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The paper is concerned with the contemporary relevance of caste to agrarian capitalism and the relations of dependency and allegiance it fosters in a village of Andhra Pradesh. It deploys the method of village study to examine the two‐way interaction between agrarian class and caste relations and the emerging rural‐based informal nonfarm economy. It elaborates the continuation of relations of debt, dependency, and political allegiance fostered by landlordism despite significant diversification to nonfarm by landlords and labour and identifies the crucial role of land inequality and the working of ritual hierarchy in locking Dalit caste in land‐based relations of dependency. The paper highlights the importance of expanding the definition of landlordism as the use of social power for accumulation by embedding it in the motives and values generated by the Hindu social order. While the new wave of literature focuses attention on global capital and commodity chains to understand differentiation of rural population and ruralities, the paper emphasizes the persistent significance of landholding provincial capital in shaping class/caste relations and rural politics and argues for a course correction in thinking about the processes of globalization and new forms of labour control and stresses the continuing significance of the agrarian question. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this special issue, we use unique household data which was collected exclusively for our study in Andhra Pradesh, India, with the help of an NGO. We estimate and test the intrahousehold resource allocation rules, incidence of child labor, and the effects of credit constraints on time allocation among household members. Three empirical papers of this issue indicate the overall support for the collective model against the unitary model of households, clarified the role of household structure, and show the nature of mother-child labor substitution under a binding credit constraint. In addition, a survey paper discussing the recent trends on educational attainment and the empirical strategies in identifyng the policy effects are included. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper empirically analyzes the determinants of child labor and school enrollment in rural Andhra Pradesh, India. A village fixed-effect logit model for each child is estimated with the incidence of child labor or school enrollment as the dependent variable, in order to investigate individual and household characteristics associated with the incidence. Among the determinants, this paper focuses on whose education matters most in deciding the status of each child, an issue not previously investigated in the context of the joint family system. The regression results show that the education of the child's mother is more important in reducing child labor and in increasing school enrollment than that of the child's father, the household head, or the spouse of the head. The effect of the child's mother is similar on boys and girls while that of the child's father is more favorable on boys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents an abstract of the study `Human mitochondrial DNA evolution in East Indian caste populations of Andrah Pradesh,' by M. Bamshad, L.B. Jorde, M.H. Crawford and R.L. Cann. Genetic differentiation between sympatric endogamous populations; Haplotype diversity among castes.

Commitment or political will is often notable by its absence. While lack of commitment is a key factor in policy failure, it has been challenging to identify and operationalize how commitment can shape successful implementation. This article applies Brinkerhoff's (2000) framework of expressions of commitment to explain how commitment of policy elites shape policy implementation processes. Evidence for five characteristics of commitment traces these expressions from two types of policy elites — politicians and bureaucrats. Primary data from four Indian states were used—Chhatisgarh, Assam, Bihar and Andhra Pradesh—to examine the case of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Act (MGNREGA). The data were collected through interviews with state‐level elites, supplemented by secondary data on the political economy of these states. In explaining how successes and failures of the MGNREGA are attributable to the commitment of these actors, the article considers the politics of policy implementation. It argues that commitment is critical at the sub‐national level in India, and explains the different outcomes of MGNREGA in the four states. The article considers how to strengthen policy implementation, and demonstrates that this can be done through capitalizing on positive feedback loops between different strands of commitment, as well as between commitment of administrative elites and political party leaders. The paper concludes that commitment and capacity feed off each other, improving implementation of social policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: There is a need for the up‐to‐date assessment of desertification/land degradation maps that are dynamic in nature at different scales for comprehensive