Search

This study investigates the incidence of heat wave and cold wave condition during 2000 – 2022 in the Bathinda district of South-Western region of Punjab. Notable spikes in heat wave (HW) activity were observed in 2002 and 2022 with 29 and 27 days respectively. Similarly, for severe heat waves (SHW), 2010 and 2022 witnessed the highest frequencies recording 16 and 18 days respectively. Conversely, cold wave (CW) events peaked in 2005 and 2008 with 10 and 11 days respectively. Notably, 2008 also observed the highest frequency of severe cold wave (SCW) days with 15 days. However, results revealed decline in cold wave days towards the latter years, while severe cold wave days also exhibited decreasing frequencies like 2015 and 2016 recorded zero CW and SCW days. One key finding highlights a substantial correlation between land surface temperature (LST) and maximum air temperature during heat wave periods (R² = 0.83), indicating LST’s efficacy as an indicator for monitoring temperature trends during heat wave events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Mature T- and NK-cell Neoplasms (MTNKN) constitute around 12% of all non-Hodgkin lymphomas. They have a variable clinical course, ranging from indolent to highly aggressive tumours. Flow cytometry immunophenotyping is crucial for the diagnosis, staging, and classification of MTNKN. Aim: To determine the frequency, morphologic, and immunophenotypic profile of various subtypes of MTNKN diagnosed by flow cytometry. Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective descriptive study conducted at the Department of Pathology, Regional Cancer Centre, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India. All cases of MTNKN diagnosed by flow cytometry in peripheral blood, bone marrow aspirates, or body fluids from January 1, 2010 to June 30, 2020 (10.5 years duration) at the cancer centre were studied. The morphology of tumour cells and immunophenotype by flow cytometry were analysed. Clinical parameters (lymphadenopathy, hepatosplenomegaly, skin lesions, effusions, B symptoms) and follow-up details, including Progression-free Survival (PFS) and Overall Survival (OS), were also noted. Descriptive statistics for continuous variables and frequencies and percentages for categorical variables were obtained. The Kaplan-Meier method for survival plots was used. Results: Mature T- and NK-cell neoplasms constituted 83 cases. The median age of patients was 56 years. The majority of patients were males (n=49). Adult T-cell Leukaemia/Lymphoma (ATLL) (n=50) constituted the most common subtype, followed by Mycosis fungoides/Sezary syndrome (MF/SS) (n=14), T-cell Large Granular Lymphocytic Leukaemia (T-LGLL) (n=7), T-cell Prolymphocytic Leukaemia (T-PLL) (n=4), Aggressive NK-cell Leukaemia (ANKL) (n=3), Hepatosplenic T-cell Lymphoma (HSTL) (n=3), and Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma (ALCL) (n=2). OS and PFS at three years were 22.3% and 16.6%, respectively. Conclusion: Mature T- and NK-cell neoplasms presenting as leukaemia is rare. ATLL was the most common subtype of MTNKN. Flower cells, Sezary cells, and prolymphocytes are useful morphological clues for diagnosis. Immunophenotyping by flow cytometry, along with clinicopathologic correlation, is crucial for the diagnosis and subclassification of MTNKN. All subtypes except T-LGLL show inferior PFS and OS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to develop a generic pavement condition assessment scale, called the unified pavement health index (UPHI), that is capable of quantifying asphalt pavement surface quality, which could be altered based on region-specific conditions. The database, consisting of 541 road sections encompassing 1,345,397 data points in the State of Andhra Pradesh, India, was used to formulate the metric. Five severity-based distress indexes were established to estimate the UPHI on a scale of 0 to 100. The metric was categorized into five groups to help inform maintenance interventions. A deep neural network was developed to automatically compute the UPHI for distresses data, which had a coefficient of determination of 96.05%. It is envisioned that the unified metric developed in this study will help practitioners in assessing the pavement functional condition based on 18 distresses and suggest maintenance strategies for network-level management in a rapid and rational manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cytogenetic analysis continues to have an important role in the management of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) because it is essential for prognostication. It is also necessary to diagnose specific categories of AML and to determine the most effective form of treatment. Reports from South Asia are few because the availability of cytogenetic services is relatively limited. Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of the cytogenetic findings in adults with AML seen consecutively in a single centre in India. The results were categorised according to the 2022 World Health Organisation (WHO), International Consensus Classification (ICC) and European LeukemiaNet (ELN) classifications. Results: There were 1791 patients aged 18–85 years (median age 42, 1086 males). Normal karyotypes were seen in 646 (36%) patients. The 1145 (64%) abnormal karyotypes comprised 585 (32.7%) with recurrent genetic abnormalities (RGA), 403 (22.5%) with myelodysplasia-related cytogenetic abnormalities (MRC), and 157 (8.8%) with other abnormalities. There were 567 (31.7%) patients with solitary abnormalities and 299 (16.7%) with two abnormalities. Among the 279 (15.6%) patients with ≥ 3 abnormalities, 200 (11.2%) had complex karyotypes (CK) as per the WHO/ICC and 184 (10.3%), as per the ELN definition. There were 158 (8.8%) monosomal karyotypes (MK). Patients with normal karyotypes had a higher median age (45 years) than those with abnormal karyotypes (40 years, p < 0.001), and those with ≥ 3 abnormalities (43 years), than those with fewer abnormalities (39 years, p = 0.005). Patients with CK (WHO/ICC) and monosomal karyotypes had a median age of 48 years. Those with RGA had a lower median age (35 years, p < 0.001) than MRC (46 years) or other abnormalities (44 years). The t(15;17) was the most common abnormality (16.7%),followed by trisomy 8 (11.6%), monosomy 7/del 7q (9.3%), t(8;21) (7.2%), monosomy 5/del 5q (6.7%) and monosomy 17/del 17p (5.2%). Conclusion: Our findings confirm the lower age profile of AML in India and show similarities and differences with respect to the frequencies of individual abnormalities compared to the literature. The frequencies of the t(15;17), trisomy 8 and the high-risk abnormalities monosomy 7 and monosomy 5/del 5q were higher, and that of the inv(16), lower than in most reports. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding and evaluating population structure and floristic vegetation characteristics are crucial steps to reveal information about the relationships between distinct species. In order to evaluate the density, frequency, and abundance of the tree of Bichhua Tehsil, district Chhindwara, Madhya Pradesh, India, a systematic sampling technique was utilized to gather vegetation data from the natural vegetation. According to the study, there are 27 widely varying tree species belonging to 18 families. The species with the highest Importance Value Index (35.36) was Tectona grandis L.f., followed by Diospyros melanoxylon Roxb. with a score of 23.77. The Shannon Diversity Index (H) comes out to be is 3.244 reflecting the diversity of species in a given community and evenness is 0.98427. Such research would aid in identifying various levels of traditionally valued natural systems and planning for their better management with the ultimate goal of preserving biodiversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase (ALK) positive Large B-Cell Lymphoma (ALK+ LBCL) is a very rare aggressive B-cell lymphoma presenting significant diagnostic challenges due to their rarity and unique immunophenotypic features. ALK is a tyrosine kinase receptor and is expressed by ALK+ LBCL due to ALK rearrangement. Aim: To analyse the histopathological features including morphology and immunophenotype, clinical details, pattern of care, progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival of cases diagnosed as ALK+ LBCL. Materials and Methods: This clinicopathological retrospective descriptive study was conducted in the Department of Pathology at a Tertiary Care Cancer Centre, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India. The duration of the study was six months, from January 2022 to June 2022. All the cases of ALK+ LBCL were diagnosed over a period of 10 years, from January 1st 2010 to December 31st 2020. The cases of LBCL diagnosed during the 10 year period were reviewed. Clinical details were obtained from the case sheets of the cases diagnosed as ALK+ LBCL and summarised. Data collection variables included age, sex, stage, nodal and extranodal status, bone marrow, Central Nervous System (CNS) involvement, haemoglobin, Total Leukocyte Count (TLC) and platelet count, Lactate Dehydrogenase (LDH) value, performance status, date of diagnosis, date of treatment started, date of progression, date of last follow-up, date of death (if dead). Review of Haematoxylin & Eosin (H&E) sections and immunohistochemical slides were done and observations were recorded. Descriptive statistics was used to summarise the basic features of the dataset and Kaplan-Meier method was used for calculation of survival. Results: The age of study participants was ranged from 16-56 years. During the 10 year period, LBCL accounted for 2415 cases. Among these, ALK+ LBCL constituted 6 (0.25%) cases. There was a male predilection (n=5). Blood counts were normal except for anaemia in three patients. LDH was raised in all the patients. Advanced stage disease was present in two patients. Histopathologically, tumour cells in all the cases showed plasmablastic morphology. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) revealed plasma cell immunophenotype and positivity for ALK in all the cases. Cytokeratin (CK) and Epithelial Membrane Antigen (EMA) were positive in three cases simulating carcinomas. Six year overall survival and progression free survival in the present study was 50% and 33.3%, respectively. Conclusion: Careful interpretation of the morphology and immunophenotype is essential for diagnosis of ALK+ LBCL, as it can be easily misdiagnosed as a non haematological malignancy thus, affecting the treatment and prognosis in these patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

