helmintic, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, anti-cancer, anti-oxidant, anti-proliferative, anti-convulsant, and antihypertensive activities etc. The coumarin compounds have immense interest due to their diverse pharmacological properties. In particular, these biological activities make coumarin compounds more attractive and testing as novel therapeutic compounds.

Mouse F9 embryonal carcinoma cells have been widely used as a model for studying the mechanism of embryonic differentiation, because they are similar to the inner cell mass of early mouse embryos and can differentiate into primitive endoderm (PrE) following retinoic acid (RA) treatment. During F9 cell differentiation, the carbohydrate chains of glycoproteins and their corresponding glycosyltransferases are known to undergo rapid changes. However, there have been no corresponding reports on the expression of gangliosides. We have developed a custom cDNA array that is highly sensitive for the genes responsible for sphingolipid (SL) biosynthesis and metabolism. Using this, we found that, of the 28 selected genes, 26 exhibited increased expression during F9 differentiation into PrE. Although neutral glycosphingolipids (GSLs) were expressed at similar levels before and after differentiation, a greater than 20-fold increase in total ganglioside content was evident in PrE. Glucosylceramide synthase inhibitors (d-threo-1-phenyl-2-decanoylamino-3-morpholino-1-propanol [d-PDMP] and its analog) depleted gangliosides and this resulted in delayed expression of Disabled-2 (Dab-2), suggesting the involvement of gangliosides in F9 cell differentiation. Disruption of cholesterol-enriched membrane microdomains by methyl-beta-cyclodextrin (MbetaCD) also delayed differentiation. Both MbetaCD and d-PDMP blocked the accumulation of Src family kinases (SFKs) to microdomains. However, d-PDMP did not block flotillin accumulation, yet MbetaCD did. Additionally, confocal laser microscopy revealed the formation of distinct functional microdomains integrating SFKs with gangliosides and cholesterol during PrE differentiation. Thus, we demonstrate the outstanding up-regulation of ganglioside biosynthesis and its importance in the formation of distinct microdomains incorporating SFKs with gangliosides during RA-induced differentiation of F9 cells.

Currently, Photovoltaic (PV) energy is the most important energy resource in electrical power applications around the world since it is inexhaustible, clean and pollution free. As the output power from the PV arrays changing with solar irradiance and temperature, so it is necessary to operate the photovoltaic (PV) system at the maximum power point (MPP) to increase the power extraction from the solar panel. For this effective operation and maximum power extraction from a PV system, Maximum power point tracking (MPPT) algorithm plays a vital role by operating the PV energy system near the MPP. In this work, amongst several existing well established MPPT algorithms, the open voltage (OV) based algorithm is chosen for simulation of a PV system using Matlab / Simscape. As maximum power point (MPP) can be attained with a certain amount of load from the PV power system, so load matching is an important concept of MPPT algorithms. Here, the performances of this open voltage (OV) based algorithm method is evaluated for different values of solar radiation and battery was used as load to see the charging performance for the algorithm.

