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Background The Tons River, one of the significant potential tributaries of the Yamuna, flows through the Uttarakhand region of Garhwal. Fish that prefer cold water habitats often predominate in this river. The natural distribution of Schistura scaturigina McClelland, 1839 (Family: Nemacheilidae) was described (n = 15) from river Tons during the study period of 2019–2021 along with other fish species. For the first time, this species' geographic distribution has now been extended, spreading from hill streams in the Northeast and other regions to new habitats in the Garhwal Himalaya. According to morphometric studies and molecular examination of the mtDNA COI and 16S rRNA, this is the first instance of S. scaturigina being discovered in the Tons River.Methods The Specie (S. scaturigina) was confirmed through a morphological and molecular platform.Results Morphometric measurements and molecular analysis of mtDNA COI and 16S rRNA revealed this to be the first occurrence of S. scaturigina in the Tons River.Conclusion According to the aforementioned study, this is the first extended distribution report for the species S. scaturigina from a new location in the Tons River of Naitwar-Mori, Uttarakhand.

Labeo bata fry were reared in high-density polyethylene (HDPE) pens at different stocking densities to determine growth, survival, feed utilization efficiency and economics in Borkona beel, Barpeta, Assam. Pens (500 m2 each) were stocked with fry at four stocking densities, 3 (SD3), 5 (SD5), 7 (SD7) and 9 (SD9) no. m−2 in triplicates. Feeding was performed twice a day at a rate of 3–5% body weight with floating pelleted feed containing 28% crude protein. Fish grew from 2.38 ± 0.30 g to 82.78 ± 3.18, 75.94 ± 0.89, 71.94 ± 0.89 and 61.81 ± 3.35 g at stocking densities of 3, 5, 7 and 9 no. m−2, respectively. Weight gain per cent ranged from 2491.85 ± 140.56 to 3371.33 ± 133.16 and specific growth rate from 1.41 ± 0.02 to 1.55 ± 0.02, both of which decreased with increasing stocking density. The net and gross yields increased with increasing stocking density and were highest at SD9. The benefit-cost ratio was maximum at SD7 (1.42), followed by SD9 (1.41). Post-pen culture, the monthly income of fishers increased by 6.10% (SD3) to 40.50% (SD9). Significant differences (p > 0.05) in water quality parameters were not observed between treatments (inside pens) and reference site (outside pen at 10 m distance). Weight gain exhibited a significant positive correlation with temperature (r = 0.92; p = 0.029) and alkalinity (r = 0.95; p = 0.014). The present study can provide impetus towards species diversification in pen enclosures, income enhancement of small-scale wetland fishers and sustainable ecosystem-based floodplain wetland fisheries management.

The River Tamas is a right-bank tributary of the River Ganga flowing through the states of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, India. It originates in Jhukehi village in the Satna district of Madhya Pradesh and after 268 km it joins with the River Ganga at Sirsa, Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh. The river has a diverse habitat and harbours a variety of flora and fauna. More than 70 fish species reside in the river, along with other biotic communities. A barrage, named Tons and situated at Bakiya village, was commissioned in 1992 for hydro-electric purposes. The continuity and volume of water in the river have been disturbed due to the construction of this barrage and it has changed the ecology and biodiversity. Keeping the ecosystem intact requires that environmental flow calculations be made of the river at the barrage. An attempt has been made to estimate the environmental flow requirement using a desktop hydrological method. Based on the flow duration curve (a hydrological method of flow estimation), the environmental flow for the River Tamas has been calculated using Global Environmental Flow Calculator software. Our calculation are based on flow discharge data received from the Tons Barrage Authority at Bakiya for the period January 2006 to December 2017. Average annual discharge was calculated from the recorded maximum (151.46 cumecs in 2016) and the minimum, 13.53 cumecs in 2007. Mean Annual Runoff was calculated as 1607 Million Cubic Meter with Coefficient of Variation =0.799. To maintain the river in the “slightly modified” class of Environmental Management Class, 27.8 % of Mean Annual Runoff discharge should be released into the river to largely maintain the biodiversity and habitat, while about 57% of Mean Annual Runoff discharge is required to maintain this river in pristine condition. This is a preliminary study to determine the water requirements for healthy habitat and biodiversity of the Tamas river.