INTRODUCTION Measures to address the COVID-19 pandemic in India included a ban on the sale and use of tobacco products during 2020 when stay at home guidance (lockdown) was in place. In this study we examined the extent of reduction in frequency of tobacco consumption across all products. METHODS Telephone survey was conducted between July and August 2020 across an existing cohort of tobacco users (n=801) residing in Delhi (55.4%) and Chennai (44.6%), India. The participants were recruited irrespective of their gender and use of any kind of tobacco product(s). The survey questionnaire was based on the STOP (Studying Tobacco users Of Pakistan) survey and adapted to the context of smoking and smokeless tobacco use in India. RESULTS Cigarette consumption declined from a median value of 5.0 (IQR: 2-10) sticks in the pre-lockdown period to 2.0 (IQR: 0.4-5) sticks during the lockdown period. Reductions were reported in the daily use of bidis, from 8 (IQR: 4-12) sticks to 5 (IQR: 2-10) sticks and for smokeless tobacco users from 3.5 (IQR: 2-5) packs to 2 (IQR: 1-4) packs during the lockdown. Furthermore, the number of daily cigarette smokers in our cohort decreased from 32.6% (n=261) in the pre-lockdown period to 27.5% (n=220) during lockdown and smokeless tobacco users decreased from 35.8% (n=287) in pre-lockdown period to 30.3% (n=243) during the lockdown period. CONCLUSIONS The decrease in tobacco use can be attributed to various societal and environmental factors. However, the pandemic-linked lockdown provided an opportune condition to reduce the use of tobacco products, which could be due to restricted access and increase in health awareness during the COVID-19 lockdown. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Brain and other central nervous systems (CNS) tumors are a heterogeneous group of neoplasms that are prevalent in all age groups and gender. The study aimed to investigate the pattern of distribution of World Health Organization (WHO) classified primary brain and other CNS tumors among different age groups and gender at a tertiary care center in Northeast India. This is the first study of CNS tumors from this region of the country. The data obtained can be useful for correct diagnosis, timely treatment, and management of CNS tumors in this area. It can also provide relevant information concerning research and funding for this disease. Data collection was done retrospectively from January 1996 to March 2022. Distribution frequency as per age, gender, histopathology type, and tumor location was estimated. Data analysis was performed using the SPSS software. Results: A total of 1441 primary brain and other CNS tumors were examined in the study. There were 232 pediatric cases (16.1%) and 1209 adult cases (83.9%). The ratio of males to females was 1.4. The majority of the cases in the overall cohort were meningiomas (n = 346; 24%). Among the pediatric cohort, the maximum occurrence of gliomas, glioneuronal, and neuronal tumors (n = 68; 29.3%) was seen while meningiomas (n = 336; 27.8%) showed the highest prevalence in the adult cohort. There were 248 other distinct cases of CNS (17.2%) of which 62 (26.7%) were identified within the pediatric cohort and the remaining 186 (15.4%) were detected among the adult population. Most of the tumor sites was supratentorial areas (n = 759; 52.7%) with the next being spinal cord (n = 258; 18%). Conclusion: This is the first study from Northeast India that highlights the prevalence of WHO-classified CNS tumors. With newer and advanced health care and diagnostic facilities, there is an increased incidence of CNS tumors in developing countries. Our study may help in understanding the epidemiological aspects and highlight the need for research, funding, and maintenance of a hospital-based tumor registry for this particular ailment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Tumours arising from odontogenic tissues are rare and constitute a heterogeneous group of interesting lesions. Studies on incidence of Odontogenic Tumours (OT) published from many countries show a distinct geographic variation. Aim: The aim of present study was to compare and correlate the frequency of individual OT in India as well as the other parts of the world based on 2005 World Health Organisation (WHO) classification. Materials and Methods: This Institution-based retrospective study conducted in Department of Oral Pathology and Microbiology at Government Dental College and Research Institute, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India, from April 2015 to September 2016. Total of 122 cases of odontogenic tumours documented in duration of 10 years (2005 to 2014) were categorised based on WHO 2005 classification. The histological type, age, gender, anatomical site and symptoms were systematically tabulated. Results: Odontogenic tumours constituted 9.5% (122 cases) of the total oral biopsies (1284 cases) received in a 10-year period. Among these, 95.9% of the tumours were benign and 4.1% were malignant. The most frequent tumour being ameloblastomas 39.3% followed by keratocystic odontogenic tumour 35.2%, odontome 4.9%, calcifying cystic odontogenic tumour 4.9% and adenomatoid odontogenic tumour 4%. While odontome, generally regarded as the most frequent OT in American and European countries, only accounted for 4.9%, the third most common tumour in the present study. The mean age of patients was 32.37 years (range: 9-70 years). Their exist a slight male predominance, more predilection to posterior region of mandible and majority of tumours presented with pain and swelling. Conclusion: The relative frequency of odontogenic tumours reported in our Institution was similar to the studies reported in India, Asian and African population, but differs from that of European and American countries. There is a definite geographic variation in the prevalence of OT published worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The production of coalbed methane gas depends upon various factors such as permeability, gas content, gas saturation and seam thickness. The low permeability in coal is a constraint in the gas extraction process. However, the presence of natural fractures and cleats in coal increases the permeability; therefore, its identification is necessary to establish the prospectivity. Hence, a methodology is used to process the Stoneley waveform in the Bokaro coalfield located in India to obtain slowness magnitude from the semblance analysis. The separation of directly transmitted and reflected Stoneley waves determines the reflection coefficient and attenuation, and its analysis emphasizes the presence of fractures. In coal seams, the average reflection coefficient ranges from 0.42 to 2.44 and attenuation ranges from 0.2 dB to 12.68 dB. The Stoneley slowness versus frequency plot shows a constant slowness with increasing frequency in the non‐fractured seams, whereas a dispersive trend is observed in the fractured seams. Fractures are also distinguished from the cross‐plot of compressional/shear versus Stoneley velocity. The observation of higher reflection coefficient, attenuation and slowness‐frequency dispersion in coal seams indicates extensive fractures/cleats that corroborate with the resistivity image log correlation. Thus, the study helps to distinguish between fractured and non‐fractured coal seams from the integrated approach of reflection coefficient, attenuation and dispersion analysis of Stoneley waves supported by the identification of fractures from resistivity image log for optimization in coalbed methane production in the development phase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the adoption of clonal forestry by the farmers on large tracts in north-western India, the reports of negligible flowering in Eucalyptus clonal plantations need to be analysed. This study reports the results from the experimental trial involving 14 clones replicated thrice in randomized block design with plot size of 5 trees. Floral buds appeared from June and continued up to July. Profuse flowering was recorded only on three clones i.e., PE-7, PE-8 and PE-9. On the other hand, no floral buds could be seen on C-72, C-413, PE-12 and PE-14. All the four honey bee species i.e., Apis mellifera L. (Italian honey bee), A. dorsata F. (rock bee), A. cerana indica F. (Indian honey bee) and A. florea (little bee) visited the flowers. The frequency of their visit was maximum (7.3/ 2 min) during the afternoon (1 pm) and the lowest (4.9) in the evening. The maximum honey bee visitation was observed on clone PE-9. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intensification of hydrologic cycle, and consequence rise of intense short-term precipitation, are considered as the manifestations of climate change. This may lead to an alteration in Intensity–Duration–Frequency (IDF) relationship that may change other hydrological processes as well. The IDF relationship also serves as a crucial information for the design of any water infrastructure. This study investigates the spatiotemporal changes in IDF relationship involving hourly precipitation events between past and future climate at various return periods across India that spans over a wide range of climatology. Contrast between historical (1979–2014), using two reanalysis data, and future periods (immediate future: 2015–2039, near-future: 2040–2059 and far-future: 2060–2100) is explored along with its spatial (re-) distribution. The future simulations of precipitation are derived from three climate models, participating in 6th phase of Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP6), for three shared socio-economic pathways (SSPs), i.e., SSP126, SSP245 and SSP585. The results show that almost entire Indian mainland will experience an increase (~41–44%) in the hourly precipitation intensity under the worst climate change scenario (SSP585) with a return period as low as 2 years (almost a regular incidence). Furthermore, even under a moderate climate change scenario (SSP245), almost entire Indian mainland (~82–99% of spatial extent) will be affected from a significant increase (on an average 19%) in the hourly precipitation intensity. It is true for higher return periods as well. Findings of the study are alarming for many water infrastructures. This study develops new set of IDF curves across India considering a changing climate that will be useful to set a revised design criteria for water infrastructure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents a comprehensive analysis on the past and future changes in precipitation extremes and quantifies the relative contributions from its frequency and intensity across India, considering five extremeness levels, denoted by 95th, 99th, 99.9th, 99.95th, and 99.97th percentile. Gridded station‐based observations from the historical period (1951–2020) and simulations from 14 General Circulation Models for the future (2021–2100), participating in the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 6 (CMIP6) are considered. Apart from an overall increasing pattern of precipitation extremes, it is noticed that the contribution of frequency dominates over intensity. Specifically, the frequency of 99th percentile daily rainfall is projected to increase approximately by two‐ (SSP245) to three‐ (SSP585) times in future. We also proposed a new zoning of entire Indian mainland, identified as six Homogeneous Precipitation Zones (HPZs). HPZ‐wise analysis reveals that the increase in frequency dominates over intensity for all the HPZs with a varying extent. For instance, increase in frequency is more for the climatologically high‐precipitation zones (HPZ‐3: Western Ghats, and HPZ‐6: North‐east India), whereas increase in intensity is more for the low‐precipitation zones (HPZ‐1: North‐west India, and HPZ‐4: Peninsular India). The degree of increase gets even more pronounced under the worst scenario SSP585, indicating a potential impact of anthropogenic activities on changing precipitation extremes. Findings of this study should be accounted in the climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies for future. Plain Language Summary: There are different characteristics of extreme precipitation, such as how frequent they occur, its intensity. Owing to change in climate, these characteristics are changing as time passes, as well as from one location to another location. How has it been changed in the past and how will it be changing in future? Is there any link with the nature of rainfall in a region? These are the focus of this study. We considered entire Indian mainland as our study domain that spans across a wide range of climatology. Overall, it is noted that both frequency and intensity are increasing and it is going to increase further in future. Moreover, frequency is increasing more rapidly than intensity. However, this finding varies from region to region. The regions that receive high precipitation, in general, may experience maximum increase in frequency (northeast and western ghats region in India), whereas the regions with relatively low precipitation may experience maximum increase in intensity (southern peninsular India). Such findings are expected to be useful in many applications related to climate change impacts on water sector. Key Points: Both frequency and intensity of extreme precipitation are increasing with spatial variation and it is going to increase further in futureIn general, change in the characteristics of precipitation extremes is dominated by increase in frequency rather than intensityHigh precipitation regions experience an increase in frequency and low precipitation regions experience an increase in intensity [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Primary Extranodal Lymphomas (pENLs) are defined as lymphomas with dominant extranodal involvement with no or minor involvement of lymph nodes after routine staging procedures. The present study highlights the profile of pENLs in Kerala, South India which is not yet reported in literature. Aim: To study the frequency, distribution and histopathology profile of pENLs diagnosed in a tertiary care cancer centre. Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective cross-sectional study done in a tertiary care cancer centre in Kerala, Southern India for a period of five years. All the cases of pENLs diagnosed during this five year period which fulfilled the inclusion criteria were included in this study. These 3,357 cases were reviewed and classified according to the 2017 revised 4th edition World Health Organisation (WHO) classification of Tumours of Haematopoietic and Lymphoid tissues. Data was summarised using descriptive statistics. The frequency, distribution and histopathology features of pENLs were studied. Results: A total number of 3,357 lymphomas were diagnosed at the centre during this period. Non Hodgkin lymphomas (NHLs) constituted of 2610 (77.7%) cases. pENLs constituted 477 cases which included two cases of classical hodgkin lymphomas. Primary extranodal NHL (n=475) constituted 18.2% of NHL. Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), Not Otherwise Specified (NOS), was the most common histologic subtype (173 cases, 36.2%) followed by Mucosa Associated Lymphoid Tissue (MALT) lymphoma (77cases, 16.1%). Most common site of presentation were Gastrointestinal Tract (GIT) (117 cases, 24.5%) and Head and Neck region (HN) (117 cases, 24.5%). Conclusion: DLBCL, NOS was the most common subtype. GIT and HN region was the most common site of pENLs in present study. The frequency of pENLs in present study was comparable to few other Indian studies but was lower than Far Eastern studies. The frequency of Adult T-cell leukaemia/Lymphoma (ATLL) was high which was not mentioned in similar studies on pENLs from India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: ROP is a challenge due to better premature survival. It has an increasing trend and is a preventable cause of vision loss. Its occurrence, severity and outcome in rural population is poorly studied. Methods: Ahospital based prospective observational longitudinal study was conducted on babies born at a tertiary care centre. Babies with gestation <32 weeks or birth weight < 1500 g were screened for ROP. Preterm babies of >32 weeks gestation with oxygen requirement, RDS, surfactant use, PDA, neonatal hyperbilirubinemia requiring phototherapy, septicemia, red cell transfusion due to anemia, need for inotropes were also included. Babies with ROP were assessed for severity as also need for intervention and were followed for12 months. Results: Of the 211 neonates screened, 51 had ROP. Frequency was inversely related to both birth weight and gestational age with no gender difference. Oxygen therapy (p 0.001), RDS (p 0.005), mechanical ventilation (p0.003) and septicemia (p 0.005) were main risk factors. Neonatal hyperbilirubinemia requiring phototherapy was found to be protective (p 0.0005). 15.68% cases required laser photocoagulation. During follow up, ROP regressed in all patients. Conclusions: Risk factors for ROP included oxygen usage, RDS, mechanical ventilation and septicemia. Blood products or inotropes use was not an independent factor. Neonatal hyperbilirubinemia was protective. When diagnosed early, outcome is good in ROP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Benzimidazole resistance is one of the key problem in small ruminant production. A rapid, truthful and responsive system is required for detection benzimidazole resistance so that proper regulatory measure can be applied. Allele specific PCR is one of the tools to understand the mechanism and origin of benzimidazole resistance. Methods: A total 198 larvae of Haemonchus contortus were isolated from goats of Chhattisgarh region, central India were genotyped by allele specific polymerase chain reaction (AS-PCR). Faecal samples of goats were collected from three Government farms and adjoining field goats and were subjected for faecal culture, separately. DNA of third stage larva was used for nested PCR for amplification of β-tubulin gene. Restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) was applied on nested PCR product for species identification with RsaI enzyme. AS-PCR was applied on the nested-PCR product to know the genotypic and allelic frequency. Result: The nested PCR amplified product showed approximately 820 bp in all cases and PCR-RFLP revealed 462 bp, 211 bp and 147 bp fragments, which confirmed the species as H. Contortus. Frequency of resistant allele ('r') was 49.7% and 50.3% for susceptible allele ('S'). Frequency of homozygous resistant (rr), heterozygous susceptible (rS) and homozygous susceptible (SS) genotype were 33.83 per cent, 31.81 per cent and 34.34 per cent, respectively. The frequency of homozygous resistant (rr) genotype was low (19.61%) in field compare to farm (48.96%) indicating refugia in field region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Blast-induced ground vibration (BIGV) velocities and frequencies are of major concern due to their adverse effects and damage to structures. Therefore, it becomes essential to assess the velocities and frequencies induced by blasting in terms of quantitative and qualitative assessment to overcome the problems. There is a need for scientific studies using devices like triaxial geophone associated with a seismograph