82 research outputs found
IMPACT OF LIVESTOCK SECTOR FOR RURAL POVERTY ALLEVIATION IN CHITTOOR DISTRICT
No full textLivestock sector plays avigorous role in socio-economic progress of rural families. Livestock rearing has substantial optimistic influence on equity in terms of employment, income and poverty lessening in rural zones by way of dispersal of livestock is more democratic as compared to land for agriculture purposes. In Andhra Pradesh, more than 5 percent of the rural households own livestock and a majority of livestock owning households are small, marginal and landless households. Small animals like sheep, goats, pigs and poultry are largely kept by the land scarce poor households for commercial purposes due to their low initial investment and operational costs. In the recent decade, demand for various livestock based products has increased considerably due to rise in per capita income, urbanization, taste and preference and increased awareness about food nutrition. Livestock sector is likely to arise as an appliance for agricultural progress in the coming years. This study only confined to Sree Rangaraja Puram Mandal in Chittoor District of Andhra Pradesh. In this paper author will make an attempt to analyses the performance of livestock sector in terms of livestock population, production, employment and income on one hand and the role of livestock sector in reducing rural poverty on the other. The study will also highlight the various major problems facing by the people those who are engaging in livestock sector in Sree Rangaraja Puram Mandal of Chittoor district
Geometric data in urban building energy modeling: current practices and the case for automation
No full textUrban building energy modeling (UBEM) is crucial for addressing energy consumption challenges in urban environments. This study investigates the significant role of geometric data in UBEM, focusing on its impact on accurately capturing urban morphology for realistic simulations and analyses. By reviewing and comparing various bottom-up modeling approaches—white-box, grey-box, and black-box models, this research highlights the methodologies, techniques, and advancements in geometric data collection. A framework is proposed to guide urban planners, architects, engineers, and policymakers in selecting appropriate geometric data collection strategies tailored to specific modeling needs, considering factors such as geometric features, data accuracy, resolution, scalability, and cost. Additionally, the study explores data preprocessing techniques, including noise reduction, feature extraction, and data integration, to improve the quality and usability of geometric data for energy modeling. Recent advancements, such as the integration of computer vision techniques and machine learning for automated building feature extraction and classification, are also examined. The findings provide practical guidance for enhancing the effectiveness and efficiency of UBEM, contributing to more sustainable urban energy management and better-informed decision-making in urban planning and policy development. This research offers a novel perspective by synthesizing current practices and proposing a comprehensive framework that addresses the ongoing challenges in geometric data collection and utilization in UBEM.Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) under the Discovery Progra
Vector competence of certain Culex and Aedes mosquitoes for the Chittoor virus, the Indian variant of Batai virus
No full textChittoor virus (CHITV), a mosquito-borne bunyavirus (Orthobunyavirus: Bunyaviridae) isolated in India, has been found to be antigenically close to the Batai virus (BATV),which has a wide distribution across Asia, Europe and Africa. The latter causes influenza-like illness in humans and mild illness in sheep and goats. BATV has been involved in genetic reassortment with other bunyaviruses, generating novel genome combinations and causing severe clinical manifestations including hemorrhagic fever. Conversely, CHITV has never been associated with any major outbreaks in India, although neutralizing antibodies have been detected in humans and domestic animals. Repeated isolations and seroprevalence have prompted us to determine the vector competence of three important mosquito species, viz., Culex quinquefasciatus, Culex tritaeniorhynchus and Aedes aegypti, for CHITV. The three mosquito species replicated CHITV to titers of 6.3, 5.0 and 5.2 log10TCID50/ml, respectively, and maintained the virus for substantial periods. Both the Culex species demonstrated vector competence, while Ae aegypti did not. Horizontal transmission to infant mice was also demonstrated by both the Culex species. Active circulation of the virus and the availability of both susceptible hosts and competent vector mosquitoes pose a serious threat to public health should there be a reassortment.The accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author
Physical activity and FTO genotype by physical activity interactive influences on obesity
No full textabstract: Background
Although the effect of the fat mass and obesity-associated (FTO) gene on adiposity is well established, there is a lack of evidence whether physical activity (PA) modifies the effect of FTO variants on obesity in Latino populations. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine PA influences and interactive effects between FTO variants and PA on measures of adiposity in Latinos.
Results
After controlling for age and sex, participants who did not engage in regular PA exhibited higher BMI, fat mass, HC, and WC with statistical significance (P < 0.001). Although significant associations between the three FTO genotypes and adiposity measures were found, none of the FTO genotype by PA interaction assessments revealed nominally significant associations. However, several of such interactive influences exhibited considerable trend towards association.