The Tamas River is a right-bank tributary of the River Ganga, originating from Jhukehi village in Madhya Pradesh and meeting up with the Ganga at Sirsa, Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, India. An investigation was carried out in six sites at (Itahara, S1), (Madhavgarh, S2), (Bakiya upstream, S3), (Bakiya downstream, S4), (Chakghat, S5) and (Panasaghat, S6) of the river to document the fish diversity, seasonal variability, and impact of environmental variables on fish species composition during the period 2017 to 2019. Altogether 75 fish species belonging to 54 genera, 23 families, and 10 orders were recorded. Fish species richness at (S1), (S2), (S3), (S4), (S5), and (S6) and was recorded as 9, 39, 38, 13, 61, and 49, respectively. Family Cyprinidae with 31 species contributing 41% was the most dominant family, followed by Bagridae (8%) and Schilbeidae (6.7%). Seasonal variation in fish species richness and diversity indices were observed in the river stretch. Maximum species richness (45) was observed at S5 during monsoon and a minimum (6) at S1 during post-monsoon. As per the International Union for Conservation of Nature categorization, 10 out of 75 fish species recorded from the river were considered to be threatened. Three exotic species, namely Cyprinus carpio, Oreochromis niloticus, and Hypophthalmichthys nobilis, were recorded at some stretches, which may be a concern for native fish diversity. Environmental variables like water temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, water velocity, and alkalinity influenced the fish community structure. The selected (S1–S6) stretch of the river falls under the category of Slightly Impacted River based on the Shannon Index (H’ >3). The present investigation was the first assessment of rich fish diversity covering the maximum stretch of river, which supports many important and small indigenous fishes for conservation.

The present study describes the rearing and growth performance of Hilsa (Tenualosa ilisha) fry in experimental trial performed in earthen pond ecosystem located adjacent to river Rupnarayan for developing in-situ rearing protocol of fry collected from the wild sources. The seed was collected during May, 2020 from the river and stocked in two different rearing ponds. One of the ponds was provided with artificial feed and another fed with chicken offal to raise the production of zooplankton. Routine monitoring of water and soil quality parameters as well as other biotic communities like plankton was performed to understand the dynamics of ecological conditions in relation to changes in length and weight. The results of PCA between sediment quality and specific growth of fish indicated the strong positive loading of available nitrogen, available phosphate and free calcium carbonate, while moderate positive loading was observed with percentage of silt. Interestingly, it is observed that survivability rate of fish was approximately 80% in both the ponds. The results indicated natural growth fish was considerably well in both the experimental ponds. However, higher growth of juveniles were observed in the pond 2 with higher phytoplankton density (9120cells/L) than pond 1 having lower phytoplankton density (920cells/L) at the end of the experiments. The water quality parameters were comparable in both the experimental ponds. Based on this study it is evident that plankton (especially zooplankton) has induced better growth in pond 2 and possible incorporation of live feed along with formulated feed might trigger better growth of the stocked Hilsa. The present study provides new insight in developing field based approaches for successful rearing and conservation of threatened Hilsa in Indian waters.

The main objective of the article is to identify different types of livelihood assets, income generating activities (IGAs) and choices of these activities by households across social groups in the Fifth and non-Fifth Scheduled areas of Jharkhand in eastern India. It is based on a primary survey of 785 households randomly selected across caste and Scheduled Tribe groups in Giridih and Latehar districts of Jharkhand. K-means clustering is applied for determination of latent class activity clusters and Multinomial Logistic Regression (MLR) model used for understanding the importance of livelihood assets in determining livelihood activity cluster (LC) for income generation. Further, discriminant analysis is applied to obtain probability of choice of individual households in determining livelihood generating activity. The analysis shows that forest-based activity remains a better livelihood support system in the Fifth Scheduled areas, which is less significant and further diminishing in the non-Fifth Scheduled areas. Rural households engaged in a diverse set of IGAs to obtain additional income to reduce risk and maintain a balanced consumption. Occupational transition is marked by the decline of agriculture and increasing reliance on daily-wage activities as the primary source of income. Other traditional livelihood activities such as animal husbandry and the collection of forest produce have less scope for income in the absence of institutional support.