Sporonchulus ibitensis (Carvalho, 1951) Andr��ssy, 1958 (Fig. 14) = Mononchus ibitiensis Carvalho, 1951 = Sporonchuloides ibitiensis (Carvalho, 1951) Mohandas & Prabhoo, 1982 Measurements. Table 1 Description. Adult: Body ventrally curved upon fixation. Cuticle smooth, 2���3 ��m thick. Body pores indistinct. Lip region rounded, almost continuous with adjoining body, more than 2.5 times as wide as high. Lips amalgamated, labial sensillla papilliform, not raised above the body contour. Amphids cup-shaped with slit-like aperture, 3���4 ��m across, located at level of dorsal tooth apex. Buccal cavity barrel-shaped, tapering at base, about 1.8 times as long as wide with thick vertical and oblique plates. Dorsal wall bearing a medium-sized, dorsal tooth of 6 �� 4 ��m dimension, located at 6 ��m from anterior end of buccal capsule or at 70 % from its base, opposed by four longitudinal rows of 24 subventral teeth. Posterior-most pair occasionally larger and separated by a wider gap from anterior ones. Pharyngeal sleeve surrounding buccal cavity at 1 / 3 ��� 1 / 4 of its length from base. Pharynx cylindrical, muscular, 24 % of body length. Orifices of pharyngeal glands: DO located at 58 %, SV 1 O 1 and SV 1 O 2 at 69 %, SV 2 O 1 and SV 2 O 2 at 96 % of pharyngeal length from anterior end. Pharyngo-intestinal junction nontuberculate with cardial flaps of variable lengths. Nerve ring at about 35 % of pharyngeal length. Excretory pore slightly posterior to nerve ring, at about 40 % of the pharynx length. Intestine with narrow lumen. Rectum 1.1 times anal body diameter long. Tail conoid, slightly ventrally arcuate, tapering to a narrow rounded terminus. Caudal glands weakly developed, arranged in tandem, spinneret terminal, short, narrow and relatively inconspicuous. Female: Reproductive system didelphic, amphidelphic with reflexed ovaries. Ovary with a large proximal oocyte and oocytes of increasingly smaller size arranged in two rows towards the distal end. Long ovarian sac present associated with each ovary (Fig. 14 G, I). Oviduct attached subterminally to the ovary, without distinct pars dilatata. Crustaformeria and uteri well developed. Vagina about one-third of corresponding body diameter with well developed globular pars refringens. Vulva slightly posterior to mid-body with simple vulval lips. Male: Not found. Locality and habitat: Soil samples containing Sporonchulus ibitensis were collected from a field in Ghazipur district, Uttar Pradeshat 25 �� 34 ' 46 "N 83 �� 34 ' 24 "E coordinates. Voucher specimens. One female on slide Sporonchulus ibitensis (Carvalho, 1951) Andr��ssy, 1958 no. GZ/ 1 deposited in the Nematode Collection, Department of Zoology, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India. Salient characters. Medium-sized species with buccal cavity barrel-shaped, about 1.7 times as long as wide; dorsal tooth medium-sized, situated in anterior half of buccal cavity; subventral walls bearing two vertical rows of total 24 denticles; posteriormost subventral teeth larger and separated by a wider gap from anterior teeth; female genital system amphidelphic; pars refringens vaginae globular; tail conoid, ventrally arcuate gradually tapering to a narrow, rounded terminus; caudal glands arranged in tandem; spinneret terminal, short, narrow and inconspicuous. Remarks. This species has been reported from India, Sri Lanka, Nigeria, Zaire, Brazil, Argentina, Malaysia, and Cameroon (Mulvey, 1963; Jairajpuri & Khan, 1982). The only specimen reported here conforms to the species S. ibitensis in morphological and morphometric values. However, a difference was noted in the dorsal tooth that had a flattened anterior with apex directed forward [vs apex directed anteriad apud Fig. 4, Mulvey (1963)]. Besides other differentiating features, the pars refringens vaginae were observed to be more or less globular in the present specimen (Fig. 14 H) compared to the trapezoid pars refringens vaginae found in the populations of S. vagabundus (Fig. 12 O; 13 L)., Published as part of Tahseen, Qudsia, Asif, Mohammad, Mustaqim, Malka, Ahlawat, Shikha & Bert, Wim, 2013, Descriptions of ten known species of the superfamily Mononchoidea (Mononchida: Nematoda) from North India with a detailed account on their variations, pp. 301-335 in Zootaxa 3646 (4) on pages 327-330, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3646.4.1, http://zenodo.org/record/249406

