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Objective . Viral hepatitis is a global problem leading to significant morbidity and mortality in adults as well as children. This study explores Hepatitis A among Nepalese children and their water habits. Methods . A prospective observational study was conducted over a period of 10 years among Nepalese children. We included 287 children with hepatitis in our study. Results . Among 287 children studied, 266 had Hepatitis A. There were 33 toddlers (11.5%), 121 pre-school children (42.2%), 102 school children (35.5%), and 31 adolescents (10.8%). Ninety-one (32%) children used filtered water, 55 (19%) used boiled water, 23 (8%) used boiled and filtered water, 53 (18%) used jar water and 65 (23%) used direct tap water. Five children had complications. One child died due to complications. The mortality rate in the study was 0.38%. Conclusion . Hepatitis A affected pre-school and school children most. Boiled and filtered is safest against transmission of Hepatitis A.

Abstract Nanotechnology appears to be a promising tool to redefine crop nutrition in the coming decades. However, the crucial interactions of nanomaterials with abiotic components of the environment like soil organic matter (SOM) and carbon‒sequestration may hold the key to sustainable crop nutrition, fortification, and climate change. Here, we investigated the use of sugar press mud (PM) mediated ZnO nanosynthesis for soil amendment and nutrient mobilisation under moderately alkaline conditions. The positively charged (+ 7.61 mv) ZnO sheet-like nanoparticles (~ 17 nm) from zinc sulphate at the optimum dose of (75 mg/kg blended with PM (1.4% w/w) were used in reinforcing the soil matrix for wheat growth. The results demonstrated improved agronomic parameters with (~ 24%) and (~ 19%) relative increases in yield and plant Zn content. Also, the soil solution phase interactions of the ZnO nanoparticles with the PM-induced soil colloidal carbon (− 27.9 mv and diameter 0.4864 μm) along with its other components have influenced the soil nutrient dynamics and mineral ecology at large. Interestingly, one such interaction seems to have reversed the known Zn-P interaction from negative to positive. Thus, the study offers a fresh insight into the possible correlations between nutrient interactions and soil carbon sequestration for climate-resilient crop productivity.

This study investigates the effect of academic factors and student service on student satisfaction among business students with a specific focus on teacher attributes, program features, physical amenities, and administrative service. This study is one of the first attempts to identify crucial determinants of student satisfaction by combining data from business students from India and Nepal. For this purpose, a survey using the HEdPERF scale was conducted to collect data from 659 respondents using convenience sampling from North Eastern Hill University in India and Pokhara University in Nepal. PLS-SEM was used to assess the proposed links between the latent constructs. The findings indicated that program features and administrative services positively influence student satisfaction. However, teacher attributes and physical amenities were found to have no effect on student satisfaction. These findings demonstrate that universities should prioritize improving the quality of their programs and the efficiency of their administrative services in order to enhance student satisfaction. This study contributes to existing body of knowledge by delivering valuable insights into the factors that influence student satisfaction in the higher education institutions. It also provides practical recommendations for university administrators and education policymakers who are interested in improving educational experiences and outcomes.

Abstract Meat products are ubiquitously consumed for their higher protein content and characteristic organoleptic properties. The enhanced capacities of meat production to meet the demands of the rapidly increasing global population is causing serious issues relating to health, environment, and animal welfare. Suitable meat alternatives that are protein‐rich, sustainable, and healthier are being continuously explored by scientists globally. In this direction, edible medicinal mushrooms can be used as promising healthier meat alternatives as they provide natural meaty texture, flavors and are also rich in proteins, essential amino acids, β‐glucans, vitamins, minerals, polyphenols, and antioxidants. Mushrooms have proven medicinal benefits including anticancer, immunomodulatory, antiviral, antihypertensive, antidiabetic, and anti‐inflammatory properties. The aim of the present review is to highlight the potential of edible mushrooms to produce meat analogs, various meat and nonmeat‐based studies focussing on mushrooms as key meat analog ingredients, impact on the product quality, associated nutraceutical aspects, consumer behavior and market availability of mushroom‐based meat analogs.