to measure the peak particle velocity (PPV) and dominant frequency which cause damage to domestic or residential structures near an opencast mine. Each mine has specific geo-mining conditions, and scientific studies provide appropriate results. In total, 32 number of blasting data sets were recorded at every 50 m from the blast site to the last observation point near the village. Ground vibration associated damage criteria is defined in terms of the PPV at different frequency levels and the strength of the structures under study. The permissible limits of BIGV has been provided by the Directorate General of Mines Safety, Dhanbad, India. The permissible PPV values of the BIGV in India is 2, 5, 10 for the historical and sensitive structures, 5, 10, 15 for domestic houses and 10, 20, 25 for industrial buildings at <8, 8-25 and >25 Hz dominant excitation frequencies respectively. The recorded dataset has been proposed through standard models. The velocity amplitude versus frequency gives a reliable relationship about damage criteria of structures. The structures were analysed vis-à-vis PPV and dominant frequency to correlate the damage possibility. The present study carried out in a mega opencast project provides the basic knowledge to assess the safe distance from blasting site for specific charge of explosive, waves which are responsible for more damage to nearby structures and to determine the correlation coefficient between measured and predicted PPV values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) is an important tropical atmospheric phenomenon that plays a significant role in modulating weather patterns across India. Heat Waves (HW) are extreme weather events that have severe impacts on human health, agriculture, and various socio-economic sectors. This research paper aims to investigate the dynamical relationship between MJO phases, as measured by the Real-time Multivariate MJO (RMM) index, and the occurrence of HW in India, as defined by the Indian Meteorological Department. This paper demonstrated the relationship among three aspects, i.e., intensity, duration, frequency of HW during the different MJO phases. The differential dynamics associated for about two-fold rise in the HW occurrence in the South East, Eastern and North West India in the MJO active phase. Inactive phase witnessed enhancement (suppression) of HW during wet (dry) over the regions. The novel finding of this paper is that, the weaker the MJO, the higher probability of HW occurrence in respective regions depending on the position of the MJO convection center. The maximum duration is observed to be significantly decreased by about 2 days in the active MJO phase over NW and north central parts of the country. It is also inferred from this study that there is a significantly decrease of 0.5 °C in HW intensity during the active wet phase of MJO over the NW India. To explain the linkage of HW with MJO, geopotential height (GPH), wind circulation, velocity potential (VP), sea surface temperature (SST) and outgoing longwave radiation (OLR) composite anomalies have been computed and used in the analysis. It is observed that all these parameters have a direct impact on the evolution, strength and spread of the HW in India. This dynamical study mechanism can be prescribed in the numerical weather prediction models for the improved prediction of such extreme weather events during summer for proactive disaster management. Spatial distribution of change in probability of Heat Wave occurrence during all phases of MJO (phase 1 to 8) over the Indian region for the period 1979–2022. [Display omitted] • Relationship between MJO phases and intensity-duration-frequency of Heat Wave in different regions of India is explored. • Weaker the MJO (inactive phase), higher probability of HW occurrence with increased intensity and duration in wet phase. • The HW over north western Indian region are mainly driven by Rossby wave train in the wet phase of MJO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The purpose of the study is to assess parents' experiences and associate demographic characteristics of parents and children with temper tantrum behavior characteristics of preschool children. Methods: A descriptive survey approach was used to conduct this study. A non-probability purposive sampling technique was adopted to recruit 121 parents of children aged between 3-6 years visiting a selected tertiary care hospital in India. All parents completed the parents' experience of temper tantrums in the children's questionnaire. The analysis of results was carried out on IBM SPSS Software version 23.0. Results: A moderate level of temper tantrums showed on the mother's age, education, occupation, marital status, program attendance, and medical and mental illness in the family, whereas a family's monthly income above 50,000 indicated a severe level of temper tantrums, and half of the children experienced tantrum behavior to get the attention of their parents, hungry and tired. The most frequently reported tantrum behavior was throwing things and hitting parents and siblings, and most tantrums occurred in public places and in vehicles. The majority of the parents adopted strategies to distract their child's attention by helping the child talk about the causes of anger. A significant association was found between temper tantrum behavior and demographic characteristics of the marital status of parents (x2 = 15.340, p = 0.002) and the awareness program attended regarding temper tantrums in children (x2 = 4.491, p = 0.034). Conclusion: As temper tantrums peak in the toddler age group, the present study found that parental involvement is a necessity to manage temper tantrums in preschoolers as well. The main parent's strategies to control the tantrum were distraction of child attention and helped them to talk about the causes of tantrum. Therefore, the study emphasizes the necessity of the involvement of parents and family members. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera), a known traditional medicine used in Ayurveda system of medicine, native to the India. Poor quality sleep always looked as serious complaint as it disrupts sleep. The natural phytoconstituents present in the ashwagandha believed to be adaptogen that helps the body to adapt stress by normalizing or correcting through balancing immune and neuroendocrine system. The mechanism that enhances sleep quality in the presence of ashwagandha is still unknown. Based on all available studies we investigated the effects of hydroalcoholic extract of ashwagandha effects on various bands of the electroencephalogram (EEG) to ascertain its role in behavior and sleep in rats. Material and methods: The present study explored in Wistar rats of either sex (n=12) used to record EEG in the presence of ashwagandha extracts (25mg/kg body weight). The previous studies revealed sleep promoting character of GABA very well documented in governing sleep and Withania somnifera known to posses mild to moderate hypnotic activity. We used conventional model for quantifying EEG in presence of ashwagandha extract and investigated its possible role in memory, behavior and sleep. Withania somnifera extract administered orally (25mg/ kg) for electrophysiological recordings. Comparison made between post administration of extract with baseline recording employing vehicle and is considered as control. The changes in various bands of EEG noticed following administration of ashwagandha extract. Results: The Withania somnifera extract increased electrophysiological properties in delta (p<0.001) and gamma (p<0.003) bands and was found to be statistically significant. Statistically significant changes not observed in theta and alpha band power but beta band power was reduced in its influence (p<0.013). Conclusion: The present study revealed enhanced activity of the slow wave in presence of ashwagandha extract and divulged the details of its role in sleep and memory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The forest in India have a long history of human induced modifications through intensive forest management that began in the colonial period but continued afterwards to meet the wood-based demand until the forestry goals shifted towards conservation efforts. All this greatly influenced the plant community structure. We attempt to describe the abundance and distribution pattern of trees in recorded forestland of Western Himalaya using the National Forest Inventory database. A total of 3549 sample plots laid across different forest types were analyzed to reveal the abundance, frequency and distribution pattern of 226 tree species/genus using various indices i.e. abundance by frequency ratio, Morisita index and variance mean ratio. Twelve tree species and Eucalyptus genus were found to be most abundantly found tree species in recorded forest area of Western Himalaya. Ten tree species were found to have regular distribution pattern, one hundred ninety-two were contagiously distributed while twenty-five were randomly distributed. Results derived from huge datasets helps in establishing firm statements with quoted significance value. Myrica esculenta and Aegle marmelos were found among the most abundantly occurring tree species whereas Myrica esculenta, Syzygium cumini and Pyrus pashia, were among the most relatively frequently occurring wild fruit yielding tree species. These species (apart from fodder tree species) can be considered in social forest and joint forest management programs in forest fringe villages/areas to enhance and sustain the provisional ecosystem services in Western Himalaya. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study performs the multiscale decomposition of six water quality parameters from Elunuthimangalam station in Noyyal River, a water quality hotspot in Southern India, using the complete ensemble empirical mode decomposition with adaptive noise method. Then, the intrinsic mode functions (IMFs) obtained are subjected to normalized Hilbert transform-direct quadrature-coupled framework for their time–frequency characterization. The time–frequency–amplitude spectra revealed that the dominant frequency is dynamic in characteristics and the marginal spectra successfully captured the significant high anthropogenic interventions in the form of pollutant disposals in the study area. Then, an in-depth examination of the association of different water quality parameters such as pH, temperature, dissolved oxygen (DO), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and total hardness (TH) with electrical conductivity (EC) is done through a running correlation method, namely time-dependent intrinsic correlation (TDIC) in which the sliding window size is adaptively fixed based on instantaneous frequencies estimated by HT. The TDIC analysis revealed that with the exception of TH, the association of water quality parameters with EC in different time scales is not alike in both nature and strength. Also the well-debated DO–temperature and DO–BOD relationships displayed diverse correlation properties in different time scales and over the time domain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study was about the analysis of rainfall data and estimation of evapo-transpiration values for the predominant crops in Pollachi watershed area. The average monthly rainfall data for the period of 10 years (2004-2013) of Pollachi region of Coimbatore district inferred that the 46% of rainfall is received during south-west monsoon and 34% of rainfall is received from north-east monsoon seasons. From the comparative study of evapo-transpiration, it is observed that the value found out by the Penman method is low and the value obtained by the Hargreaves class A pan evaporation method is high. From the study, it is suggested that Penman method is most suitable for evapo-transpiration estimation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The spatial coherence of interannual variations of sub-seasonal to seasonal anomalies in Indian summer monsoon rainfall is investigated at 0.25° spatial resolution using various metrics, including estimates of the number of degrees of freedom, the spatial scale of daily wet 'patches', as well as relationships between local and regional-scale rainfall anomalies and the monsoon circulation. Spatial coherence of interannual rainfall variations is generally found to peak near monsoon onset, in late May-June over Monsoonal India, and again during the withdrawal stage in September-October. However, the spatial coherence and correlations between local rainfall and the regional-scale monsoon circulation decrease during the core phase of the monsoon between early July and late August, when the interannual variability of local-scale amounts tend to be more tightly related to mean daily intensity rather than to the frequency of wet days. The drop in spatial coherence during the core phase is related to increases in the number and intensity of wet 'patches' of daily rainfall while their mean spatial extent remains similar throughout the monsoon season. The core phase, with large values of precipitable water, is characterized by very variable daily rainfall amounts across gridpoints, as a consequence of the near exponential distribution of daily rainfall. The interannual variations of sub-seasonal amounts are then dominated by very wet days, which tend to be rather randomly distributed. This contrasts with the onset and withdrawal phases where the mean of the exponential is smaller, and where interannual variations in the timing of regional-scale onset and end of the monsoon predominate. The early and late phases may thus be more potentially predictable than the core of the monsoon season. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Oral cancer is a major health problem in tobacco users worldwide and is one of the ten most common cancers. India alone accounts for 1/3 rd of the world's oral cancer and has a high rate of potentially malignant disorders (PMDs). The most common predisposing factors are smoking, smokeless tobacco, betel nut in quid form (pan), alcohol, spicy food, and sharp broken tooth. There are various tobacco-associated lesions (TALs) which can be diagnosed at very early stage. This study was conducted to rule out association of smoking and smokeless tobacco with occurrence of TALs and its dose-response relationship.Materials and Methods: Total of 60,018 patients attending the Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology from January 2013 to December 2014 with different oral and dental symptoms were screened. Of these, 4795 patients satisfying inclusion and exclusion criteria formed the cohort of the present study. All the patients were informed regarding the study and an informed verbal consent was obtained, following which they were interviewed for tobacco-related habits and examined by the trained dental professionals for the presence of any lesion. Along with patients' demographic details, information regarding the type of habit, duration, and frequency was recorded.Statistical Analysis: Statistical analysis was performed using STATA 13.1 software (STATA 13.1 software by Stata Corp Ltd India Continent) by applying Pearson's Chi-square test with Fisher's exact test, Independent t-test, and ANOVA test.Results: The overall study population showed maximum cases having habit of smokeless tobacco (37.9%) and smoking tobacco (36.5%). The overall prevalence of TALs was found to be 7.98%. Our study found strong relation of duration and frequency of habit with respect to occurrence of the lesions.Conclusion: TALs are often subtle and asymptomatic. Therefore, it is important for the clinician to maintain a high index of suspicion, especially if risk factors such as tobacco habits are present. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Clinicians and anatomists have been examining coronary artery variations for a long time. However, there is still no consensus on the normality or abnormality of coronary arteries. The present survey was therefore conducted tofind out the variations in left coronary artery (LCA) and right coronary artery (RCA) branches, the existence and occurrence of the median artery in northern Indian population. Material and methods: The present study was planned and conducted during March 2012 to September 2014 at Department of Anatomy, Major S. D. Singh Medical College, Fatehgarh; a tertiary care teaching hospital. The hearts of 40 adult northern Indian cadavers fixed with 10% formaldehyde were used. To determine the dominant circulation, the artery that supplies the posterior inter ventricular sulcus was investigated. Dissections were performed under a dissection microscope and photographed. Results: LCA branched out of the aortic sinus in all the hearts and had an average diameter of 4.44 ± 1.79 mm. In 45% hearts, the LCA was separated into the anterior inter ventricular branch and the circumflex branch (bifurcation). In 42.5% hearts, in addition to the anterior inter ventricular branch and the circumflex branch; there was a median artery that coursed on the front wall of the left ventricle (trifurcation). In 10% hearts, branching occurred as in trifurcation but with two median arteries emerging from the LCA (quadrifurcation). Myocardial bridges were found on the LCA branches in 19 of the 24 hearts in which the median artery existed. Conclusion: There is an important relationship between the existence of the median artery and myocardial bridges. The median artery might be important as it may not result in any clinical symptom for many years in a large number of subjects. Knowledge of individual and racial variations in coronary arteries is essential for the diagnosis and treatment of coronary artery patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Weaning plays a major role in determining the nutritional status of a child. Poor weaning practices during infancy and early childhood, resulting in malnutrition, contribute to impairment of cognitive and social development, poor school performance and reduced productivity in later life. The objective of this study is to know weaning practices of mothers of difficult terrain. Methods: Cross-sectional study was conducted in all villages under Rural Health Training Center, the field practice area of Department of Community Medicine. A total of 500 mothers with children within 3 years of age were included in the study. Pre-tested pre-designed semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect information on weaning practices. Results: Majority of children (51.57%) were weaned at >6 months and were observed to be more under nourished (79.34%) as compared with those between 4 months and 6 months (61.50%). Majority of boys were weaned earlier than girls irrespective of the age of the weaning. Malnutrition was found in majority of those children who were weaned inadequately in terms of both frequency and amount. Conclusions: The present study revealed suboptimal weaning practices among the mothers of hilly region. Thus, appropriate educational strategies should be directed particularly on counteracting various myths related to infant feeding Moreover, promotion of appropriate feeding should target not only on maternal caregivers, but also on other family members, particularly husbands and grandmothers, taking into account the social and cultural situation of the area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pangi valley in Chamba district of Himachal Pradesh is one of the remote tribal areas in Indian western Himalaya. The plant resources in its landscapes are flourishing under least anthropogenic conditions. For social upliftment of the tribals in this area, a number of developmental activities are being implemented by the government. A study was conducted for mapping of its landuse/landcover using satellite remote sensing to identify major forested landscapes in the region. It was followed by a detailed random stratified sampling of the forested