Clarkus papillatus (Bastian, 1865) Jairajpuri, 1970 (Fig. 1) = Mononchus papillatus Bastian, 1865 = Mononchus (Prionchulus) papilIatus Bastian, 1865 (Schneider, 1939) = Prionchulus papillatus (Bastian, 1865) Schneider, 1939 = Mononchus cristatus Bastian, 1865 = Clarkus koreanus Choi, Khan & Lee, 1999 Measurements. Table 1 Description. Adult: Body medium-sized, ventrally curved upon fixation. Cuticle smooth 2���3 ��m thick in different body regions. Body pores not visible. Lip region set off, ca 2.4���2.6 times as wide as high, distinctly wider than adjoining body, with very small or inconspicuous labial and cephalic sensilla. Amphids cup-shaped with oval apertures, 3���4 ��m across, located anterior to dorsal tooth or 10���11 ��m from anterior end. Buccal cavity barrelshaped tapering at base about 2���3 times as long as wide with heavily cuticularised parallel vertical and oblique walls; vertical walls consisting of a tooth-bearing dorsal wall and two toothless sub-ventral walls. Dorsal tooth prominent, 3���4 ��m in thickness, situated in the anterior half of buccal cavity or about 82���83 % of buccal capsule from its base; anterior margin of the tooth somewhat straight. Subventral walls of buccal cavity with a longitudinal ridge extending from the point opposite to dorsal tooth���s apex to posterior part of vertical plates. Pharyngeal sleeve surrounding stoma at 1 / 3 ��� 1 / 4 of its length from base. Pharynx cylindroid, muscular ca 26���28 % of body length. Nerve ring at 31���38 % of pharyngeal length. Excretory pore 35���42 % of pharyngeal length from the anterior end. Orifices of the pharyngeal glands: DO at ca 53���58 %, SV 1 O 1 and SV 1 O 2 at ca 72���75 %, and SV 2 O 1 and SV 2 O 2 at ca 94���97 % of pharyngeal length. Pharyngo-intestinal junction non-tuberculate. Intestinal lumen wide, intestinal wall made up of large polygonal cells. Rectum ca 0.8���1.1 times anal body diameter long. Tail conoid, ventrally arcuate with acute terminus. Caudal glands absent, rudimentary in one specimen; spinneret absent. Female: Reproductive system didelphic, amphidelphic; ovaries reflexed, of robust size, about as wide as corresponding body diameter, with 7���10 oocytes arranged alternately or in single row in each ovary; and distal end with a cluster of proliferating oogonial cells. Oviduct narrow connected to uterus without any sphincter in between. Uterus muscular, accommodating usually one egg at a time, occasionally with two large-sized, smooth-shelled eggs, 76���80 ��m long �� 48���49 ��m wide. Vagina extending more than half of corresponding body diameter with small, moderately sclerotised pars refringens. Vulva an oval slit of 9���12 ��m diameter. Male: Not found. Locality and habitat. Soil containing Clarkus papillatus was collected from around the roots of Pinus sp. from Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India, located at 30.3157 ��N 78.0336 ��E coordinates. Voucher specimens. One female on slide Clarkus papillatus (Bastian, 1865) Jairajpuri, 1970 no. D 13 / 1 deposited in the Nematode Collection, Department of Zoology, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India. One female deposited at USDANC, Beltsville, MD, USA. Salient characters. Medium-sized nematodes; buccal cavity barrel-shaped, dorsal wall bearing a mediumsized tooth; each subventral wall provided with non-denticulate ridge. Pharyngo-intestinal junction nontuberculate. Female genital system amphidelphic. Tail short, conoid, ventrally arcuate with acute terminus. Caudal glands rudimentary or absent; spinneret absent. Remarks. This is the most widely distributed species of the genus, and has been reported from all continents (Andr��ssy, 2006) except Antarctica. The present specimens show morphological as well as morphometric characteristics similar to specimens of Clarkus papillatus described earlier (Jairajpuri, 1970 a; Andr��ssy, 2006); however, the uterine eggs were relatively