The process of estimating sediment load has been a daunting issue in hydraulics and the water resource field. Several methods exist for predicting the sediment load in a catchment or river, but the majority of these methods are empirical and depend on the specific location where they are used. Understanding the underlying mechanism of sediment generation and its transport in connection with precipitation, topography, and subsurface conditions to characterize its process is helpful for determining the sediment load in a river. For this purpose, we analyzed the daily suspended sediment data measured for 8 years at the headworks of the Kabeli A hydropower project in the Kabeli River, which originates from the Himalayan region. The analyses show that the suspended sediment concentration (SSC) varies in an orderly manner over time and asynchronously between seasons with respect to the river discharge. Clockwise hysteresis is observed in the yearly plots between the SSC and river discharge. The hysteresis becomes narrower when compared with the direct runoff obtained from a digital filtering algorithm and, even more so with the direct runoff from the hydrological model SWAT. The analysis shows that the sediment concentration is controlled not only by the total discharge in the river but also by the contribution of ground water to the river discharge, indicating that the total discharge alone cannot reflect the seasonal variation in SSC. It is inferred that the river is supply-limited and the hillslope is transport-limited with respect to sediment sources. The SWAT model suggests that the base flow contribution to the total river discharge is 78%. Here, we present a method for constructing the suspended sediment rating curve by comparing the direct runoff with the sediment concentration. The deduced sediment rating curve captures 84.51% of the total sediment load over the study period in the Kabeli River. This method may potentially be used in similar catchments with supply-limited rivers and transport-limited hillslopes.

The genetic evaluation of Kankrej bulls was done by using three different methods viz., BLUP, Wombat sire, and Wombat animal models. First lactation 305-days yields of 348 daughters born to 9 sires and calved from 2016 to 2020 were used for the analyses. For BLUP analysis, season and year of calving were considered as fixed effects, and sire was considered as random effect. The overall average estimate of 2414.40 kg was obtained in BLUP method while 2430.29 kg was obtained in both Wombat sire and animal models. The results revealed that the Wombat animal model discriminated against the sires to the maximum extent followed by Wombat sire and BLUP models. Based on the results, two Kankrej bulls viz., K.8.32 and K.8.62 can be selected as proven bulls for nominated mating for improving the milk productivity of Kankrej cattle.

The present investigation was undertaken to determine the genetic worth of Frieswal (62.5% HF × 37.5% Sahiwal) young bulls through progeny testing under field conditions in Kerala state, India. A total of 65 Frieswal bulls were evaluated based on 1037 first lactation records of their daughters calved over a period of 15 years from 1995 to 2010 were used for the study. The overall average breeding value for the first lactation 305-days milk yield was estimated as 2229.19±50.91 kg with a range of 2193.74±66.59 to 2280.62±66.59 kg. Out of 65 bulls inducted in 7 different sets, 33 bulls (50.7%) had breeding values higher than the herd average (2229.19 kg). The number of daughters per bull varied from 7 to 51 whereas the average number of daughters per bull was 16. The genetic superiority and percentage genetic superiority of the top 25 bulls (38.46%) over population ranged from 6.26 to 51.43 and 0.28 to 2.30, respectively. The least squares analysis of variance revealed that the year of calving had a significant effect on the first lactation milk yield of daughters. The increasing trend of first lactation milk yield over year / bull set observed in the present study indicates the successful implementation of large-scale progeny testing programme under field conditions.