The rapid degradation, overexploitation and encroachment of floodplain wetlands have led to considerable decline in fish diversity and production from these invaluable aquatic resources threatening livelihood of the dependent fishers. The climate change evident in the fast few decades have further aggravated the problem of eutrophication causing water stress, sedimentation leading to rampant macrophyte proliferation affecting ecological and economic functioning of these ecosystems. Macrophyte control and management needs serious attention for sustaining ecosystem services provided by these resources. In this direction pen culture of grass carp, Ctenopharyngodon idella as a biocontrol for macrophytes along with Indian major carps was implemented in a co-management mode in Beledanga, a typical floodplain wetland, a gradually shrinking, macrophyte dominated floodplain wetland in lower Ganga basin. Indian major carps Labeo catla (6.28±0.23g), Labeo rohita (5.1±0.12g), Cirrhinus mrigala (3.5±0.08g) were stocked in the ratio 4:3:3 at the rate of 20 no./m2 in pens (0.1ha each) in triplicate. Grass carp (7.1±0.42g) was stocked in pen at the rate of 20 no./m2. The fishes were fed with pelleted feed twice a day at the rate of 2-3% of body weight per day. The seed was overwintered in pens for a period of 90 days from November 2019-January 2020. Average weight recorded at the end of culture period was 25.13±1.70g, 18.11±0.63g, 14.53±0.87g and 39.20±1.90g in L. catla, L. rohita, C. mrigala and C. idella respectively. The survival of fish ranged from 70 to 81%. Growth performance and feed utilization efficiency of grass carp was significantly higher (p

The demand for Nitinol (SMA) is increasing rapidly for various applications. With the aim of optimum control parameters of EDM, 46 experiments completed on six specimens of 6.156 mm thickness using Sparkonix EDM drill machine. Current (I), voltage (V), charging-time (TON), discharging-time (TOFF), and dielectric pressure (DP) were taken as input control parameters. Single-indexed optimization of material removal rate (MRR), tool-wear rate (TWR), and degree of tapperness (DoT) are evaluated using gray relational grade (GRG). Individual control-parameter contributions are evaluated using Taguchi and ANOVA. The obtained optimal input control parameters were used for the confirmation experiment, and the obtained result gives good agreement to it. V and TON are found as the most significant parameters. Maximum and minimum values of MRR, TWR, and DoT have been recorded as 0.0277 & 0.0074 g/min, 0.0177 & 0.0033 g/min, and 0.032 & 0.01 radians respectively. MRR, TWR, and DoT improved by 49.1, 4.5, and 43.3 %, respectively. A demanda por Nitinol (SMA) está aumentando rapidamente para várias aplicações. Com o objetivo de otimizar os parâmetros de controle de EDM, 46 experimentos foram concluídos em seis corpos de prova de 6,156 mm de espessura usando a máquina de perfuração EDM Sparkonix. Corrente (I), tensão (V), tempo de carga (TON), tempo de descarga (TOFF) e pressão dielétrica (DP) foram tomados como parâmetros de controle de entrada. A otimização de índice único da taxa de remoção de material (MRR), taxa de desgaste da ferramenta (TWR) e grau de rosqueamento (DoT) são avaliados usando o grau relacional cinza (GRG). Contribuições de parâmetros de controle individuais são avaliadas usando Taguchi e ANOVA. Os parâmetros de controle de entrada ótimos obtidos foram usados para o experimento de confirmação, e o resultado obtido dá uma boa concordância com ele. V e TON são encontrados como os parâmetros mais significativos. Os valores máximo e mínimo de MRR, TWR e DoT foram registrados como 0,0277 e 0,0074 g / min, 0,0177 e 0,0033 g / min e 0,032 e 0,01 radianos, respectivamente. MRR, TWR e DoT melhoraram em 49,1, 4,5 e 43,3%, respectivamente.

This study aims to undertake the Participatory Livelihood Vulnerability Assessment (PLVA) of forest dwellers in the Jharkhand and Odisha states of eastern Indian region. The study covers 15 tribes that included 8 Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) and 7 other tribes from eight districts of Jharkhand and Odisha. The authors combined both participatory and survey-based approaches and used the simple indexing method for PLVA. They observed that landless families were among the most vulnerable. The forest dwellers have poor access to education and health. Both minor forest produce and social-welfare measures are important safety nets for the forest dwellers. There is, however, better access to banking, pukka houses, toilets and so on. Furthermore, attention is required to strengthen livelihood opportunities for the forest dwelling communities.