smaller (76���80 �� 48���49 ��m vs 80���92 �� 32���44 ��m) than those reported for C. papillatus apud Andr��ssy (2006). The lip region was variable from rounded to angular. The buccal cavity also showed variation in shape with the vertical walls straight to slightly curved. The inconspicuous caudal glands and absence of spinneret are typical features of this species, although the tails exhibited variation in degree of ventral curvature of the two specimens studied., Published as part of Tahseen, Qudsia, Asif, Mohammad, Mustaqim, Malka, Ahlawat, Shikha & Bert, Wim, 2013, Descriptions of ten known species of the superfamily Mononchoidea (Mononchida: Nematoda) from North India with a detailed account on their variations, pp. 301-335 in Zootaxa 3646 (4) on page 303, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3646.4.1, http://zenodo.org/record/249406

Mylonchulus minor (Cobb, 1893) Andr��ssy, 1958 (Fig. 3) = Mononchus minor Cobb, 1893 = Mononchus (Mylonchulus) minor Cobb, 1893 (Cobb, 1916) = Mononchus (Mylonchulus) brachyuris microdenticulatus minor Cobb, 1893 (Micoletzky, 1922) = Mylonchulus sculentus Jain, Saxena & Sharma, 1993 Measurements. Table 2. Description. Adult: Body medium-sized, ventrally arcuate, more strongly curved in posterior half after fixation, tapering slightly towards extremities. Cuticle smooth, 1.5���2 ��m thick. Body pores indistinct. Lip region truncate to angular, demarcated from adjoining body, about 2.5���3 times as wide as high. Labial sensilla prominent, slightly raised. Amphids cup-shaped with slit-like aperture, 4���7 ��m across, located 9���12 ��m from the anterior end. Buccal cavity funnel-shaped, about 1.2���1.8 times as long as wide with sclerotized vertical and oblique walls. Dorsal vertical wall bearing anteriorly directed, 8���9 ��m long massive tooth, 5���6 ��m in thickness with tip located 5���6 ��m from anterior end of buccal capsule or at ca 70���80 % from its base. Each subventral vertical wall provided anteriorly with 6 transverse rows of rasp-like denticles (n= 6) with anterior row relatively more prominent; number of denticulate rows was found to be five in two specimens. A small tooth present on each subventral wall posterior to denticles. Pharyngeal sleeve surrounding buccal cavity at 1 / 3 ��� 1 / 4 of its length from base. Pharynx cylindroid, muscular, 30���33 % of body length. Orifices of the pharyngeal glands, DO located at ca 58���67 %, SV 1 O 1 and SV 1 O 2 at ca 69���73 %, SV 2 O 1 and SV 2 O 2 at ca 92���93 % of pharyngeal length from anterior end. Nerve ring encircling pharynx at ca 27���33 % and excretory pore faintly visible at ca 34���39 % of pharyngeal length from anterior end. Pharyngo-intestinal junction non-tuberculate with cardial flap of variable length ranging from 9���15 ��m. Intestine with polygonal cells. Rectum 0.8���1.1 times as long as anal body diameter. Tail conoid, ventrally bent at half of length in most specimens, tapering into a rounded terminus. Caudal glands well developed, arranged in tandem, opening to exterior through a narrow tubular duct; spinneret terminal. Female: Reproductive system didelphic, amphidelphic with relatively compact, reflexed ovaries having 8���11 oocytes arranged in single row except the distal proliferation zone; proximal end of ovary containing a large grown oocyte. Oviduct joining ovary sub-terminally, 35���77 ��m long. Sphincter not observed at oviduct-uterus junction; uterus devoid of sperms. Vagina extending inward about 1 / 3 ��� 1 / 4 of the corresponding body diameter with well developed, almond-shaped pars refringens. A smooth-shelled intra-uterine egg observed in one female. Vulva postmedian and transverse. Male: Not found. Locality and habitat. Moss containing Mylonchulus minor, scraped from around the roots of Bambusa sp. from Haridwar, Uttar Pradesh, India located at 29 �� 57 �� 22 ��N 78 �� 10 �� 12 ��E coordinates. Voucher specimens. Seven females on slide Mylonchulus minor (Cobb, 1893) Andr��ssy, 1958, no. D 20 / 1���4 deposited in the Nematode Collection, Department of Zoology, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India. One female deposited at USDANC, Beltsville, MD, USA. Salient