planning and preparation of action plans. This paper aims to develop the desertification vulnerability index (DVI) and predict the different desertification processes operating in Anantapur District, India, based on machine language techniques. Climate, land use, soil, and socioeconomic parameters were used to prepare DVI by a multivariate index model. The computed DVI along with climate, terrain, and soil properties was used as explanatory variable to predict the desertification processes by using a random forest model. About 14.2% of the area was created as a training dataset in 9 places for modeling and remaining area was tested for prediction of desertification processes. We used desertification status map (DSM) of Anantapur District prepared under Desertification status mapping of India–2nd cycle as a reference dataset for calculation of accuracy indices. Kappa and classification accuracy index were calculated for training and validation datasets. We recorded overall accuracy rate and kappa index of 85.5% and 75.8% for training datasets and 71.0% and 51.8% for testing datasets. The results of variable importance analysis of random forest model showed that DVI was the most important predictor followed by potential evapotranspiration and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index for prediction of desertification processes. The results from this work given new insight into using the existing knowledge on prediction of desertification in unvisited areas and also quick update of DSM maps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanoparticles of SiO2 and 'CeO2‐ZrO2' are synthesized by adopting new green methods based on the classical method of homogeneous precipitation and using the extract of skins of Sapindus plant seeds as capping and/or stabilizing agent. Nano SiO2 is synthesized from red mud, a waste material obtained after extraction of aluminium from Bauxite ore. Nano SiO2, composites of 'nSiO2+nCeO2‐ZrO2' and Al‐alginate beads doped with 'nSiO2+nCeO2‐ZrO2' are investigated as adsorbents for de‐fluoridation. These three adsorbents are characterized by XRD, FTIR, FESEM and EDX. Various adsorption parameters, namely pH, adsorbent dosage, initial fluoride concentration, time of contact and temperature are optimized for maximum removal of fluoride ions. The adsorption capacities of adsorbents are 66.93 mg/g for nSiO2, 83.84 mg/g for composites of 'nSiO2+nCeO2‐ZrO2' and 109.4 mg/g for 'nSiO2+nCeO2‐ZrO2/AlAL' (beads). The cumulative affinity of fluoride towards SiO2, CeO2, ZrO2 and Al3+ has been investigated in this work in developing successful adsorbents with high adsorption capacities for de‐fluoridation. The adsorption nature is analysed with various kinetic, isotherm and thermodynamic studies. The adsorption is spontaneous and endothermic in nature. The surfaces of adsorbents are heterogeneous and Freundlich model explains well the sorption process. A sort of complex formation occurs between the adsorbents and fluoride ions. The adsorption follows pseudo‐second order kinetic model. The spent adsorbents can be regenerated and reused with marginal reduction in their adsorption capacities. The methodology developed is successfully applied to treating ground water samples of Prakasam and Guntur Districts, Andhra Pradesh, India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of 'financial inclusion' has become a central trope that legitimates a wide range of contemporary development practices. By constructing a new object of development - the 'financially excluded' - it facilitates the expansion of an increasingly corporatized microfinance technocracy. The present paper problematizes the underlying binaries of inclusion/exclusion and formal/informal finance upon which this narrative is based. Through an examination of the 2010 Andhra Pradesh microfinance crisis, it demonstrates key contradictions within the discourse and practices of commercial microfinance. In so doing, it demonstrates why the narrative of financial inclusion and its correlate notion of 'consumption smoothing' are inadequate tools with which to conceptualize the political economy of contemporary agrarian change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within neoliberal development discourse, the poor are represented as entrepreneurial subjects for whom integration into formalized financial systems can facilitate their escape from poverty. This paper examines how the 2010 microfinance crisis in Andhra Pradesh reveals significant fault lines that underlie this narrative. It argues that the crisis of microfinance in Andhra Pradesh needs to be placed within the context of severe agrarian dislocations stemming from the impact of trade liberalization, drought cycles and a transformation of rural social relations. The contradictions are most strikingly represented in increasing rural differentiation and a generalized crisis of social reproduction among land-poor farmers and landless labourers. A massive influx of microfinance - driven by both state-operated programmes and private-sector institutions leveraged with cross-border financial flows - found a ready clientele among various agrarian classes seeking to bolster consumption and roll over