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Contralateral lymph node metastasis (CLNM) is a poor prognostic factor in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). There is limited data from India on this topic. The aim of this study was to evaluate the outcomes of contralateral positive cancer patients undergoing neck dissection in a tertiary hospital in India. We retrospectively reviewed the electronic medical records of 180 patients who had bilateral lymph nodes dissection for OSCC. Demographic, clinico-pathological and follow up data was abstracted directly from patients' electronic medical records. We analyzed the disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) of these patients using a log-rank test (univariate) and cox proportional hazards model (multivariate). The median age of the cohort was 52 years (21-78 years) and comprised 125 males (69.4%). 83 (46.1%) patients had nodal metastasis on the contralateral side. Median follow up for patients who were alive at the time of analysis was 25.6 months (0.1- 130.1 months). Deeper lesion (depth 2.15 cm vs 1.70 cm, p=0.01), presence of lymphovascular invasion (LVI) (51.9% vs 31.4%, p=0.01), extranodal extension (ENE) (54% vs 34.4%, p=0.01) and nodal metastasis to ipsilateral level IV (83.3% vs 33.1%, p<0.01) predisposed to contralateral nodal metastasis. There were 92 disease failures in this cohort with 2 year DFS of 52%. Depth of invasion (DoI) [Hazard ratio (HR) 1.21, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.02- 1.44, p=0.03), involved margins (HR 3.49, CI 1.83- 6.64, p<0.01), presence of perineural invasion (PNI) (HR 2.64, CI 1.54- 4.53, p <0.01), masticator space invasion (HR 2.10, CI 1.01- 4.08, p= 0.03) and presence of extranodal extension (ENE) in contralateral node (HR HR 2.29, CI 1.00- 5.29, p= 0.04) predicted poorer DFS on univariate analysis. On multivariate analysis, tongue as primary site(HR 0.49, CI 0.28- 0.85, p=0.01), involved margins (HR 2.66, CI 1.30- 5.43, p<0.01) and PNI (HR 2.62, CI 1.36- 4.99, p<0.01) affected the DFS significantly. There were 54 deaths in this cohort with a 2-year OS of 70.1%. Involved margins (HR 4.89, CI 2.17- 11.05, p<0.01), PNI (HR 3.11, CI 1.47- 6.61, p<0.01) and ENE (HR 1.77, CI 1.01- 3.07, p=0.04) were associated with a poorer OS on univariate analysis. On multivariate analysis, involved margins (HR 2.91, CI 1.22- 6.97, p=0.02) and PNI (HR 2.25, CI 1.02- 4.98, p=0.04) resulted in patients having poorer OS. This study provides valuable insights into the outcomes of patients with contralateral lymph nodal metastasis for patients who underwent curative intent surgery for oral squamous cell carcinoma. Deeper lesions, presence of lymphovascular invasion, extranodal extension and nodal metastasis to ipsilateral level IV predisposed to contralateral nodal metastasis. Primary site, involved margins and perineural invasion predicted the disease free survival, whereas involved margins and perineural invasion predicted overall survival in this cohort of patients. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The macroeconomic variables and different sector-specific indices are inter-linked. The objective of this paper is to investigate the cointegration between S&P BSE Sectoral Indices and macroeconomic variables. This study uses monthly data from January, 2004 to March, 2016 to find the inter-relationship between S&P BSE Sector-specific index returns and selected macroeconomic variables by applying VECM technique. The five macroeconomic variables viz. index of industrial production, wholesale price index, exchange rate, broad money supply and interest have considered to represent the indicator of the economy in India. This paper estimates different sectoral indices have different relationships with macroeconomic variables. The selected sectoral indices show positive relation with index of industrial production while negatively related to the wholesale price index in the estimation. However, in some cases, expected direction of macroeconomic variable varies with reference to sectoral indices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The thomisid spider species, Thomisus unidentatus Dippenaar-Schoeman & van Harten, 2007 was previously reported from Yemen, Iraq and Iran. In this paper, we report male of this crab spider from India. A detailed taxonomic description of the male is provided here along with comments on taxonomic variations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parasteatoda kompirensis (Bösenberg & Strand, 1906) was previously reported from China, Korea and Japan. In this paper, we report the female of this cobweb spider from India. A detailed taxonomic description of the female is here provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study entails an attitude assessment of the local people living at Mankanthpur Village, one of the bottlenecks in the Bailparao-Kotabagh corridor, Terai West Forest Division, on the issue of elephant conservation, human-(wildlife) elephant conflict, and the measures to mitigate it. Data was collected through a questionnaire survey and several group discussions among the villagers. The frequency of crop raids and group size of elephants were calculated. Sixty-two crop raids took place during the study period (February- April 2010), and a mean sighting of 1.08 elephants per day was recorded. Data from the survey reflects that about 3.53ha of crop land was damaged by the elephants during the survey period. The people residing on the fringes of the park and in the villages along the Bailparao-Kotabagh Corridor were surveyed about the conflict impact. Survey results indicate that the most effective management measures used were a combination of loud noise and scaring away elephants using fire. Local peoples' views regarding the current status of elephant raids and conservation were also documented. Peoples' reaction to compensation schemes was studied; 89% of the respondents feel an effective approach to compensation is a way to reduce sufferings due to conflict with wildlife. Attempts to reduce the conflict by forming local elephant control teams and enclosing the affected village with a tall cemented wall are under trial. The underlying assumption in this study is that if damage severely affects the livelihood of local communities, getting their active support, which is essential for conservation, will be difficult. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Observations on the Indian Spiny-tailed Lizard Saara hardwickii (Gray, 1827) were undertaken in Tal Chhapar Wildlife Sanctuary, Rajasthan, India during the monsoons (July) following quadrat sampling that was time-constrained. The study revealed that the area is one of the preferable habitats for the species. A population analysis showed that the relative abundance of the subadults was higher, followed by juveniles and adults during the study period. The beginning of activity of the lizards was found to vary over the study period depending on prevailing weather conditions. The activity pattern was bimodal, except across rain events. The study revealed two important ecological findings about these lizards; complete sealing of burrow during rains which differed from partial sealing on normal days and complete diurnal cycle of body colour changes during the monsoon. Feeding was the predominant activity of this lizard followed by basking, resting and chasing each other. The adult lizards were found to be strictly herbivorous, in spite of an abundance of insects available in the area during the period. Subadults and juveniles were found to eat both plant parts, as well as insects. Microhabitat use such as inside grass clumps was found to be higher followed by barren ground, under shade and on stones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Geological setting, petrology and geochemistry of a new find of lamprophyre dykes, intruding the Precambrian basement gneisses from the Chhota Udepur area, Narmada rift zone, Western India, are presented. Of the three lamprophyre dykes, two of them display E–W trend paralleling that of the Narmada rift, extend up to ∼2.5km in length and constitute the longest yet recorded lamprophyre dykes from the Indian shield. The Chhota Udepur lamprophyres (CUL) show several overlapping mineralogical and geochemical characteristic features displayed by alkaline- and calc-alkaline lamprophyres and hence it is not straight forward to pigeon-hole them in existing lamprophyre classification schemes. They are porphyritic–panidiomorphic with euhedral to sub-hedral phenocrysts and microphenocrysts of olivine (Fo78.33–78.42 Fa21.24–21.37), diopsidic augite to titaniferous augite (Wo54.83–59.03 En36.75–41.36 Fs0.1–5.66), biotite and amphibole (kaersutite). Feldspar (orthoclase perthite and plagioclase) is essentially confined to the groundmass along with accessory phases such as apatite and spinel (ti-magnetite). Rare carbonate ocelli are also present. In terms of major element geochemistry the CUL are nepeheline-normative and predominantly sodic (Na2O>K2O); yet their K2O and SiO2 contents are sufficiently high to signal traits of calc-alkaline lamprophyres. On the other hand, the CUL exclude negative spikes at Nb–Ta which are considered to be a characteristic of subduction-related (calc-alkaline) magmas, are highly evolved (Mg#: 27.82–55.45), enriched in incompatible trace elements (high La/Nb, Zr/Nb) and have fractionated REE distribution patterns (La/YbN ratios: 35–44). Post-emplacement alteration and crustal contamination have had little influence on their geochemistry. Th/Yb, Ta/Yb, Nb/U and Ce/Pb ratios of the CUL imply an OIB type-enriched mantle source, similar to that displayed by other Deccan-related lamprophyres. A metasomatised (enriched) garnet lherzolite mantle source with very low degrees of partial melting that has subsequently undergone a large degrees of fractional crystallisation is capable of accounting observed REE geochemistry of the CUL. We infer the lamprophyres of Chhota Udepur area to be a part of the alkaline rock spectrum of the Deccan Large Igneous Province and their emplacement, together with that of other alkaline complexes in the Chhota Udepur area, is envisaged to be strongly controlled by pre-existing crustal weakness accentuated by the mantle plume–lithosphere interaction during the end-Cretaceous in the Narmada rift zone. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The six-eyed spider family Segestriidae is poorly documented from India, with only five species belonging to two genera. Here we describe a new genus, Indoseges gen. nov. with five new spp. viz. I. malkhangiri sp. nov., I. sushildutta sp. nov., I. chilika sp. nov., I. narayani sp. nov. and I. satkosia sp. nov. from Odisha. The first two spp. are described based on both male and female specimens and the rest on females only. The new genus resembles the genus Ariadna Audouin, 1826; still, males differ with respect to first leg spines, shape and position of apophysis and in the palp structure, and females having distinct spination in palp tarsi and femur of first two legs, and in the genitalia structure. Along with a distribution map of the Segestriids of India this paper also provides natural history information about the new genus, a discussion on its relationship with Ariadna, and the putative synapomorphies that define its placement in the subfamily Ariadninae.

Three new species of the front-eyed trapdoor genus Idiops, viz., Idiops joida sp. nov. from the Western Ghats of Karnataka, I. mettupalayam sp. nov. from the foothills of the Western Ghats in Tamil Nadu and I. oriya sp. nov. from Odhisa, are described. Natural history information for all these species is provided as is an identification key to Idiops species from South and Southeast Asia.