characters. Small to medium-sized species with buccal cavity funnel-shaped, about 1.2���1.8 times long as wide; dorsal tooth large, situated in anterior half of buccal cavity; each subventral wall usually bearing 6 transverse rows of denticles; subventral tooth very small; female genital system amphidelphic; tail conoid, ventrally bent at half of its length with rounded terminus; caudal glands arranged in tandem; spinneret terminal. Remarks. This is a widely distributed species of Mylonchulus, and has been reported from different parts of the world (Ahmad & Jairajpuri, 2010). The present specimens showed morphological as well as morphometric characteristics similar to M. minor (Cobb, 1893) Andr��ssy, 1958. The typical features of the individuals as stated by Cobb (1916) were the funnel-shaped buccal cavity with a prominent dorsal tooth but very short or relatively inconspicuous subventral teeth, likely to be overlooked. Intrapopulation variations were observed in the size of subventral tooth which ranged from a slight protuberance (Fig. 3 B, C) to a prominent triangular tooth (Fig. 3 G), subventral rasp-like denticles being either regularly arranged in rows or slightly dispersed, the cardial flap ranging from insignificant (Fig. 3 L) to visibly longer (Fig. 3 I); and the ovaries slender (Fig. 3 M) to prominently broad (Fig. 3 Q). Contrary to the description of the species apud Cobb (1916) as having a conoid, arcuate tail bent near the middle, the shape of tail in the present specimens varied from cylindroid (Fig. 3 U), slightly bent to strongly bent (Fig 3 X)., Published as part of Tahseen, Qudsia, Asif, Mohammad, Mustaqim, Malka, Ahlawat, Shikha & Bert, Wim, 2013, Descriptions of ten known species of the superfamily Mononchoidea (Mononchida: Nematoda) from North India with a detailed account on their variations, pp. 301-335 in Zootaxa 3646 (4) on pages 308-311, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3646.4.1, http://zenodo.org/record/249406

Prionchulus muscorum (Dujardin, 1845) Wu & Hoeppli, 1929 (Fig. 2) = Oncholaimus muscorum Dujardin, 1845 = Mononchus muscorum (Dujardin, 1845) Bastian, 1865 = Mononchus (Prionchulus) muscorum (Dujardin, 1845) Bastian, 1865 (Cobb, 1916) = Mononchus bastiani de Man, 1876 = Mononchus (Prionchulus) longicollis Cobb, 1917 = Mononchus papillatus macrodon Fuchs, 1930 = Prionchulus medius Eroshenko, 1975 = Prionchulus paucidentatus Zell, 1985 = Prionchulus ferox Winiszewska & Susulovsky, 2003 = Prionchulus olexandri Winiszewska & Susulovsky, 2003 = Prionchulus prasadi Saha, Lal & Singh, 2006 = Prionchulus ukhrum Mohilal & Dhanachand, 1997 = Prionchulus pachydermis Khan, Choi, Lee & Choi, 2000 Measurements. Table 1. Description. Adult: Body medium to large-sized, straight to open ���C���-shaped on fixation, strongly curved in tail region, broad at anterior end but tapering at posterior extremity. Body pores indistinct. Cuticle smooth, about 3.0��� 3.5 ��m thick in different body regions. Lip region slightly offset from the body contour, about 2.0��� 2.5 times as wide as high; labial sensilla prominent, slightly raised. Amphids cup-shaped, 5���6 ��m across, located anterior to dorsal tooth, at 18���23 ��m from anterior end of body and 32���34 ��m from base of buccal cavity. Buccal cavity large, elongate barrel-shaped, about 1.6 times as long as wide, with thick, heavily cuticularised vertical and oblique walls. Dorsal wall bearing a sharp, pointed, 10���12 ��m long and 5���6 ��m wide dorsal tooth, directed forward, located in the anterior half of buccal cavity at 73���75 % from its base; each sub-ventral wall bearing a longitudinal denticulate ridge with 11���16 closely placed denticles. Pharyngeal collar surrounding buccal cavity at 1 / 3 ��� 1 / 4 of its length from base or up to the level of oblique plates. Pharynx cylindroid, muscular, 25���30 % of body length. Orifices of pharyngeal glands, DO located at ca 54���55 %, SV 1 O 1 and SV 1 O 2 at ca 67���68 %, SV 2 O 1 and SV 2 O 2 at ca 94���96 % of pharyngeal length from anterior end. Nerve ring at 30���32 % of pharyngeal length, conspicuous in few specimens only. Excretory pore at 34���36 % of