debt in conditions of significant uncertainty and distress. Yet in banking on this vulnerability, microfinance institutions socialized the contradictions of rural Andhra Pradesh and have ultimately been thrown into limbo through the unleashing of political and social forces unforeseen in neoliberal narratives of agrarian change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores how economic ideas are produced, how they travel, and how they are contested, in complex and contingent ways, in particular places. It stems from events that took place in coastal Andhra Pradesh, India, where I conducted fieldwork on microfinance programs during 2007. I begin by tracing how the practices of microfinance—and the ideas and rationalities underpinning them—have been increasingly globalized as a development tool since the 1970s. I then move on to describe the proliferation of various microfinance programs across Andhra Pradesh over the last decade. In the closing section, I consider the implications of a recent protest that took place against commercial microfinance institutions in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plate tectonic activity has played a critical role in the development of petrotectonic associations in the Kadiri schist belt. The calc alkaline association of basalt, andesite, dacite and rhyolite (BADR) is the signature volcanic rock suite of the convergent margin. The N-S belt has gone below the unconformity plane of Cuddapah sediments. In the northern part geochemical and structural attributes of the Kadiri greenstone belt is studied along with microscopic observations of selected samples. Harker diagram plots of major elements generally indicate a liquid line of descent from a common source, such that BADR rocks are derived from a common parent magma of basaltic to andesitic composition. These calc-alkaline volcanic rocks are formed at convergent margins where more silicic rocks represent more highly fractionated melt. All the litho-units of this greenstone belt indicate crush and strain effects. The stretched pebbles in the deformed volcanic matrix with tectonite development along with associated greenschist facies metamorphism, alteration and hydration is remarkable. Flow foliation plane with N-S strike and very low angle (5° to 10°) easterly dip and N-S axial planar schistosity formed due to later phase isoclinal folding can be clearly identified in the field. Basic intrusives are quite common in the surrounding area. All the observations including the field setting and geochemistry clearly demonstrate ocean-continent subduction as the tectonic environment of the study area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the 21st century, air pollution has emerged as a significant problem all over the globe due to a variety of activities carried out by humans, such as the acceleration of industrialization and urbanization. SO2, NO2, and NH3 are the key components contributing to air pollution. Moreover, these air pollutants have a significant connection to several climatic characteristics, such as the speed of the wind, the relative humidity, the temperature, the amount of precipitation, and the surface pressure. As a result, machine learning (ML) is regarded as a more effective strategy for predicting air quality than more conventional approaches such as probability and statistics, among others. In the research, Decision Tree (DT), Support Vector Regression (SVR), Random Forest (RF), and Multi‐Linear Regression (MLR) algorithms are used to make predictions about air quality, and MSE (Mean Squared Error), RMSE (Root Mean Square Error), MAE (Mean Squared error), and R2 are used to determine how accurate the predictions are. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: In recent times, crop yield prediction gains more attention among researchers communities to expand food production. In this article, an effort is done for crop yield prediction in Andhra Pradesh state (India), because AP highly contributes to the Indian economy. Especially, the crop yield prediction is done for Western Godavari, Prakasam, Guntur, Srikakulam, Krishna, Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam, and Nellore districts of Andhra Pradesh (India) by estimating the rainfall based on the attributes: average temperature, minimum temperature, maximum temperature, precipitation, cloud cover, and velocity potential. After collecting the data from the Telangana agricultural report (2017–2018), the collected data are preprocessed utilizing the min‐max normalization technique, which is effective in preserving the relationship among data. The normalized data are classified using long short term memory network with Adam optimizer and Huber loss function. The proposed classifier has adaptive learning rates for dissimilar parameters by identifying the first and second‐moment gradient estimation so it has better computational effectiveness, unlike other classifiers. The proposed classifier predicts each site in the collected dataset into one of the three crops: rice, sugarcane, and onion. Finally, the agriculture experts validate the obtained results of the proposed model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Child