The COVID-19 is a contagious disease caused by the novel coronavirus, widely spread throughout the globe. The outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic is a global health crisis that makes human health vulnerability, affects people’s livelihood, disrupts and deteriorates the food environment and healthy nutritious food that are essential to sustain. This paper focuses on the food environment for sustainable healthy foods amidst COVID-19 outbreak. It provides insights into the challenges that arise in the food environment for healthy diets during the worldwide lockdown. It also highlights the opportunities for food environment at this juncture. This article highlights a healthy diet as a link between the food environment and nutrition. Worldwide, the diversity among countries due to their cultural, social, political, financial and agricultural potential will be an alternative pathway to the sustainability in the food environment in order to manage the epidemiological pandemic crisis in future

Background The exploration on association of between human and nature has made conceivable to comprehend the undercurrent lifestyle of the communities and the ecosystem in which they inhabit together. Over the last decade there has been a rise of ethnomedicinal studies, still small is known about use of ethnomedicine in traditional health care system of the Juang, which is one of the 75 particularly vulnerable tribal groups (PVTGs) in India. Traditional system is unique and undeniably an important cultural ingredient. The aim of the present study was to document the ethnomedicinal practices of the Juang, who live in forest fringes and hill tracks and derive their livelihood from forest-based resources. They used varieties of plant extracts, traditional knowledge and belief system for treatment as well as prevention of from various disease and ailments. Methods Besides questionnaire as a tool for data collection, Interview, observation (both participant and non-participant observation) and focus group discussion (FGD) were used. Field surveys were carried out in three phases. The informants were selected through the snowball sampling technique. Twelve males and two females key informants were interviewed. The study was exploratory and qualitative in nature. Results It was found that 38 medicinal plant species belong to 26 families as having ethnomedicinal uses in the traditional health care practice among the Juang community. Comparatively leaf part (36%) frequently utilized followed by root (21%), seed (7%), bark (7%), fruit (6%), rootstock (4%) and tender twig (3%) for medicinal purposes. Conclusions Our study can be concluded that the Juang people are rich in indigenous knowledge and have provided novel information on the use of medicinal plants to cure, protect and prevent from various diseases and ailments, that are scientific in nature. The novel information has been generated in the present study which will through a light in the direction of modern medical science for the sustainability of human society and recognize the indigenous knowledge as well. We suggested that indigenous knowledge need to be documented and integrated with scientific knowledge to develop new health care management programme.

KEYWO RDS Santal. Odisha. Selection Intensity. Differentia l Fertility and Differential Mortality ABSTRACT In this article, the selection intensity indices are calculated based on demographic information pertaining to fertility and morta lity a mong the migra nt Santa ls of Bhu baneswa r, Odisha . The indices a re calculated by original formula of Crow and modified formula of Johnston and Kensinger. From the analysis it is evident tha t the total selection intensity among the migrant Santa ls opera tes more through differ ential mortality tha n through differentia l fertility, which conforms, in general, to the findings reported a mong many other tribal groups in India.

Grindability of Ti-6Al-4V alloy is not good due to its chemical reactivity at elevated temperatures and its low thermal conductivity. In grinding process most of the specific energy consumed converts into heat energy which raises the grinding zone temperature. As Ti-6Al-4V alloy’s thermal conductivity is not good, heat accumulation takes place mostly on the ground surface and sub surface. Consequently, due to this increased surface temperature Ti-alloy’s reactivity increases which leads to rapid tool wear and more redeposition of work material on the ground surface. The heat generated at the grinding zone is due to shearing, ploughing and rubbing. The ploughing and rubbing phenomenon increases the energy loss mainly due to friction. In order to reduce the frictional losses suitable solid lubricants can be used. In this research work, graphite and MoS2 were used as solid lubricants and for proper delivery of the lubricants to the grinding zone a suitable solid lubricant supplying unit was also developed. Grinding was done using vitrified SiC grinding wheel. It was observed that the use of both these lubricants substantially reduced the grinding forces. The reductions in forces were in between 5% and 20% compared to dry grinding. However, it was found that amongst the two lubricants used, MoS2 gave better results.