Abstract Rationale Kallikrein‐bradykinin‐forming cascade is known to cause hereditary angioedema (HAE) acute angioedema (AE) attacks. Further research of HAE attacks is needed to explain disease heterogeneity, predict treatment response and identify biomarkers for monitoring HAE attacks. Differential expression of the microvascular endothelial cell‐surface receptors for example, g‐C1qR, cytokeratin‐1, and plasminogen‐activator‐urokinase‐receptor (PLAUR) were hypothesized as biomarkers of AE attacks. Method To understand HAE attacks, the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in RNAseq and mi‐RNAseq data of total RNA extracted from skin biopsies of lesional versus non‐lesional skin collected during and between attacks in Type‐1 HAE patients (n = 11; F:M = 8:3) were compared. To understand the HAE variants, DEGs in skin biopsies from HAE with normal C1 inhibitor (n = 5, F:M = 5:0), and non‐HAE (n = 7; F:M = 3:4) patients were compared. Gene‐set enrichment analyses and regulator effects analysis of these DEGs identified biological pathways in HAE attacks and their regulators. Results PLAUR gene, encoding urokinase‐type plasminogen activator (u‐PAR), was constitutively over‐expressed in HAE‐Type‐1 versus non‐HAE controls suggestive of overactive u‐PAR‐mediated signaling via binding to Factor‐XII. Baseline PLAUR expression was associated with severe AE (p = 0.05). The 18 significant DEGs investigated between baseline and AE attack samples in Type1‐HAE were enriched in beta1/beta3‐integrin cell surface interactions and IL‐6‐mediated signaling. Regulator effects analysis suggests a role for IL‐1b in HAE flares. AKT2, the mRNA regulated by the differentially‐expressed miR‐184A, was also associated with HAE attacks. Conclusion Angiopoetin‐activated β1‐integrin signaling pathways causing endothelial destabilization, and avid binding of factor XII to u‐PAR are possible novel mechanisms for progression of the endothelial kinin‐bradykinin‐forming cascade in HAE attacks.

Young Frieswal bulls (334; cross of HF and Sahiwal) were put under test mating in 16 different sets at four states located in varied agro-climatic conditions of India. Daughters born up to 12th set of bull who had completed their first lactation 305 days milk yield were evaluated. Total 469,501 artificial inseminations were performed in the project, of which 410,163 AI followed and 184,598 pregnancies confirmed amounting to an overall conception rate of 45%. Total 58,168 female calves were born, of which 17,107 reached age at first calving till 2020. Total 233 bulls have so far been evaluated on the basis of 9,680 daughters first lactation 305 day milk yield records showing an increasing trend in breeding values from first set (1958.0±26.90) to last evaluated set (3429.84±48.13). Through the intervention of Field Progeny Testing programme of this Institute, the average first lactation 305 days milk yield of the Frieswal progenies in the adopted villages had increased by 60.35% in KVASU-Thrissur, 42.86% in GADVASU-Ludhiana, 10.9% in BAIF-Pune and 41.64% in GBPUA&T, Pantnagar unit. Further, the average age at first calving (AFC) of the Frieswal progenies had also reduced by 12.87% in KVASU, 21.71% in GADVASU, 1.9 % in BAIF and 9.29 % in GBPUA&T unit.

The breed improvement programme of Sahiwal cattle is implemented under AICRP on Cattle through associated herd progeny testing aiming for their conservation and propagation, and improvement in milk production. The production of frozen semen doses of genetically superior young bulls are being done at germplasm (GP) unit located at NDRI, Karnal and frozen semen doses of the bulls are supplied to all Sahiwal data recording (DR) units for test mating. During the last 11 years, 35 bulls in four sets have been inducted under the programme for test mating. First set of eight Sahiwal bulls were evaluated on the basis of 123 first lactation 305-days records of their daughters born during the period between 2011 and 2013 using Best Linear Unbiased Prediction (BLUP) method. The BLUP model included the Herd-year-season effect as fixed factor and sires as random factor. The overall average estimated breeding value (EBV) was 1957.76 kg and the values of bulls ranged between –16.84 (–0.86) to +31.98 (+1.63) kg. It was also recommended to use the frozen semen doses of two top ranked Sahiwal bulls for nominated mating for producing young male calves for increasing the milk production in subsequent generations. The results also revealed that the performance of Sahiwal cattle has improved over the years due to the implementation of the project, and continuous and sincere efforts are essential to propagate this valuable germplasm.