pharyngeal length. Pharyngo-intestinal junction non-tuberculate. Intestine with narrow lumen, in some specimens containing cuticularised structures of devoured nematode prey. Rectum 1.2���1.3 times the anal body diameter. Tail conoid, strongly curved ventrally ending in acute terminus. Caudal glands and terminal opening absent. Female: Reproductive system didelphic, amphidelphic; ovaries reflexed with oocytes arranged in a single row, except at the tip. Vagina about half of corresponding body diameter with ovoid, dorso-ventrally compressed pars refringens. Vulva post-equatorial, a transverse slit with slightly cuticularised lips. Male: Not found. Locality and habitat. Soil sample containing Prionchulus muscorum was collected from around grasses (Agrostis sp.), Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India, located at 30 �� 20 ' 38 "N 77 �� 59 ' 52 "E coordinates. Voucher specimens. Four females on slide Prionchulus muscorum (Dujardin, 1845) Wu & Hoeppli, 1929 no. D 12 / 1���2 deposited in the Nematode Collection, Department of Zoology, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India. One female deposited at USDANC, Beltsville, MD, USA. Salient characters. Medium to large-sized species; buccal cavity of moderate size with parallel vertical walls; dorsal wall bearing medium-sized tooth; each subventral vertical wall provided with denticulate ridge having 11��� 16 denticles; Pharyngo-intestinal junction non-tuberculate; female reproductive system amphidelphic; tail short conoid with rudimentary or no caudal glands; spinneret absent. Remarks. P. m u s c o r u m (Dujardin, 1845) Wu & Hoeppli, 1929 is a widely distributed species reported from a large number of countries of Europe, Asia, Africa, America and Australia (Andr��ssy, 2006), predominantly from soil and occasionally from moss as well as aquatic habitats. The species seems to be facultatively parthenogenetic as it is often represented by females in populations, with males extremely rare or absent. The present specimens conformed well in most morphological and morphometric characteristics to P. muscorum (apud Jairajpuri, 1970 a; Andr��ssy, 1985) except in having a smaller a value (16���20 vs 21���33). Most characters were in total agreement with those specified for P. muscorum apud Arpin et al. (1984) viz., dorsal tooth located at 73���75 % of the length of the buccal cavity from its base, smooth-shelled intra-uterine eggs, buccal cavity with prominently ridged subventral walls having 11���16 denticles and a relatively slender, conoid tail. However, presence of additional features considered to be specific for P. punctatus raise questions regarding the reliability and credence of these characters in diagnosis. The buccal cavity was observed to be relatively small and rectangular in some individuals (Fig. 2 A); the thickness of the ridge as well as the arrangement of denticles exhibited variation (Fig. 2 E���H). The tail in a few individuals was observed to be short and conoid with a slightly swollen (Fig. 2 N), fusiform terminus (Fig. 2 O). Thus the only character for P. m u s c o r u m that appears differentiating and reliable is the smooth (not echinulate) egg shell surface. The intraspecific variations in P. muscorum as also reported by Clark (1960), Mulvey (1967) and Arpin et al. (1984) can be due to the cosmopolitan nature of species that occurs in different biogeographical locations., Published as part of Tahseen, Qudsia, Asif, Mohammad, Mustaqim, Malka, Ahlawat, Shikha & Bert, Wim, 2013, Descriptions of ten known species of the superfamily Mononchoidea (Mononchida: Nematoda) from North India with a detailed account on their variations, pp. 301-335 in Zootaxa 3646 (4) on page 306, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3646.4.1, http://zenodo.org/record/249406