labour in India has long been the focus of research, policy concern and intervention. This article presents an analysis of children’s involvement in agricultural work, particularly cottonseed production, drawing on evidence gathered for Young Lives in 2007 and 2008. In parts of Andhra Pradesh, children work in cotton fields for two or three months of the year, with marked gender and age differentiation. In the mid-1990s, there was reportedly a cultural as well as an economic basis for children’s work in cottonseed pollination, when it was believed that pre-pubescent girls were preferred, as they were considered ‘pure’. However, the reasons for preferring children are now largely financial and practical. The article focuses on accounts from two girls who highlighted the importance of this form of work in their everyday lives and its consequences for their schooling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bacterial blight (BB) of rice is a devastating disease caused by Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo). The evolution of new pathogenic races of bacterial blight pathogen is always a potential threat for rice production. The deployment of pathotype‐specific resistant genes in the host plants is a feasible strategy to develop BB‐resistant varieties. Therefore, continuous disease monitoring, identification of Xoo pathotypes, and their distribution are crucial to managing BB. In this study, 71 Xoo isolates were collected from the Godavari delta in Andhra Pradesh (India) and their virulence profiles on rice BB differentials were characterized. Data revealed that different International Rice Bacterial Blight (IRBB) lines with single BB resistance genes were susceptible to 73.2%–97.2% of the isolates, except IRBB13 (possessing BB resistance gene, xa13) which showed a moderately susceptible or susceptible reaction to 47.9% of the isolates. Three gene combination rice differentials like IRBB56 (Xa4 + xa5 + xa13), IRBB57 (Xa4 + xa5 + Xa21), IRBB58 (Xa4 + xa13 + Xa21), and IRBB59 (xa5 + xa13 + Xa21) showed very broad‐spectrum resistance to majority of the Xoo isolates from the region. None of the tested Xoo isolates were virulent on IRBB58 (Xa4 + xa13 + Xa21), IRBB60 (Xa4 + xa5 + xa13 + Xa21), and IRBB66 (Xa4 + xa5 + Xa7 + xa13 + Xa21). Based on the virulence reaction, 71 Xoo isolates were grouped into 10 major pathotypes. Highly virulent pathotypes viz., IXoPt # 14, 17, 19, and 22 can break the resistance of major BB‐resistant genes and were commonly distributed throughout the surveyed regions. Genotypic data of 71 Xoo isolates using J3 primer divided them into three major clusters. Cluster I consisted of 24 Xoo isolates that belonged to pathotype IXoPt‐19. Cluster II consisted of 41 Xoo isolates belonging to seven different pathotypes, and Cluster III was composed of six isolates from three different pathotypes. The findings of this study will be helpful to develop rice varieties with pathotype‐specific broad‐spectrum resistance against BB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil texture is the most important soil physical property that determines water holding capacity, nutrient availability and crop growth. Spatial distribution of soil texture at a higher spatial resolution at regional and national level is essential for crop planning and management. In the present study, we mapped the soil textural classes over 16.2 M ha area of Andhra Pradesh state, India, at 250 m spatial resolution up to 2 m depth using the digital soil mapping approach. A total of 2,272 profile observations were used for the prediction of soil textural classes using the Random Forest (RF) classification algorithm. To estimate textural classes at six standard soil depth intervals (0–5, 5–15, 15–30, 30–60, 60–100 and 100–200 cm), we used continuous depth function of texture distribution using average sand, silt and clay content of different textural classes. Depth‐wise spline outputs were then transformed into textural classes as per USDA textural classification. Sixteen environmental variables including Landsat‐8 data, digital elevation model attributes and climatic variables were used for modelling. For model building, 75% of data was used and 25% of data was used for validation. Overall classification accuracy index and kappa index were calculated for validation data sets using 100 RF models. We recorded overall accuracy of 50%–65% and kappa index of 35%–47% for various depths. We found that equal‐area quadratic splines of average sand, silt and clay are useful for soil profile depth harmonization of soil textural classes and random forest classification algorithm is a promising tool for spatial prediction of texture classes at the regional level. The present high‐resolution (250 m) maps of soil texture classes are useful for different hydrological studies and preparation of proper land‐use plans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relationships between surface area, stocking density and fish yield in 40 small reservoirs in India between 1994 and 1999 were examined. A significant positive correlation ( r = 0.6) was found between stocking density and fish yield. Area was negatively correlated with stocking density ( r = −0.57) and fish yield ( r = −0.62), but its correlation with efficiency of stocking was not significant for all the size groups of small reservoirs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cyanotis deccanensis P. Yugandhar, P. Sivaramakrishna, N. Savithramma & L.J. Singh, a new species from Andhra Pradesh, India is described and illustrated, and its conservation status is assessed. The glabrous stem with long internodes, cobwebby leaf sheath and lamina, terminal inflorescence with 2–4 cincinni, bracts longer than cincinni, cobwebby bracteoles, slightly reflexed upper bracteoles, cobwebby sepals, glabrous style, densely haired fruit apex and 6–8 pits on dorsal side of elliptic seeds distinguishes it from all previously known species. A detailed description, photographs, distribution, illustrations and an identification key to all known species of Cyanotis in India are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study's objective was to develop a method by which smallholder forest plantations can be mapped accurately in Andhra Pradesh, India, using multitemporal visible and near‐infrared (VNIR) bands from the sentinel‐2 multispectral instruments (MSIs). Conversion to cropland, coupled with secondary dependencies on and scarcity of wood products, has driven the deforestation and degradation of natural forests in Southeast Asia. Concomitantly, forest plantations have been established both within and outside of forests, with the latter (as contiguous blocks) and are the focus of this study. Accurately mapping smallholder forest plantations in South and Southeast Asia is difficult using remotely sensed data due to the plantations' small size (average of 2 hectares), short rotation ages (4–7 years for timber species), and spectral similarities to croplands and natural forests. Cloud‐free Harmonized landsat sentinel‐2 (HLS) S10 data were acquired over six dates, from different seasons, over four years (2015–2018). Available in situ data on forest plantations was supplemented with additional training data resulting in 2230 high‐quality samples aggregated into three land cover classes: nonforest, natural forest, and forest plantations. Image classification used random forests on a thirty‐band stack consisting of the VNIR bands and NDVI images for all six dates. The median classification accuracy from the 5‐fold cross‐validation was 94.3%. Our results, predicated on high‐quality training data, demonstrate that (mostly smallholder) forest plantations can be separated from natural forests even using only the sentinel‐2 VNIR bands when multitemporal data (across both years and seasons) are used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil quality characteristics are poorly understood after cultivating oil palm (OP) under irrigated conditions. OP grown under irrigated ecosystem on tropical soils is supplied with huge quantities of water and nutrients without considering changes in soil quality parameters. This may lead to the degradation of fertile lands. To understand the changes that take place in soil properties due to different management practices, data from 132 fixed points have been collected in West Godavari District of Andhra Pradesh in India, from 13‐year‐old plantations and for ca 6 years after imposing mulching and improved resource management interventions. Improvement in soil organic carbon (SOC) content, cation exchange capacity (CEC) available N, P, K, Mg and B contents were recorded due to mulching and improved management. In a monocrop stand of oil palm, mulching alone could enhance SOC content by 52% at 13 years after planting, whereas the corresponding improvement in an intercrop stand (with cocoa) was 77%, above its conventional cultivation SOC without mulching. Mulching in combination with improved management could enhance the SOC content by 40 and 56% respectively after 6 years in sole and intercrop stands respectively, over their corresponding levels at 13 years, in the top 0–30 cm layer. Conventional cultivation of OP recorded a reduction of SOC by 4% during the same time‐span of 6 years. Similar trend was observed in soil available nutrients also. The partial least squares (PLS)‐path model confirmed that sustainable production of oil palm is possible through mulching and improved management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Observational data shows that there have been significant regional variations in climate change patterns across India. This study examines the effects of climate change on yields of rice across different climatic zones in the former state of Andhra Pradesh. The study uses district level panel data for 30 years (1981–2010) to analyze the influence of climatic variables like rainfall, maximum temperature and minimum temperature on rice yields at the agro‐climatic zone level. Analysis of data shows that the degree of impact of climate on yield of rice is varied across different climatic zones in the former state of Andhra Pradesh. Climatic zones which have traditionally higher temperature and lesser rainfall are more susceptible to variations in climate than others. Though the negative impact of temperature is similar among all the zones, there are observable