The in-band full-duplex (IBFD) mechanism offers many advantages over standard half duplex (HD) systems: it can potentially double the capacity and increase spectrum utilization efficiency. While IBFD renders many conventional research problems irrelevant, it unearths several new problems that urgently need attention. We focus on a the design of a Licensed Shared Access (LSA) based spectrum sharing framework with IBFD multi-cell multi-user multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) communication network as the licensee, which operates in the service region of a multi-user MIMO incumbent network. We propose a modified LSA controller framework for the protection zone scenario of LSA, whereby the LSA controller ensures that the licensees always have access to data rates above a given threshold, for which aggregate interference towards the incumbents is also kept at minimum. Accordingly, we propose a hierarchical two-step beamforming framework, where i) the LSA controller first seeks the quality of service (QoS) requirements from the licensee network. Based on the QoS requirements, beamformers are designed to minimize the aggregate interference towards the incumbents. ii) In the second step, the interference minimized in the first step is considered as a constraint for the new beamformer design problem that maximizes the aggregate uplink and downlink throughput of the licensee network. Numerical results demonstrate the precedency of the proposed algorithms for IBFD LSA when compared to baseline HD LSA, whereby we observe i) over 60% improvement in throughput performance for the licensee network and ii) a reduction in interference exposure towards the incumbents from the licensees by at least 6.8315dB.

The aim of this paper is to present the estimation procedure for the step-stress partially accelerated life test model under the generalized progressive hybrid censoring scheme. The uncertainties are assumed to be governed by Lindley distribution. The problem with point and interval estimation of the parameters as well as the acceleration factor using maximum likelihood approach for the step-stress partially accelerated life test model has been considered. A simulation study is conducted to monitor the performance of the estimators on the basis of the mean squared error under the considered censoring scheme. The expected total time of the test under an accelerated condition is computed to examine the effects of the parameters on the duration of the test. In addition, a graph of the expected total time of the test under accelerated and un-accelerated conditions is provided to highlight the effect due to acceleration. One real data set has been analyzed for illustrative purposes.

In this article, we considered the statistical inference for the unknown parameters of exponentiated exponential distribution based on a generalized progressive hybrid censored sample under classical paradigm. We have obtained maximum likelihood estimators of the unknown parameters and confidence intervals utilizing asymptotic theory. Entropy measures, such as Shannon entropy and Awad sub-entropy, have been obtained to measure loss of information owing to censoring. Further, the expected total time of the test and expected number of failures, which are useful during the execution of an experiment, also have been computed. The performance of the estimators have been discussed based on mean squared errors. Moreover, the effect of choice of parameters, termination time T, and m on the ETTT and ETNFs also have been observed. For illustrating the proposed methodology, a real data set is considered.

The present work, aims to extract hemicellulose from de-starched corn fiber (by-product of corn wet-milling industry) by using alkalis, combinations and hydrothermal treatments. The corn fiber was destarched by amylase and achieved 34% (w/w) maltose and 1.5% (w/w) glucose. Maximum yield of solubles from corn fiber via thermochemical treatment is 47% (w/w) in the liquid fraction. The compositional analysis of extracted solubles was rich in arabinoxylan, monosaccharides, ferulic acid and oligosaccharides. The characterization of extracted fraction were analysed by FTIR, SEM and HPLC techniques. The remaining insoluble fraction (cellulose) was 51.6% (w/w). Oligosaccharides rich liquor and the cellulose enrichment of the solid phase make corn fiber suitable as a prebiotic fiber in the food industry. The integrated process not only converted the fiber to valuable products like maltose, hemicellulose (hemicellulose B) and cellulose but, also a sustainable approach for utilization of starch industry processing by-products of corn.

