Institution village linkage programme Coastal Agro Ecosystem & Interventions

Agriculture, animal husbandry and fisheries provide maximum employment in the primary sector and form the major source of income and livelihood security of about 70 percent of the population in India. After the introduction of the liberalisation policy and giving thrust for the adoption of improved technologies, there has been a spectacular increase in production in all these segments and the country has witnessed a rapid structural change. Massive adoption of scientific inventions and technological interventions witnessed revolutionary changes in all sectors of development and quality of life of people. Achieving self-sufficiency on food front has been one of the finest Indian successes of the post independence era. The food grain production increased four times (from 50.8 million tonnes during 1950-51 to 198.7 million tonnes during 2000-01) since independence as compared to the three-fold increase in population. Further significant advances have also been made in the production of milk, fish, oilseeds, fruits and vegetables. In fisheries, the country has ushered in the blue revolution with gross production reaching 5.6 million metric tonnes offish and edible invertebrates during 2000- 2001. India is the second largest Asian country in terms of culture fisheries and the third largest in terms of capture fisheries (NAAS, 2001). Due to concerted efforts on strategic research and production technology in oilseeds sector, the country witnessed yellow revolution with the production reaching 25 million tonnes per annum. This was possible as a result of strong agricultural research support provided by the National Agricultural Research System (NARS)

Reaching the unreached: Highlights of Institution Village Linkage Programme of CMFRI

Reaching the unreached: Highlights of Institution Village Linkage Programme of CMFR

Birthing practices of traditional birth attendants in South Asia in the context of training programmes

Traditional Birth Attendants (TBA) training has been an important component of public health policy interventions to improve maternal and child health in developing countries since the 1970s. More recently, since the 1990s, the TBA training strategy has been increasingly seen as irrelevant, ineffective or, on the whole, a failure due to evidence that the maternal mortality rate (MMR) in developing countries had not reduced. Although, worldwide data show that, by choice or out of necessity, 47 percent of births in the developing world are assisted by TBAs and/or family members, funding for TBA training has been reduced and moved to providing skilled birth attendants for all births. Any shift in policy needs to be supported by appropriate evidence on TBA roles in providing maternal and infant health care service and effectiveness of the training programmes. This article reviews literature on the characteristics and role of TBAs in South Asia with an emphasis on India. The aim was to assess the contribution of TBAs in providing maternal and infant health care service at different stages of pregnancy and after-delivery and birthing practices adopted in home births. The review of role revealed that apart from TBAs, there are various other people in the community also involved in making decisions about the welfare and health of the birthing mother and new born baby. However, TBAs have changing, localised but nonetheless significant roles in delivery, postnatal and infant care in India. Certain traditional birthing practices such as bathing babies immediately after birth, not weighing babies after birth and not feeding with colostrum are adopted in home births as well as health institutions in India. There is therefore a thin precarious balance between the application of biomedical and traditional knowledge. Customary rituals and perceptions essentially affect practices in home and institutional births and hence training of TBAs need to be implemented in conjunction with community awareness programmes

The cross-entropy method for continuous multi-extremal optimization

In recent years, the cross-entropy method has been successfully applied to a wide range of discrete optimization tasks. In this paper we consider the cross-entropy method in the context of continuous optimization. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the cross-entropy method for solving difficult continuous multi-extremal optimization problems, including those with non-linear constraints

Aptamer-based multiplexed proteomic technology for biomarker discovery

Interrogation of the human proteome in a highly multiplexed and efficient manner remains a coveted and challenging goal in biology. We present a new aptamer-based proteomic technology for biomarker discovery capable of simultaneously measuring thousands of proteins from small sample volumes (15 [mu]L of serum or plasma). Our current assay allows us to measure ~800 proteins with very low limits of detection (1 pM average), 7 logs of overall dynamic range, and 5% average coefficient of variation. This technology is enabled by a new generation of aptamers that contain chemically modified nucleotides, which greatly expand the physicochemical diversity of the large randomized nucleic acid libraries from which the aptamers are selected. Proteins in complex matrices such as plasma are measured with a process that transforms a signature of protein concentrations into a corresponding DNA aptamer concentration signature, which is then quantified with a DNA microarray. In essence, our assay takes advantage of the dual nature of aptamers as both folded binding entities with defined shapes and unique sequences recognizable by specific hybridization probes. To demonstrate the utility of our proteomics biomarker discovery technology, we applied it to a clinical study of chronic kidney disease (CKD). We identified two well known CKD biomarkers as well as an additional 58 potential CKD biomarkers. These results demonstrate the potential utility of our technology to discover unique protein signatures characteristic of various disease states. More generally, we describe a versatile and powerful tool that allows large-scale comparison of proteome profiles among discrete populations. This unbiased and highly multiplexed search engine will enable the discovery of novel biomarkers in a manner that is unencumbered by our incomplete knowledge of biology, thereby helping to advance the next generation of evidence-based medicine