spatial variations and differences in the degrees of impact The study also found that the impact of irrigation is significantly higher in traditionally drier zones than others. Given significant regional variations on climate change impact, policy makers, administrators and crop scientists have to design micro‐level mitigation and adaptation techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Young Lives (YL) is a multicountry, birth cohort study that, over a period of 15 years, followed nearly 8,000 individuals born in 2001–2002 and 4,000 individuals born in 1994–1995 in Ethiopia, India (states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana), Peru, and Vietnam. This study aims to document attrition in the YL samples, to identify the correlates of attrition, and to test for attrition bias. The cumulative year‐to‐year attrition rate is 0.5% and 0.8% for the younger and older cohorts, respectively, among the lowest attrition rates in longitudinal studies in low‐ and middle‐income countries. Attrition rates vary by household wealth, area of residence, and ethnicity/caste across countries. Attrited individuals in Peru are poor and those in other countries are wealthier. When analyzing a set of nutritional and cognitive outcomes, suggestive evidence of attrition bias exists, part of which is driven by child mortality. Even though attrition is very low, our findings highlight the importance of controlling for household socioeconomic characteristics when performing statistical analysis of the YL samples. The study also highlights key insights that can be helpful to reduce attrition or ameliorate its effects in other longitudinal studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The investigated area around Sarvapuram represents a part of the Karimnagar granulite terrane of the Eastern Dharwar Craton, India. Garnet–bearing gneiss is hosted as enclaves, pods within granite gneiss and charnockite. It is largely made up of garnet, orthopyroxene, cordierite, biotite, plagioclase, K–feldspar, sillimanite and quartz. The peak metamorphic stage is represented by the equilibrium mineral assemblage i.e. garnet, orthopyroxene, cordierite, biotite, plagioclase, sillimanite and quartz. Breakdown of the garnet as well as preservation of the orthopyroxene–cordierite symplectite, formation of cordierite with the consumption of the garnet + sillimanite + quartz represents the decompressional event. The thermobarometric calculations suggest a retrograde P–T path with a substantial decompression of c. 3.0 kbar. The water activity (XH2O) conditions obtained with the winTWQ program for core and symplectite compositions from garnet–bearing gneiss are 0.07–0.14 and 0.11–0.16 respectively. The quantitative estimation of oxygen fugacity in garnet–bearing gneiss reveal log fO2 values ranging from −11.38 to −14.05. This high oxidation state could be one of the reasons that account for the absence of graphite in these rocks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The crisis of microfinance which erupted in 2010 in Andhra Pradesh has complex causes rooted in Indian history. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports that Marcus Taylor has received the Bernstein & Byres Prize from the "Journal of Agrarian Change." (JAC). It states that the winning article of Taylor tackles the case of rural suicides in Andhra Pradesh (AP), India. Moreover, a judge says that Taylor provides a power political economic analysis on the contingencies and interrelationships of contemporary capitalist process.

The interest rates of microfinance institutions ( MFIs) are widely criticized, although they are lower than those of many short-term lenders in 'developed' countries. The criticisms are not usually related to the returns on micro-investments. Little data is available, but earnings from farming seem generally to be below or little above the interest charged for microcredit. Returns from petty trade, a more frequent use of such credit, are well over the price that micro-borrowers pay for their loans. Microfinance is not a replacement for subsidized farm credit; farming is subsidized, everywhere, and efforts should be made to improve and revive the provision of low-cost agricultural finance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the community of Bene Ephraim (the Children of Ephraim, in Hebrew), who in the late 1980s declared that they belonged to the Lost Tribes of Israel. This group stems from a community of the Madiga untouchables of Andhra Pradesh and at the moment has about 100 active members, who have embraced Judaism and have expressed a desire to move to the state of Israel. On the basis of a year-long fieldwork among them, we suggest that their case problematizes conventional notions about the alleged 'ethnocentricity' of Judaism and presents a new challenge for public and academic debates about the meaning of being Jewish. At the same time, we demonstrate that Bene Ephraim are under pressure to modify their narrative of origin and to renegotiate community membership in order to become a more 'conventional' Jewish group in the eyes of Israeli authorities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Monthly rainfall data