Conclusions
These data suggest that adiposity measures are associated with PA and FTO variants in Latinos, but the impact of their interactive influences on these obesity measures appear to be minimal. Future studies with large sample sizes may help to determine whether individuals with specific FTO variants exhibit differential responses to PA interventions.The electronic version of this article is the complete one and can be found online at: https://bmcgenet.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12863-016-0357-
An integrated spatial snap-shot monitoring method for identifying seasonal changes and spatial changes in surface water quality
No full textSummaryIntegrated catchment-scale management approaches in large catchments are often hindered due to the poor understanding of the spatially and seasonally variable pathways of pollutants. High-frequency monitoring of water quality at random locations in a catchment is resource intensive and challenging. A simplified catchment-scale monitoring approach is developed in this study, for the preliminary identification of water quality changes – Integrated spatial snap-shot monitoring (ISSM). This multi-parameter monitoring approach is applied using the isotopes of water (δ18O-H2O and δD) and nitrate (δ15N-NO3− and δ18O-NO3−) together with the fluxes of nitrate and other solutes, which are used as chemical markers. This method involves selection of few sampling stations, which are identified as the hotspots of water quality changes within the catchment. The study was conducted in the peri-alpine Thur catchment in Switzerland, with two snap-shot campaigns (representative of two widely varying hydrological conditions), in summer 2012 (low flow) and spring 2013 (high flow). Significant spatial (varying with elevation) and seasonal changes in the sources of water were observed between the two seasons. A spatial variation of the sources of nitrate and the solute loads was observed, in tandem with the land use changes in the Thur catchment. There is a seasonal shift in the sources of nitrate, it varies from a strong treated waste water signature during the low flow season to a mixture of other sources (like soil nitrogen derived from agriculture), in the high flow season. This demonstrates the influence of other sources that override the influence of waste water treatment plants (WWTPs) during high flow in the Thur River and its tributaries. This method is expected to be a cost-effective alternative, providing snap-shots, that can help in the preliminary identification of the pathways of solutes and their seasonal/spatial changes in catchments
Tribal medicine — The real alternative
No full text25-31The author is
involved in Ethno-medico-botanical survey for the past two decades. Much knowledge
accumulated by the villagers and tribals is unknown to the scientists and urban
people. Many varieties of plants associated with tribal people have already disappeared
forever and many more are on the verge of extinction. The impact of deforestation,
urbanization and modernization
is shifting the
tribals from their natural habitats and their very knowledge, particularly with
respect to herbal drugs is slowly disappearing. The immediate concern is to preserve
this knowledge. There is an urgent need to tap the information before it is too
late. Whatever exists is confined only to the older generation. There is a need
to preserve this for the future. In this context some observations made by the author
during her survey in Chittoor district, Andhra
Pradesh, are
presented in a nutshell
Transcriptomic Identification of ADH1B as a Novel Candidate Gene for Obesity and Insulin Resistance in Human Adipose Tissue in Mexican Americans from the Veterans Administration Genetic Epidemiology Study (VAGES)
No full textabstract: Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a complex metabolic disease that is more prevalent in ethnic groups such as Mexican Americans, and is strongly associated with the risk factors obesity and insulin resistance. The goal of this study was to perform whole genome gene expression profiling in adipose tissue to detect common patterns of gene regulation associated with obesity and insulin resistance. We used phenotypic and genotypic data from 308 Mexican American participants from the Veterans Administration Genetic Epidemiology Study (VAGES). Basal fasting RNA was extracted from adipose tissue biopsies from a subset of 75 unrelated individuals, and gene expression data generated on the Illumina BeadArray platform. The number of gene probes with significant expression above baseline was approximately 31,000. We performed multiple regression analysis of all probes with 15 metabolic traits. Adipose tissue had 3,012 genes significantly associated with the traits of interest (false discovery rate, FDR ≤ 0.05). The significance of gene expression changes was used to select 52 genes with significant (FDR ≤ 10[superscript -4]) gene expression changes across multiple traits. Gene sets/Pathways analysis identified one gene, alcohol dehydrogenase 1B (ADH1B) that was significantly enriched (P < 10[superscript -60]) as a prime candidate for involvement in multiple relevant metabolic pathways. Illumina BeadChip derived ADH1B expression data was consistent with quantitative real time PCR data. We observed significant inverse correlations with waist circumference (2.8 x 10[superscript -9]), BMI (5.4 x 10[superscript -6]), and fasting plasma insulin (P < 0.001). These findings are consistent with a central role for ADH1B in obesity and insulin resistance and provide evidence for a novel genetic regulatory mechanism for human metabolic diseases related to these traits.The article is published at http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.011994
Infant acid suppression use is associated with the development of eosinophilic esophagitis
No full textEosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is an esophageal allergic inflammatory disorder often presenting with infant/toddler gastroesophageal reflux symptoms refractory to treatment, including acid suppression trials with histamine H2 antagonists and proton pump inhibitors. We propose to evaluate the impact of infant acid suppressant exposure in EoE. Geisinger\u27s pediatric EoE cases were matched to controls (1:5 EoE case control ratio) using age, race, sex, and ages at other diagnoses of asthma, eczema, and environmental allergies, totaling 526 EoE cases and 2,630 controls. Comparisons between EoE cases and matched controls were tested with regard to rates of acid suppression use with H2 antagonists and PPIs during infancy. Our analyses found the use of acid suppression in infancy was positively associated with EoE: PPI (5.7% EoE cases vs. 1.6% controls; P \u3c 0.0001), H2 antagonists (8.8% EoE cases vs. 4.5% controls; P \u3c 0.0001). Additionally, analysis of EoE cases using acid suppression during infancy indicated a likelihood for the diagnosis with EoE at an earlier age. Early acid suppression use in infants is significantly associated with the diagnosis of EoE in childhood in this well-matched retrospective cohort study. The potential link warrants additional investigation. Our study further reinforces the evidence-based stewardship of acid suppressant use, especially in our most vulnerable populations
Sex-Specific Genetic Variation of Weight and Waist Circumference Change:A Multi-Ancestry Meta-Analysis of Longitudinal Data
No full text- …