Mylonchulus vasis Yeates, 1992 (Fig. 10) Measurements. Table 2 Description. Adult: Body ventrally curved, C-shaped upon fixation. Cuticle smooth under light microscope, 2���3 ��m thick; body pores indistinct. Lip region slightly demarcated, broader than adjoining body about 2.5���2.6 times as wide as body width at the neck base. Labial papillae well developed, slightly protruding above the labial contour. Amphids cup-shaped with oval-shaped aperture near the base of the lips. Buccal cavity funnel-shaped or conical with narrow tapering base nearly half as wide as the diameter of buccal cavity anteriorly. Dorsal tooth massive, 11 �� 7 ��m in dimension, anteriorly directed with tip located at ca 6���7 ��m from anterior end of buccal capsule or at ca 62���70 % from its base. Subventral walls usually with four transverse rows of rasping denticles; first row with regularly arranged denticles, others with more or less dispersed arrangement. One specimen (Fig. 10 E) with five transverse denticule rows. Subventral teeth posterior to the rows of denticles. Pharynx muscular, cylindroid with thick, wide lumen. Orifices of the pharyngeal gland DO located at ca at 50���55 %, SV 1 O 1 and SV 1 O 2 at ca 64���68 % and SV 2 O 1 and SV 2 O 2 at ca 94���97 % of pharyngeal length from the anterior body end. Nerve ring surrounding pharynx at ca 28���32 % of pharyngeal length from the anterior end. Excretory pore not discernible. Pharyngo-intestinal junction non-tuberculate with cardial flap of variable lengths. Intestinal lumen wide, made of large polygonal cells. Rectum 0.8 ���1.0 times anal body diameter. Tail short cylindrical with digitate posterior part and rounded to slightly swollen, blunt terminus. Caudal glands well developed, tandem in arrangement, rarely grouped; spinneret terminal. Female: Genital system didelphic, amphidelphic; ovaries reflexed with conspicuous constriction between the large proximal oocyte and the rest of the oocytes. Oviduct leading to a prominent crustaformeria. Uterus devoid of any intra-uterine eggs or sperms in the present specimens. Vagina extending inward up to 1 / 4 of corresponding body diameter. Vulva a transverse slit without protruded lips. Male: Not found. Locality and habitat. Soil sample containing M. vasis was collected from around the roots of wild trees from district Sonebhadra, Uttar Pradesh, India, at 24 �� 41 ' 3 "N 83 �� 4 '0"E coordinates. Voucher specimens. Five females on slide Mylonchulus vasis Yeates, 1992 no. BS01/ 1-4 deposited in the Nematode Collection, Department of Zoology, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India. One female deposited at USDANC, Beltsville, MD, USA. Salient characters. Small to medium-sized species with buccal cavity goblet-shaped, about 2 times as long as wide; dorsal tooth large, situated in anterior half of buccal cavity; subventral wall bearing four transverse rows of denticles; subventral teeth present; female genital system amphidelphic; tail conoid, ventrally arcuate with rounded to blunt, slightly swollen terminus; caudal glands in tandem; spinneret terminal Remarks. The species M. vasis was reported from New Caledonia Island close to Australia. The presence of the species in the Indian subcontinent is slightly intriguing in view of the discontinuity of habitats and many geographical barriers in between. Nevertheless, the features of the present population totally conformed to the species. Besides similar morphometric characteristics, the main feature viz., four rows of subventral rasping denticles was also observed in present specimens with the exception of one individual possessing five rows. The other feature, shape of the tail also corresponded with the tail shape of M. vasis apud Yeates (1992)., Published as part of Tahseen, Qudsia, Asif, Mohammad, Mustaqim, Malka, Ahlawat, Shikha & Bert, Wim, 2013, Descriptions of ten known species of the superfamily Mononchoidea (Mononchida: Nematoda) from North India with a detailed account on their variations, pp. 301-335 in Zootaxa 3646 (4) on page 321, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3646.4.1, http://zenodo.org/record/249406