A study was conducted to predict the expected breeding values of 8 Kankrej bulls inducted under the All India Coordinated Research Project on Cattle. A total of 127 first lactation 305-days records of Kankrej daughters born during the period between 2013 and 2017 were analyzed by Best Linear Unbiased Prediction (BLUP) method using Model VIII of LSMLMW software. The BLUP model included the Herd-year-season effect as fixed factor and sires as random factor. The overall average expected breeding value (EBV) was 2004.314 kg. The breeding values of Kankrej bulls ranged between - 151.321 and +189.733 kg. The results of the study revealed that the BLUP method discriminated the sires for their breeding values to a larger extent so that the genetically superior bulls can be discriminated from the poor bulls. Based on the results it was recommended only to use the frozen semen doses of two Gir bulls, viz. K020 and K017 to breed the Kankrej cows for increasing the milk production in subsequent generations.

Adequate numbers of progeny tested bulls are not available in India and whatever small number of bulls are progeny tested, they have low repeatability as the progeny tests are based on small number of daughters mostly reared at the institutional farms. But extending the progeny testing programmes to the farmer's herds will sort out the issue of less number of progeny per bull. The first lactation records of 4,782 crossbred cows which were daughters of 121 bulls and calved over a period of 12 years from 1996 to 2008 were used to determine the genetic worth of HF crossbred bulls under different agro-climatic conditions and to assess their ranking. The average first lactation milk yield in field HF crossbred cows was 2806.51±56.06 kg. In this evaluation average number of progeny per bull was 39.5. The breeding value of bulls was estimated as 2,920.59 kg for 1st ranked bull and 2662.58 kg for 121st ranked bull. A total of 47 bulls (38%) showed higher breeding values ranging from 2,807.91 to 2,920.59 kg over and above the herd average. Among the fixed effects, the centre of field progeny testing programme and year of calving had significant effect on first lactation milk yield of daughters. The increasing trend of first lactation milk yield over years is a clear indication of a successful large scale progeny testing programme under field conditions.

Abstract Objectives In a recent publication, we reported the successful use of tetra primer-amplification refractory mutation system based polymerase chain reaction (T-ARMS-PCR) for genotyping of rs445709131-SNP responsible for the bovine leukocyte adhesion deficiency (BLAD) in cattle. The SNP is characterized by higher GC content of the surrounding region, hence, the previous protocol utilized dimethyl sulfoxide as PCR enhancer. Here, the reaction cocktail was modified with the use of thermostable strand displacement polymerase (SD polymerase) instead of commonly used Taq DNA Polymerase. The amplification efficiency, reaction sensitivity, specificity, and need of PCR enhancer in reactions containing SD polymerase and Taq polymerase were compared. Results T-ARMS-PCR assay is influenced by multiple factors for the correct genotyping necessitating extensive optimization at the initial stages. The described modification enabled generation of all amplicons by 25 cycles whereas the assay with Taq polymerase needed a minimum of 35 cycles. The modified assay amplified all amplicons at a wider range of annealing temperature (50–60 °C), without the addition of dimethyl sulfoxide. The replacement of Taq polymerase with SD polymerase may be beneficial in the T-ARMS assay for development of user-friendly, faster assay which is less affected by the reaction and cyclic conditions.

A new point estimation method based on Kullback-Leibler divergence of survival functions (KLS), measuring the distance between an empirical and prescribed survival functions, has been used to estimate the parameter of Lindley distribution. The simulation studies have been carried out to compare the performance of the proposed estimator with the corresponding Least square (LS), Maximum likelihood (ML) and Maximum product spacing (MPS) methods of estimation.

A study was conducted to predict the expected breeding values of 6 Gir bulls inducted under the All India Coordinated Research Project on Cattle. A total of 222 first lactation 305 days records of Gir daughters born between 2013 and 2017 were analyzed by Best Linear Unbiased Prediction (BLUP) method using Model VIII of LSMLMW software. The BLUP model included the herd-year-season effect as fixed factor and sires as random factor. The overall average expected breeding value (EBV) was 2563.79 kg. The breeding values of Gir sires ranged between –71.13 to +150.71 kg. The results of the study revealed that the BLUP method discriminated the sires for their breeding values to a larger extent so that the genetically superior bulls can be discriminated from the poor bulls. Based on the results, use of frozen semen doses of two Gir bulls, viz. Pankaj and Bhavik is recommended to breed the Gir cows for increasing the milk production in subsequent generations.