landscapes for phytosociological estimation of its tree species. The 21.97 % of study area was estimated under forests followed by Scrublands and Grassy meadows (18.24 %). Majority of area (54.05 %) was Snow and Scree slopes. Among the forests, maximum area was occupied by Mixed Broad Leaved Forest LSE type (36.08%) followed by Cedrus deodara (26.94%) and Betula utilis (18.07%) forest LSE types. These species, owing to immense medicinal properties and value for their economic utilization, feature in threatened and endangered category list of plants. It is, therefore, recommended that the developmental activities may be implemented in scientific way, which may not pose threat to bioresources in this region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During earthquakes, the behavior of soil is much dependent on its dynamic characteristics. Dynamic properties of sands are important features which govern its seismic behavior. Himalayan region is seismically active area and Roorkee (India) city falls under its subduction zone. The city has experienced earthquakes in the past and faces the danger of severe seismic threat in future also. Major area of Roorkee is covered by soil from the bed of Solani river i.e. Solani sand. In this paper, the strength characteristics of Solani sand has been investigated by a series of cyclic triaxial tests, which has not been reported in the literature. Strain controlled undrained cyclic triaxial tests were performed to evaluate dynamic properties viz, shear modulus and damping ratio of the Solani sand. The paper presents, effects of three parameters i.e. relative density, confining pressure and frequency of cyclic loading on dynamic properties of Solani sand in the large shear strain range (0.037% to 0.75%). The effect of relative density and confining pressure on shear modulus is significant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) species diversity and their root colonization patterns may vary in a plant species as influenced by soil environmental and biological factors. In the present study, sugarcane rhizospheric soils were collected from 41 main sugarcane producing tehsil places belonging to 10 districts from Maharashtra, India. Rhizospheric soil samples and roots were analyzed for spore density, relative abundance and frequency of AM spores at genus as well as at species level, extent of AM colonization in roots and various soil chemical properties. Soil sample from Jalgaon district possessed maximum spore density and AM root colonization. Genus Glomus exhibited highest relative abundance with maximum frequency of 32.55%. Species wise, Glomus fasciculatum possessed highest relative abundance and maximum frequency was observed in case of Glomus fasciculatum, Glomus intraradices, Glomus mosseae and Glomus versiforme. Maximum similarity of AM spores was recorded between Satara and Sangli districts which may be because of almost similar soil pH profile. Data obtained after cluster analysis represented the close relationship between spore density, AM root colonization and soil Cu, Zn and Fe concentrations. A statistically significant positive correlation was also found when AM spore density and root colonization was compared with soil Cu, Zn and Fe contents. This kind of data can be used to predict type of AM fungi to be used as bioinoculant in particular region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background & objectives: Shigeliosis is known to be a major cause of acute childhood diarrhoea in Andaman & Nicobar Islands, India. Rapid emergence of antibiotic resistance warrants continuous monitoring of sensitivity pattern of bacterial isolates. We repor! here the salient findings of an ongoing study on shigellosis in Andaman Islands, India, with regards to change in drug resistance pattern during the past one decade. Method: During 2006-2009, stools samples from 412 paediatric diarrhoea patients were collected and processed for isolation and identification of Shigeila spp. Susceptibility to 22 antimicrobial drugs was tested and MICs were determined for 3rd generation cephalosporins, quinolones, amoxicillin-clavulanic acid combination and gentamicin. Drug susceptibility pattern of these isolates were compared with that of 33 isolates obtained during 2000-2002. Results: Shigella isolates were recovered from 50 of 412 stool samples processed. Resistance to ampicillin, nalidixic acid, tetracycline and ciprofloxacin was observed in 100, 96, 94 and 82 per cent of the isolates, respectively. The frequency of resistance to these drugs was significantly (P<0.001) higher than that observed during 2000-2002. Resistance to seven drugs was observed in 2000-2002, whereas resistance to 21 drugs was seen during 2006-2009. The number of drug resistance pattern increased from 13 in 2000-2002 to 43 in 2006-2009. Resistance to newer generation fluoroquinoiones, 3rd generation cephalosporins and augmentin, which was not observed during 2000-2002, appeared during 2006-2009. Interpretation & conclusions: Thc frequency of resistance among Shigeila isolates has increased substantially between 2000-2002 and 2006-2009 and the spectrum of resistance has widened. At present, the option for antimicrobial therapy in shigellosis in Andaman is limited to a small number of drugs. Continuous local monitoring of resistance patterns is necessary for the appropriate selection of empirical antimicrobial therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The attenuation characteristics based on coda waves of two areas-Jamnagar and Junagarh of Saurashtra, Gujarat (India)-have been investigated in the present study. The frequency dependent relationships have been developed for both the areas using single back scattering model. The broadband waveforms of the vertical components of 33 earthquakes (Mw 1.5-3.5) recorded at six stations of the Jamnagar area, and broadband waveforms of 68 earthquakes (Mw 1.6-5) recorded at five stations of the Junagarh area have been used for the analysis. The estimated relations for the Junagarh area are: Q = (158 ± 5)f (lapse time : 20 s), Q = (170 ± 4.4)f (lapse time : 30 s) and Q = (229 ± 6.6)f (lapse time : 40 s) and for the Jamnagar area are: Q = (178 ± 3)f (lapse time : 20 s), Q = (224 ± 6)f (lapse time : 30 s) and Q = (282 ± 7)f (lapse time : 40 s). These are the first estimates for the areas under consideration. The Junagarh area appears to be more attenuative as compared to the Jamnagar area. The increase in Q values with lapse time found here for both the areas show the depth dependence of Q as longer lapse time windows will sample larger area. The rate of decay of attenuation ( Q) with frequency for the relations obtained here is found to be comparable with those of other regions of the world though the absolute values differ. A comparison of the coda-Q estimated for the Saurashtra region with those of the nearby Kachchh region shows that the Saurashtra region is less heterogeneous. The obtained relations are expected to be useful for the estimation of source parameters of the earthquakes in the Saurashtra region of Gujarat where no such relations were available earlier. These relations are also important for the simulation of earthquake strong ground motions in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

India became independent on 15 August 1947.Though, after Independence we achieved tremendous success in many fields but still much is needed to be done in order to become a developed nation. Statistics betrays that after Independence our growth rate has increased from 3% to 9 % .But, still we are facing problems like poverty, illiteracy, unemployment etc.Besides; a major chunk of population living in villages (72%) is still backward. Though the government is spending million of rupees in the name of rural development, but still it's not getting the desired results. Among many reasons, one of the foremost reason is the communication gap between government devised policies and common masses as people largely remain ignorant regarding them. In order to bridge this gap, a firm communication policy will prove crucial. According to this policy, local community media should be promoted in order to enhance community development, at least at grass root level. Among various existing genres of local community media, Community Radio will prove most effective as it can easily cover a wider range of area as well as diversified audience. Besides, experiments with community radio in many parts of India have proved it to be the cheapest and the strongest medium for fulfilling communication gap between the community and the Govt.It has proved to be a vital tool in strengthening the 'Right to Freedom of Speech and Expression' As, the community radio is still evolving it might be possible that in the near future, we will witness its various new forms which will be more superior as well as userfriendly. Well whatever the case may be,community radio has proved to be one of the best medium of communication at the grass-root level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Cancer data from Rajasthan are limited. Only two studies, one from Western Rajasthan, and the other from Eastern Rajasthan have been published by Sharma et al. in 1992 and 1996. AIMS: To put the cancer profile from this region in proper perspective, we conducted the present study on the patterns of various malignancies in Jaipur region, i.e., Eastern Rajasthan. SETTING AND DESIGN AND MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study spans over one and half decade (1990-2004) and is based on a retrospective six-year sample analysis of approximately 200,000 histopathological and cytological reports for the years 1990, 1991, 1996, 1999, 2001 and 2004. RESULTS: A total of 21,868 cancers were recorded in the six sample years. There were 59.11% (12,926) males and 40.89% (8942) females, with the male to female ratio being 1.45:1. Organ wise, lung (8.45%), prostate (7.12%), brain (6.04%), urinary bladder (5.31%), esophagus (4.67%) and tongue (4.60%) are most common sites involved in males with regard to frequency, whereas breast (20.44%), cervix (14.99%), ovary (4.35%), brain (3.80%), esophagus (3.67%), uterus (3.01%) and rectum (2.80%) are common sites for malignancies in females. CONCLUSIONS: Significant findings were a higher frequency of cancers of the prostate, urinary bladder, and brain in males along with gall bladder cancers in females. Our figures have been compared with the national data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: An attempt has been made to evaluate and predict the blast-induced ground vibration and frequency by incorporating rock properties, blast design and explosive parameters using the artificial neural network (ANN) technique. A three-layer, feed-forward back-propagation neural network having 15 hidden neurons, 10 input parameters and two output parameters were trained using 154 experimental and monitored blast records from one of the major producing surface coal mines in India. Twenty new blast data sets were used for the validation and comparison of the peak particle velocity (PPV) and frequency by ANN and other predictors. To develop more confidence in the proposed method, same data sets have also been used for the prediction of PPV by commonly used vibration predictors as well as by multivariate regression analysis (MVRA). Results were compared based on correlation and mean absolute error (MAE) between monitored and predicted values of PPV and frequency. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper is the outcome of an attempt in mining recorded power system operational data in order to get new insight to practical power system behavior. Data mining, in general, is essentially finding new relations between data sets by analyzing well known or recorded data. In this effort we make use of the recorded data of the Southern regional grid of India. Some interesting relations at the total system level between frequency, total MW/MVAr generation, and average system voltage have been obtained. The aim of this work is to highlight the potential of data mining for power system applications and also some of the concerns that need to be addressed to make such efforts more useful. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study which explores the El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the 1901-2002 winter precipitation in India. It computes three major indices of precipitation extremes for frequency, intensity, and spell duration from the precipitation data provided by selected meteorological stations of the country. It analyzes the extreme rainfall events based on the fixed thresholds, but found no significant long-term trend for frequency and intensity. It presents the statistical properties and trend analysis of the extreme indices which reveal possibility of predicting extreme precipitation events. The relationship between extremes and ENSO indices is also presented.

The attenuation property of Andaman Island has been investigated analyzing coda waves from 57 local earthquakes in the magnitude range of 2.0–4.9, using the single backscattering model. These earthquakes waveforms, recorded on five broadband seismographs sited over the island from north to south during Nov. 2003 to March 2004, have been used to calculate the frequency dependent Coda Q ( Q c ) applying the time domain coda-decay method. The Coda Q, computed at central frequencies from (0.5–12) Hz and five-lapse time windows from 40 to 80 s, progressively increases from 105 f 0.88 in the north Andaman to 135 f 0.79 in the south Andaman with an average of 119 f 0.80. The average Q c values vary from 75 ± 42 at 0.5 Hz to 697 ± 54 at 12 Hz central frequency for 40 s lapse time window, while for 80 s lapse time window its variation is from 117 ± 38 at 0.5 Hz to 1256 ± 115 at 12 Hz. The Q c estimated at different lapse times manifests a significant variation from 122 f 0.75 to 174 f 0.73, corresponding to lapse time window lengths of 40 and 80 s, respectively. The variation of Q c with frequency, lapse time and also with the location of seismograph reflects the marked structural and compositional inhomogeneity with depth along the Andaman Islands. These observations are well correlated with the seismicity pattern and distinct high angle subduction beneath the island. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investigations were carried out at three underground coal mines in India to study the response of surface structures to underground blasting and the likelihood of damage to the structures. The structures in the vicinity of the underground blasting area were single and multistoried residential houses. The amplitudes of vibration due to underground blasting were monitored simultaneously on the ground surface near the foundation of the structures and on various floors of the structures. The vibrations were also monitored near the important surface installations. It was observed that the magnitude of vibration in structures decreased with the increase in the height of the structures. The frequency of blast vibration from underground blasting was higher than the natural frequency of the structures. Little energy was transmitted into the structures, which caused reduction in the vibration level in the structures. The reduction in the vibration levels was up to 45% in the houses. It indicates that the dominant frequency of blast vibration plays an important role in persistence of vibration and its amplification or reduction characteristics in the structures. This paper deals with the effect of the vibrations on structures/houses standing above the blasting faces in underground workings and their potential to likely damage to the structures at different Indian geo-mining conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investigations were carried out at seven underground coal mines in India to characterise the responses of roof and pillars of underground workings to the vibrations induced by adjacent open-pit blasting. The roof rocks of the selected underground instrumented panels were having RMR between 36.7 to 57. Monitoring of strata behaviour was carried out before and after blasts. Arrangements were made to mount the transducers of seismographs in roof and pillars to monitor the vibration. Attempts were made to monitor the vibration simultaneously, for a blast, in the pillar and at the junction of the roof or away from the junction in the gallery. 102 sets of such vibration data were recorded in the underground mines. It was observed that the roof of underground roadways vibrated with higher peak particle velocity (PPV) compared to pillars. The amplification of vibration in the roof compared to pillars, away from the junction, was 1.02 to 2.58 times whereas at the junctions, it was 2.04 to 5.57 times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reading has been an extensively studied topic in the Western hemisphere for several decades, and an enormous amount of empirical data has accumulated on various aspects of reading alphabetic writing systems like English. Of late, there has been some interest in the processing of non-alphabetic scripts. However, there is hardly any empirical research base on several of these writing systems. Two experiments are reported on factors influencing rapid reading of words in Kannada, a Dravidian language spoken in southern India. The results indicate that word frequency and word type (concrete vs. abstract) do not affect Kannada word reading latencies (Experiment 1), whereas syllable length, orthographic complexity, and phoneme/grapheme sequence irregularity do affect reading latencies (Experiment 2). The results are discussed in terms of the need for caution in generalizing from studies based on alphabetic scripts, and point to the relevance of considering orthography-specific variables in understanding reading time, even in adult, proficient readers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The gingiva is a common site for neoplastic or non-neoplastic lesions. Neoplasms refer to progressive autonomous growth that can have either a benign or a malignant course. On the other hand, non-neoplastic lesions are mainly inflammatory, or occur as a reaction to some kind of irritation or lowgrade injury., Objectives: Assessing the frequency distribution of gingival lesions is important to optimize oral health care services. The present study retrospectively analyzed the frequency distribution of gingival lesions on the basis of the 2017 World Workshop on the Classification of Periodontal and Peri-Implant Diseases and Conditions. The secondary objective was to compare this system with the 1999 International Workshop classification system., Material and Methods: The hematoxylin and eosin (H&E)-stained histopathological slides of the gingival lesions reported over the last 3 years (2018-2020) were retrieved from the archive of the Division of Oral Pathology and Microbiology at a tertiary care hospital in New Delhi, India. Correlating clinical, radiological and pathological details enabled the categorization of lesions according to the new classification system., Results: In total, 73 gingival lesions were analyzed. Among these, reactive processes were the most frequent (39.73%), followed by inflammatory and immune conditions and lesions (26.03%), malignant tumors (21.92%), benign epithelial lesions (5.48%), and oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMDs) (5.48%). Genetic/developmental disorders were the least frequent (1.37%). However, as per the 1999 American Academy of Periodontology (AAP) system, the majority of lesions belonged to a non-specified category., Conclusions: The frequency distribution of biopsied gingival lesions according to the 2017 World Workshop classification in comparison with the previous classification system showed that differences between the 2 systems could be attributed to heterogeneous terminology rather than to real geographical variations.