from June to October for 39 years were used to compute Standardized Precipitation Index SPI values based on two parameter gamma distribution for a low rainfall and a high rainfall districts of Andhra Pradesh state, India. Comparison of SPI with actual rainfall and rainfall deviation from the mean indicated that SPI values underestimate the intensity of drynesswetness when the rainfall is very lowvery high, respectively. As a result, the SPI in the worst drought years of 2002 and 2006 in the low rainfall district indicated only moderate dryness instead of extreme dryness. SPI values of the high rainfall district showed slightly better stretching in both positive and negative directions, compared to that of the low rainfall district. Further, the SPI values of longer time scales 2, 3 and 4 months showed an extended range compared to that of 1 month, but the sensitivity in drought years has not improved significantly.Normality tests were conducted based on ShapiroWilk statistic, pvalues and absolute value of the median to ascertain whether nonnormality of SPI is a possible reason. Although the results confirmed normal distribution, the scatter plot indicated deviation of the cumulative probability distribution of SPI from normal probability in the lower and upper ranges.Therefore, it is suggested that SPI as a stand alone indicator needs to be interpreted with caution to assess the intensity of drought. Further investigations should include sensitivity of SPI to the estimated shape and scale at lower and upper bounds of the gamma distribution and use of other distributions, such as Pearson III, to standardize the computational procedures, before using SPI as a substitute to the rainfall deviations from normal, for drought intensity assessment. Copyright © 2009 Royal Meteorological Society [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study which assesses the hydrological processes of an exposed and stressed granitic aquifer in a semi-arid and subjected to a tropical climate area located in the western region of the Nalgonda District in Andhra Pradesh, Southern India. It cites that the four areas of analysis for the watershed examined were based in the geomorphology and hydrological conditions. It imparts that the recharge model used in the study was formulated using groundwater environmental chloride information, soil depth profiles and hydrogeologic and hydrochemical measurements. The model reveals that vertical discharge's volume occur through opted pathway and some on soil matrix. It adds that the results of the study can help in plan formulation for undeveloped watersheds' sustainable usage.

Child stunting, an outcome of chronic undernutrition, contributes to poor quality of life, morbidity and mortality. In South Asia, the low status of women is thought to be one of the primary determinants of undernutrition across the lifespan. Low female status can result in compromised health outcomes for women, which in turn are related to lower infant birthweight and may affect the quality of infant care and nutrition. Maternal autonomy (defined as a woman's personal power in the household and her ability to influence and change her environment) is likely an important factor influencing child care and ultimately infant and child health outcomes. To examine the relationship between maternal autonomy and child stunting in Andhra Pradesh, India, we analysed data from National Family Health Survey (NFHS)-2. We used cross-sectional demographic, health and anthropometric information for mothers and their oldest child <36 months ( n = 821) from NFHS-2. The main explanatory variables of autonomy are presented by four dimensions – decision making, permission to travel, attitude towards domestic violence and financial autonomy – constructed using seven binary variables. Logistic regression models were used to test associations between indicators of female autonomy and the risk of having a stunted child. Women with higher autonomy {indicated by access to money [odds ratio (OR) = 0.731; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.546, 0.981] and freedom to choose to go to the market [OR = 0.593; 95% CI 0.376, 0.933]} were significantly less likely to have a stunted child, after controlling for household socio-economic status and mother's education. In this south Indian state, two dimensions of female autonomy have an independent effect on child growth, suggesting the need for interventions that increase women's financial and physical autonomy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses a study which used an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) methodology to predict groundwater levels in individual wells. Groundwater levels were predicted in neighbouring wells using model parameters from the best network of a well. The methodology was applied to an urban coastal aquifer in Andhra Pradesh state, India. The performance of various ANN algorithms were compared in predicting the groundwater levels with a one month lead in six observation wells independently. The study revealed that the feed-forward neural network with Lavenberg-Marquadt (LM) algorithm is a good choice for predicting groundwater levels in individual wells.