In this paper, we proposed the estimation procedures to estimate the unknown parameters, reliability and hazard functions of Inverse Lomax distribution. The mathematical expressions for maximum likelihood and Bayes estimators are derived in presence of hybrid censoring scheme. In most of the cases, it has been seen that maximum likelihood and Bayes estimators of the parameters are not appear in explicit form. Hence, Newton-Raphson (N-R) method has been used to draw the maximum likelihood estimates of the parameters. The Bayes estimators are obtained under Jeffrey's non-informative prior for both shape and scale using Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) technique. Further, we have also constructed the 95% asymptotic confidence interval based on maximum likelihood estimates (MLEs) and highest posterior density (HPD) credible intervals based on MCMC samples. Finally, two data sets have been used to demonstrate the proposed methodology.

In this paper, a poissoin-exponential distribution(PED) is considered as a lifetime model. Its statistical characteristics and important distributional properties are discussed by Louzada-Neto et al.[13]. The method of Maximum likelihood estimation and least square estimation of parameters involved along with reliability and failure rate functions is also studied here. In view of cost and time constraints, Progressive type-II censored data with binomial removals (PT-II CBRs) have been used. Finally, a real data example is given to show the practical applications of the paper.

Evaluation of bulls through progeny testing and their extensive use has been a major source of genetic improvement in dairy animals. Adequate numbers of progeny tested bulls are not available in India and whatever small numbers of bulls are progeny tested, they have low repeatability as the progeny tests are based on a small number of daughters mostly reared at the institutional farms. Since the facilities available with the institutional farms are limited, it is necessary that the progeny testing programmes are extended to the farmers’ herds where large number of daughters per bull can be produced and recorded. A mega field progeny testing (FPT) program in mid-eighties was initiated at the Project Directorate on Cattle (PDC), presently upgraded as ICAR- Central Institute for Research on Cattle, Meerut, Uttar Pradesh in collaboration with Agricultural Universities and Non-Government Organization at different agro-climatic regions of the country. This article reviews the detailed progress of the FPT Program executed at ICAR- Central Institute for Research on Cattle since inception.

This article presents the procedures for the estimation of the parameter of Rayleigh distribution based on Type-II progressive hybrid censored fuzzy lifetime data. Classical as well as the Bayesian procedures for the estimation of unknown model parameters has been developed. The estimators obtained here are Maximum likelihood (ML) estimator, Method of moments (MM) estimator, Computational approach (CA) estimator and Bayes estimator. Highest posterior density (HPD) credible intervals of the unknown parameter are obtained by using Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) technique. For numerical illustration, a real data set has been considered.

This paper deals with the estimation procedure for inverse Weibull distribution under progressive type-II censored samples when removals follow Beta-binomial probability law. To estimate the unknown parameters, the maximum likelihood and Bayes estimators are obtained under progressive censoring scheme mentioned above. Bayes estimates are obtained using Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) technique considering square error loss function and compared with the corresponding MLE's. Further, the expected total time on test is obtained under considered censoring scheme. Finally, a real data set has been analysed to check the validity of the study.

Here we report a case of a 15-year-old female who had originally been diagnosed and treated unsuccessfully for schizophrenia, psychosis, severe anxiety, and depression. More in-depth history revealed an abrupt onset of her symptoms with remote acute infections and many exhibited characteristics of obsessive compulsive disorder with rituals. Work-up for underlying infectious, immunodeficiency, and autoimmune causes was unrevealing except for very high levels of anti-neuronal antibodies which have been linked to Pediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome (PANS). Treatment options were discussed with the family and it was decided to use a course of plasmapheresis based on previous studies demonstrating efficacy and its safety profile. After course of therapy, there was a dramatic resolution of her psychosis, OCD traits, and anxiety. She was able to stop all of her antipsychotic and anxiety medications and resume many of her previous normal daily activities. The effect of this treatment has been sustained to the present time. This case emphasizes the importance of exploring nontraditional treatments for severe, treatment-resistant mental illness which requires a multidisciplinary approach. Further research is warranted in larger populations to investigate pathomechanisms and treatment of PANs/PANDAs.