Mylonchulus obtusicaudatus (Daday, 1899) Andr��ssy, 1958 (Fig. 7) = Mononchus obtusicaudatus Daday, 1899 (Cobb, 1916) Measurements. Table 2. Description. Adult: Body medium-sized, ventrally arcuate with sharply curved ventro-posterior region. Cuticle smooth 3���6 ��m thick at different body regions. Body pores indistinct. Lip region offset, about 2.5 ���3.0 times as wide as high, lip sensilla slightly projecting above labial contour, almost indiscernible in some specimens. Amphids cup-shaped, 4���5 ��m across, located 9���14 ��m from anterior end. Buccal cavity goblet-shaped, about 1.6��� 1.8 times as long as wide with strongly sclerotized vertical and oblique plates. Dorsal wall bearing large, 11���12 ��m long and 7���8 ��m wide, anteriorly-directed tooth, located at 8���9 ��m from anterior end of buccal capsule or ca 76��� 84 % from its base. Each subventral wall with 6 transverse rows of prominent, rasp-like denticles: denticles of anterior row regular and larger while those of posterior ones relatively smaller, irregularly arranged; one subventral tooth present below the level of rasp-like denticles. Pharyngeal sleeve surrounding stoma at 1 / 3 ��� 1 / 4 of its length from base. Pharynx cylindroid, muscular, 24���26 % of body length. Outlets of pharyngeal glands, DO situated at ca 51���56 %, SV 1 O 1 and SV 1 O 2 at ca 65���67 %, SV 2 O 1 and SV 2 O 2 at ca 91���93 % of pharyngeal length from anterior end. Nerve ring encircling pharynx at 27���29 % of pharyngeal length from anterior end. Excretory pore faintly visible and about 31���35 % of pharyngeal length from anterior end. Pharyngo-intestinal junction non-tuberculate, cardial flap small conical to long tubular ranging from 17���25 ��m in length. Intestine made of polygonal cells, intestinal lumen wide. Rectum 0.6���0.9 times anal body diameter in length. Tail conoid, ventrally arcuate with rounded to subclavate terminus. Caudal glands well developed, tandem in arrangement. Spinneret terminal in position. Female: Reproductive system didelphic, amphidelphic with short, compact, reflexed ovaries. Oocytes arranged in single tier except at distal end of ovary. Sphincter present at junction of oviduct and uterus. Vagina about one-third of corresponding body diameter, provided with conspicuous, ovoid pars refringens. Male: Not found. Locality and habitat. Moist soil sample containing M. obtusicaudatus was collected from Keoladeo National Park, Bharatpur, Rajasthan, India, at 27 �� 13 ��N 77 �� 29 ��E coordinates. Voucher specimens. Five females on slide Mylonchulus obtusicaudatus (Daday, 1899) Andr��ssy, 1958, no. 8 B / 1-4 deposited in the Nematode Collection, Department of Zoology, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India. One female deposited at USDANC, Beltsville, MD, USA. Salient characters. Large-sized species with buccal cavity ca 1.6���1.8 times as long as wide; dorsal tooth large, situated in anterior half of buccal cavity; each subventral wall bearing six transverse rows of denticles and a relatively posterior tooth; female genital system amphidelphic with conspicuous, ovoid pars refringens; tail conoid, ventrally curved with blunt terminus; caudal glands in tandem; spinneret terminal. Remarks. The present population conforms well to M. obtusicaudatus (Daday, 1899) Andr��ssy, 1958 in morphometric and morphological details. The buccal cavity showed intrapopulation variations in the shape ranging from funnel-shaped to goblet-shaped. Usually six subventral rows of prominent rasping denticles present. The subventral teeth in a few specimens appeared crooked in shape or the tip seemed to be broken off (Fig. 7 H), perhaps during the capture of prey. The cardial flaps also showed variation in shape and length (Fig. 7 K���N) in different individuals. In females the reproductive system generally comprised of two short compact ovaries, oviducts demarcated from uterus by sphincters (Fig. 7 O���Q) and pars refringens conspicuously rounded or ovoid (Fig. 7 R) in a few individuals. The obtuse or blunt tail tip, the signature feature of this species, showed some degree of variation (Fig. 7 T���V) from blunt to a more or less rounded tip., Published as part of Tahseen, Qudsia, Asif, Mohammad, Mustaqim, Malka, Ahlawat, Shikha & Bert, Wim, 2013, Descriptions of ten known species of the superfamily Mononchoidea (Mononchida: Nematoda) from North India with a detailed account on their variations, pp. 301-335 in Zootaxa 3646 (4) on pages 316-318, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3646.4.1, http://zenodo.org/record/249406