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Context: The genus Sehima is an important component of grasslands worldwide and is the dominant grass of Sehima–Dichanthium grasslands of India. It is an excellent fodder and a good source of lignocellulosic material and several industrially important biomolecules. Aims: We aimed to characterise and conserve locally adapted diverse germplasm of S. nervosum , collected from different agro-climatic zones, for effective utilisation. Methods: Morphological and nutritive traits were measured and statistically analysed for diversity in a germplasm collection of S. nervosum genotypes from diverse agro-climatic conditions of India, and a representative core subset was created. Key results: Morphological traits and nutritive parameters such as crude protein content and digestibility showed wide variability among accessions. Principal component analysis established that plant height, number of tillers per tussock and number of nodes per tiller accounted for half of the variation present. Tiller internode length, stem diameter, and leaf blade length and width also contributed >5 unit points each to the cumulative proportion of variance accounted for. Conclusions: The set of germplasm, possessing substantial variability, is a valuable genetic resource for developing new cultivars. Genotypes identified with high protein content could be used as forage, and those with high cellulose and hemicelluloses as a biofuel resource. Implications: Genotypes can be separately identified for forage and biofuel, and the core subset can effectively be used for evaluation and selection of genotypes in target environments. Additionally, the core subset can be used to establish and rejuvenate sustainable pastures by allowing natural selection. There is urgent need to characterise and conserve genetic diversity of grassland species affected by changes in land-use pattern, overexploitation and climate change. This study revealed high genetic diversity for morphological and nutritive parameters among genotypes of Sehima nervosum , an important grassland species. The set of germplasm is a valuable genetic resource and the core subset can be used for evaluation in target environments and establishment of sustainable pastures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Children are considered as an important asset for any country and their health as one of the important indicators of a healthy country. There are several factors affecting children's health and anemia is one of them. Globally around 1.62 billion people are affected by it, which corresponds to 24.8% of the population, with the highest prevalence of anemia (47.4%) among preschool-aged children. Aim: The present study was conducted to estimate the prevalence of anemia among toddlers (12–36 months) and to determine the associated factors. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out among toddlers (12–36 months) in the urban field practice area of Pt. B.D. Sharma PGIMS, Rohtak. A total of 170 toddlers were enrolled in the study and their mothers were interviewed using a semi-structured pretested questionnaire. Hb was estimated by Sahli's acid hematin method. The data were analyzed using SPSS software version 20. Results: In the present study, more than half (55.9%) participants were girls and 44.1% were boys. The overall prevalence of anemia was found to be 62.4%, with mild, moderate, and severe anemia being 41.8%, 17.7%, and 2.9%, respectively. The children with regular intake of iron supplementation were found to be 6.625 times likely to be nonanemic as compared to those with no supplementation. Conclusion: Every endeavor should be made to combat the anemia in children through multisectoral and multipronged approach such as nutritional education of mothers, growth monitoring, nutritional supplementation, etc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In diverse real-life decision-making problems, the divergence models establish informative measures in conducting impreciseness and improbability surrounded by various factors of the decision-making process. This eagerness encourages one to instigate new fuzzy divergence models in convincing flexibility in assorted disciplines. The present communication is an accurate footstep in the direction of shaping a single-valued generalized neutrosophic parametric fuzzy divergence model and complete examination of its wide-ranging properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]