Gender analysis and empowerment of women and men in Cassava (Manihot esculenta) production in Kerala

Women’s participation is vitally important in agriculture so also in cultivation of tuber crops. In Kerala, cassava is cultivated mostly in homestead farming with active participation of the women. Gender analysis was conducted to map the profile characteristics and empowerment of men and women. Hundred respondents doing cassava cultivation were selected from Thiruvananthapuram and Pathanamthitta districts of Kerala. Majority (61.53%) of the women and men (68.57%) had medium level of participation in cassava cultivation. The overall empowerment index of men (0.86) was more than women (0.78). Employment generation and economic benefits in cassava cultivation for men and women were also assessed

A Study on Quantitative Estimation of Secondary Metabolites And In Vitro Dipeptidyl Peptidase IV (DPP-IV) Inhibitory Activity of Hyptissuveolens seed Extract

The increasing prevalence of diabetes has driven research towards natural alternatives for managing the disease. DPP-IV (Dipeptidyl Peptidase-IV) inhibitors play a vital part in regulating blood glucose levels by prolonging the activity of incretin hormones. Natural plant extracts rich in bioactive compounds have shown promising potential as DPP-IV inhibitors. This study focuses on the quantitative analysis of phytochemicals and the evaluation of the inhibitory activity of DPP-IV of a hydroalcoholic extract.Objective: The primary objective of this research has been to quantitatively estimate the Alkaloids, phenols, and flavonoids that make up the phytochemical content of a hydroalcoholic extract and to investigate its DPP-IV inhibitory possibilities using in vitro tests, using sitagliptin as a positive control.Materials and Methods:The DPP-IV inhibitory activity of the extract was determined by spectrophotometric determination. To assess how effectively the extract compares to sitagliptin, percent inhibition and IC50 values were calculated. Total flavonoid, phenolic, and alkaloid contents were quantitatively measured to investigate any correlation between these compounds and the noted inhibitory activity.Results:The hydroalcoholic extract showed to be quite potent on DPP-IV with much higher concentration than sitagliptin needed for attaining the same potency. The IC50 value for an extract was 115.38μg/mL, whereas for sitagliptin it was 44.68μg/mL. Further quantitative evaluation resulted in the finding of the following: flavonoids were found in 2.88 mg/100 mg, phenols in 1.90 mg/100 mg, and alkaloids in 1.92 mg/100 mg, thus flavonoids are in majority.Conclusion: The results indicate that the hydroalcoholic extract possesses notable DPP-IV inhibitory activity, likely driven by its flavonoid content. These results underline the extract's potential as a natural antidiabetic drug and call for more research into its possible medicinal uses

Priority-based reserved spectrum allocation by multi-agent through reinforcement learning in cognitive radio network

Research in cognitive radio networks aims at maximized spectrum utilization by giving access to increased users with the help of dynamic spectrum allocation policy. The unknown and rapid dynamic nature of the radio environment makes the decision making and optimized resource allocation to be a challenging one. In order to support dynamic spectrum allocation, intelligence is needed to be incorporated in the cognitive system to study the environment parameters, internal state, and operating behaviour of the radio and based on which decisions need to be made for the allocation of under-utilized spectrum. A novel priority-based reserved allocation method with a multi-agent system is proposed for spectrum allocation. The multi-agent system performs the task of gathering environmental artefacts used for decision making to give the best of effort service in this adaptive communication

Quantitative Phytochemical Analysis and Acute Toxicity Study of Ficus racemosa

Background Ficus racemosa is a medicinal plant traditionally used for its therapeutic benefits. This study aims to quantify key phytochemicals and evaluate the acute toxicity of Ficus racemosa to establish its safety profile.Methods A quantitative analysis of Ficus racemosa extract was conducted to measure the concentrations of flavonoids, phenols, and alkaloids. Wistar rats were utilized in acute toxicity research. They received a single oral dosage of 2000 milligrams per kilogram of body weight of Ficus racemosa extract for a duration of fourteen days, the animals were monitored for indications of toxicity, such as alterations in their behavior, body mass, or deaths. Gross histopathological examinations of vital organs (liver, kidney, and heart) were performed to assess potential toxic effects.Results The quantitative analysis indicated significant concentrations of flavonoids and phenols, suggesting antioxidant and anti-inflammatory potential. The acute toxicity study showed no toxicity indicators,without any alterations in behavior, body weight, or at dosages as high as 2,000 mg per kilogram body weight.Gross histopathological examination revealed no significant tissue damage in the vital organs like liver, kidney, or heart.Conclusion Ficus racemosa is rich in phytochemicals especially flavonoids and phenols and has no lethal dose up to 2000mg/kg of the body weight. These results justify the traditional usage of Ficus racemosa and provide a basis for its secure therapeutic use. More pharmacological investigations are suggested in order to investigate its potential