Economic growth and trade openness are closely linked with energy consumption and hence have environmental consequences. Many studies have investigated the relationship between these variables. Two weaknesses in empirical literature on energy-growth nexus are prominent. First majority of the studies are conducted on different groups of countries; however, no study has focused the top energy-consuming countries despite their immense importance in the context of energy-growth nexus. Second, this literature cannot simultaneously capture time and frequency domains, short- and long-run dependence, and lagging and leading effects among the variables. Furthermore, environmental impacts of increased energy consumption emerging from trade base economic growth are less studied. This study employs wavelet transformed coherence method to examine dependence partners of energy consumption with economic expansion and trade openness in top 10 energy-consuming countries. This methodology avoids the unrealistic assumption of stationarity of the variables due to favorable scaling tool and unveils the time frequency dependence among variables with more reliability as it accounts for the seasonality, cycles, or trends extracted from the transformation change over time. Furthermore, this technique has the novelty to handle data when its transformation from one-dimensional to bi-dimensional time-frequency sphere is allowed. Findings reveal a positive influence of economic growth and trade on energy consumption in many countries. The wavelet transformed coherence indicates short-run coherence among energy consumption and economic growth of all the top 10 energy-consuming countries. Long-run dependence among energy consumption and economic growth exists in case of China, India, Brazil, and South Korea with mostly leading role of energy consumption over economic growth. The findings of the study reiterate the importance of energy consumption in the development of these economies and suggest that energy policies aimed at improving efficiency in the production and consumption of energy will not hurt economic growth., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Background: Spices are the esoteric food adjuncts that are used for enhancing the sensory quality of the food in Punjabi diets and add many health benefits. Estimating the intake of spices at the individual level is a challenging task as they are consumed in very small quantities as compared to other foods. The present study aimed to assess the intake and spices consumption level of spices among urban and rural households.Methods: A study was carried out among 100 households each from urban and rural areas from Ludhiana district of Punjab, India to collect the information regarding frequency of spice usage and portion sizes using a questionnaire. The information pertaining to sociodemographic characteristics of female respondents from urban and rural households were also collected. The commonly used 25 spices in Punjabi diets were selected to assess their dietary intake at the individual level among households.Results: Spice consumption frequency was more in urban households in comparison to rural households. The maximum mean consumption frequency score among urban and rural households was observed for red chilli powder (5.00) and turmeric powder (5.00). Maximum percentage (76 and 72%) of urban and rural households preferred to use the unroasted form of spices, respectively. The highest mean intake and range was observed for red chilli powder (3.19 g with range 0.35-5.23 g) among urban women and (2.41 g with range 0.25-3.75 g) for rural women. Spice intake from individual dishes showed the maximum number of portion sizes for red chilli powder that were from vegetable>dhal > curry preparations among urban and dhal > vegetable>curry preparation among rural households. Average amount of spices consumed by urban adult women was 10.04 g per day which was higher as compared to spices consumed by rural adult women per day (7.68 g).Conclusions: The study concluded that the urban households showed higher consumption of spices as compared to rural households thus assessing the quantifying intake of spices. Urban adult women consumed more spices per day as compared to rural women. Therefore, more encouragement for increased use of spices is required to reap various health benefits of spices in combating metabolic disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forest fire is considered as one of the major threats to global biodiversity and a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions. Rising temperatures, weather conditions, and topography promote the incidences of fire due to human ignition in South Asia. Because of its synoptic, multi-spectral, and multi-temporal nature, remote sensing data can be a state of art technology for forest fire management. This study focuses on the spatio-temporal patterns of forest fires and identifying hotspots using the novel geospatial technique "emerging hotspot analysis tool" in South Asia. Daily MODIS active fire locations data of 15 years (2003-2017) has been aggregated in order to characterize fire frequency, fire density, and hotspots. A total of 522,348 active fire points have been used to analyze risk of fires across the forest types. Maximum number of forest fires in South Asia was occurring during the January to May. Spatial analysis identified areas of frequent burning and high fire density in South Asian countries. In South Asia, 51% of forest grid cells were affected by fires in 15 years. Highest number of fire incidences was recorded in tropical moist deciduous forest and tropical dry deciduous forest. The emerging hotspots analysis indicates prevalence of sporadic hotspots, followed by historical hotspots, consecutive hotspots, and persistent hotspots in South Asia. Of the seven South Asian countries, Bangladesh has highest emerging hotspot area (34.2%) in forests, followed by 32.2% in India and 29.5% in Nepal. Study results offer critical insights in delineation of fire vulnerable forest landscapes which will stand as a valuable input for strengthening management of fires in South Asia.

The allelic family of HLA-A*02 with a repertoire of approximately 1022 alleles represents the predominant and most heterogeneous group at the HLA-A locus. This remarkable diversity signifies its evolutionary relevance. Its population-specific diversity is attributed to environmental factors and pathogen pressure and can be harnessed in biology and medicine, particularly in disease association and for HLA-based vaccination approaches. We therefore investigated the HLA-A*02 repertoire in two North Indian caste populations, viz Punjabi Khatries (PK, N = 250), Kashmiri Brahmins (KB, N = 160) and a Central Indian tribe Sahariya (ST, N = 100) using Luminex-based high-resolution rSSO method. When required, results were confirmed with high-resolution PCR-SSP and/or next-generation sequencing (NGS). In the three populations evaluated, HLA-A*02 was observed with an overall high phenotypic/allelic frequency, however, A*02 repertoire differed among them. A total of six alleles were observed (A*02:01, *02:03, *02:05, *02:06, *02:07 and *02:11) in the caste groups, compared with four (except *02:05 and *02:07) in the tribals. Our striking observation was the high occurrence of A*02:11 at the repertoire level (80.6% in ST, 39% in PK, 31.8% in KB). Globally, this allele is rare, observed with low frequencies in limited ethnic groups. The primordial A*02:01 allele, representative A*02 allele in most ethnicities was observed as the second predominant allele (PK = 27.3%, KB = 31.8% and ST = 11.9%). Extremely high occurrence of A*02:11 in ST may be representation of ancient Austro-Asiatic genetic pool. In caste populations, the observed A*02 repertoire may be a consequence of natural selection and/or admixture from different populations., (© 2018 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)