The present article aims to point and interval estimation of the parameters of generalised exponential distribution (GED) under progressive interval type-I (PITI) censoring scheme with random removals. The considered censoring scheme is most useful in those cases where continuous examination is not possible. Maximum likelihood, expectation-maximization and Bayesian procedures have been developed for the estimation of parameters of the GED, based on a PITI censored sample. Real datasets have been considered to illustrate the applicability of the proposed work. Further, we have compared the performances of the proposed estimators under PITI censoring to that of the complete sample.

Integrin beta 6 (ITGB6) is one of the important integrin family proteins, required for viral entry in their respective host. The constitutive expression of ITGB6 was reported in cattle and sheep but not in buffalo. The present study is first of its kind to characterize the constitutive expression pattern of ITGB6 in the air pathways of buffalo (Bubalus bubalis). In the present study, we characterized the constitutive expression pattern of ITGB6 in the air pathways of buffalo. Our data demonstrated that mRNA transcript and concentration of ITGB6 are significantly higher in tongue tissues compared to trachea, bronchi and lung. The study may highlight that oral mucosa of buffalo are enriched with integrin receptor genes, which are the target of certain viral entry site.

The present study was conducted to assess the prevalence of genetic diseases, viz. BLAD, DUMPS, BC and FXID in Frieswal (Sahiwal × HF) young bulls. We used the standard PCR-RFLP method to genotype animals for BLAD, DUMPS and BC while simple PCR was done to genotype FXID. The identified BLAD carriers were further verified by sequencing. A carrier prevalence of 4.6 % was noticed for BLAD in Frieswal young bulls while no carriers were identified for other genetic diseases. Pedigree analysis revealed that imported semen of Holstein Friesian bull Valeriant may be the source for the spread the BLAD in Indian Frieswal herd. The present study indicates the existence of BLAD carrier animals in Frieswal bull calves eventhough at a relatively low frequency. Hence it is recommended to screen young bulls at early stages for these defective genes in order to avoid spread within the population.

The study was undertaken to assess the genetic and non genetic factors affecting the productive and reproductive performance of Ongole cattle. Record (3,070) of calf weight and lactation records (2,900) of 729 Ongole cows, maintained at livestock farms (LRS, Lam, Guntur; LRS, Mahanandi; GCBF, Chadalwada; and GLF, Chintaldevi) in Andhra Pradesh, daughter of 67 bulls during 25 years from 1985 to 2009 were used in the analysis. The male calves were heavier than female calves. Low heritability estimated for lactation milk yield and reproductive traits indicated that there is less additive genetic variance in these traits and individual selection will not be helpful for improving them. Also, high genetic correlation between lactation milk yield and peak yield indicated that selection for peak yield may bring reasonable genetic improvement in milk yield of Ongole cows. The results also revealed there is a further scope for improvement in milk production and reproductive performance of the animals through better feeding and management practices.

We consider the problem of estimating the scale parameter of an exponential distribution under multiply type II censoring when a prior point guess of the parameter value is available. Shrinkage estimators are obtained from the approximate maximum likelihood estimators proposed in Singh et al. (2004) and in Balasubramanian and Balakrishnan (1992). These estimators are then compared by their simulated mean squared errors.

This paper provides the estimation of the scale parameter of the exponential distribution under multiply type-II censoring. Using generalized non-informative prior and natural conjugate prior, Bayes estimator and approximate Bayes estimators of the scale parameter have been obtained under square error loss function. The proposed Bayes estimators and approximate Bayes estimators are compared with the estimators proposed by Singh et al. (2005) and Balasubramanian and Balakrishnan (1992) on the basis of their simulated risks under square error loss function of 1000 randomly generated Monte Carlo samples.