Based on a case study of two watershed development projects in Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh in India, this article argues that participatory development projects are legitimized by using formalistic compliance criteria, while removing politics as a context. It shows how key aspects of the liberal political framework have not been fully harmonized with communitarian theories; the result is an interpretation of participation as a set of practices that are far removed from politics. As a development practice, participation can turn into the itemizing of participatory objectives, which are then to be fulfilled in the same way as physical and financial targets. The practitioners see their role as merely ‘technocratic’ and the projects they implement as ‘apolitical’. The author argues that, central to these claims, is a limited definition of ‘politics’ as a one dimensional domain comprising contest and irreconcilable conflict, from which the participatory projects, based on so-called consensus, publicly expressed, are to be shielded. The article concludes that participatory projects accommodate and reflect existing relations of domination and control much more than their outward orientation would suggest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a village-based watershed in Andhra Pradesh, India, it is increasingly difficult for users to access and extract ground- water for irrigation: a 'pumping race' is taking place. A move from groundwater development towards groundwater management is required, with a new perspective on options for change. Through a study of borewell technology and groundwater use, and considering new local developments in electricity supply and participatory resource management, the article argues that groundwater is a resource with 'instructions for use'. The technological dimensions of groundwater irrigation urge its study as a socio-technical process in order to design sustainable and equitable groundwater management. © 2001 United Nations. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article investigates the nature and extent of interlinked transactions related to agriculture in Andhra Pradesh, Bihar and Punjab in India. It provides a description of the regions studied. The article also discusses the number of borrowing households in interlinkages involving credit transactions. It explores the transactions that are the basis of the loan classification and the average amount transacted in interlinkages involving credit transactions. The article suggests that interlinked transactions have a prominent place in Indian rural economic life.

Outlines the main features of the Andhra Pradesh Primary Education Project (APPEP) in India. The program as an intervention to the provision of primary education in a developing country; Goals of the project; Description of problems in design and analysis of the project's evaluation; Evaluation versus bureaucratic monitoring.

In this article, the authors present their comments on the article "Status Knowledge and Innovation," by researchers John W. Gartrell and C.D. Gartrell, published in the journal "Rural Sociology." Gartrell and Gartrell discussed the adoption of "green revolution" technology in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. They indicate that the problem of central interest to their research is "the rate at which knowledge is translated into behavior under different conditions." The main condition that is considered is variation in "social status or resources." The criticisms lie with the fundamental assumptions that the Gartrells appear to have made regarding the agricultural innovations available to cultivators in Andhra Pradesh and the research design and procedures that follow from these assumptions. To adequately examine these relationships, the researchers require situations in which cultivators receive innovative knowledge potentially suitable for behavior in their particular setting. Two aspects of the research design used by the Gartrells suggest that the condition of technology suitable for the entire spectrum of farming environments surveyed was not achieved.

A 1970 survey of 1,315 cultivators in 84 agrarian villages within the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh examined the conditions under which cultivators adopted green revolution technology. Awareness and social status were conceptualized as necessary but not sufficient conditions for the trial of innovation, and a multiplicative model was specified to examine their effects. At higher levels of status, awareness was translated into innovation at a higher rate and several interesting thresholds were observed in these relationships. Awareness was also translated into trial more readily in villages where inequality in the distribution of knowledge and agricultural capital were high. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate whether gender‐based disparities in health and well‐being extend to a female disadvantage in height in infancy, childhood, and adolescence in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Methods: Using longitudinal data from the Young Lives study in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, India, linear mixed effects and linear regression models examined associations between gender and height and the modifying influences of birth order and older siblings' gender composition. Results: In the younger cohort, at 6‐18 months, girls were 0.17‐SDs of height for age z‐scores (HAZ) taller than boys (P =.01). In the same cohort, the girls' advantage in HAZ was attenuated to 0.02 (P =.58) by 11‐12 years. In the older cohort, the difference in HAZ between girls and boys was 0.04 (P =.61) at the beginning of the study when they were 7‐8 years old; by 18‐19 years of age, the difference had switched, with boys being 0.22‐SD (P =.05) taller. There was no difference by birth order except in the younger cohort in which children with 2 or more siblings experienced height deficits compared with only children at 7‐8 and 11‐12 years. There was no differential effect of gender by birth order nor by the gender composition of siblings. Conclusion: A female disadvantage in undernutrition, as manifest in differences between girls and boys in HAZ, did not appear until later ages. Identifying how and why gendered disparities in standardized height emerge in late adolescence will help target more resources to improve conditions for girls and women in south India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]