The first lactation records of 123 cows that were daughters of eight bulls were used to evaluate the breeding value of Ongole bulls and to rank them based on single trait analysis. The overall least-squares mean of first lactation milk yield was 622.97±43.82 kg. Nongenetic factors such as year of birth, age at first calving and farm/ herd were found to have significant on first lactation milk yield. Out of eight bulls, five bulls exceeded the herd average and the topmost ranking bull (Bull No. L- 309) had 3.04 % genetic superiority over the population mean followed by Bull No. L- 313 and Bull No.L-306. The frozen semen doses of top ranked bulls are to be used on elite cows to produce future bull calves for inducting into new set (s).

It was a qualitative enquiry conducted amongst Gujjar population of Shimla district, Himachal Pradesh (HP). The study was carried out to link various lifestyle factors of the Gujjar population with the 2002 outbreak of plague in HP. Focus Group discussions guide was prepared beforehand which had information about education, livelihood, dietary pattern, relationships, personal hygiene and habits and health care utilization. It was emerged out of the study that the population has poor literacy levels, poor personal hygiene, overcrowding in hutments, closely-knit social structure, lack of awareness about common diseases, and frequent visits to forests and living in caves during their visits. Further, government health care facilities are not routinely utilized by the Gujjar community. These factors might lead to increased proximity and exposure to wild rats among Gujjar population, thus increasing their susceptibility to plague. They are, therefore a potential link between any source of infection in forests and in native population of HP and other states. The government agencies should take various measures to increase health care access of such vulnerable population through outreach health care programs.

This paper provides the Bayes estimators of the failure rate and reliability function for a one-parameter, exponential distribution by utilizing a point guess estimate of the parameter. For deriving the Bayes estimators, the prior distributions are chosen such that they are centered at the known prior values of parameters. The validity of proposed estimators is examined with respect to their maximum likelihood estimators (MLE) and Thompson's Shrinkage estimator on the basis of Monte Carlo simulations of 1000 samples.

In this paper, we have obtained the Bayes Estimator of Generalized-Exponential scale and shape parameter using Lindley's approximation (L-approximation) under asymmetric loss functions. The proposed estimators have been compared with the corresponding MLE for their risks based on simulated samples from the Generalized-Exponential distribution.

We have developed the Bayesian estimation procedure for flexible Weibull distribution under Type-II censoring scheme assuming Jeffrey's scale invariant (noninformative) and Gamma (informative) priors for the model parameters. The interval estimation for the model parameters has been performed through normal approximation, bootstrap, and highest posterior density (HPD) procedures. Further, we have also derived the predictive posteriors and the corresponding predictive survival functions for the future observations based on Type-II censored data from the flexible Weibull distribution. Since the predictive posteriors are not in the closed form, we proposed to use the Monte Carlo Markov chain (MCMC) methods to approximate the posteriors of interest. The performance of the Bayes estimators has also been compared with the classical estimators of the model parameters through the Monte Carlo simulation study. A real data set representing the time between failures of secondary reactor pumps has been analysed for illustration purpose.

We obtained the maximum likelihood and Bayes estimators of the parameters of the generalized inverted exponential distribution in case of the progressive type-II censoring scheme with binomial removals. Bayesian estimation procedure has been discussed under the consideration of the square error and general entropy loss functions while the model parameters follow the gamma prior distributions. The performances of the maximum likelihood and Bayes estimators are compared in terms of their risks through the simulation study. Further, we have also derived the expression of the expected experiment time to get a progressively censored sample with binomial removals, consisting of specified number of observations from generalized inverted exponential distribution. An illustrative example based on a real data set has also been given.

In this paper, we propose Bayes estimators of the parameter of the exponentiated gamma distribution and associated reliability function under General Entropy loss function for a censored sample. The proposed estimators have been compared with the corresponding Bayes estimators obtained under squared error loss function and maximum likelihood estimators through their simulated risks (average loss over sample space).