Rural Development

The effect of six plantation species in comparison to natural forest (NF) on soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (TN) stocks, depth-wise distribution, biomass carbon (C), and N was investigated on plantations and cultivated lands on an Andic paleudalf soil in Southern Ethiopia. The SOC, N, and bulk density were determined from samples taken in 4 replicates from 10-, 20-, 40-, 60-, and 100-cm depth under each site. Similarly, the biomass C and N of the plantation species and understory vegetation were also determined. The SOC and N were concentrated in the 0- to 10-cm depth and decreased progressively to the 1-m depth. Next to the NF, Juniperous procera accrued higher SOC and N in all depths than the corresponding plantations. No evidence of significant difference on SOC and N distribution among plantations was observed below the 10-cm depth with minor exceptions. The plantations accrue from 133.62 to 213.73 Mg ha–1 or 59.1 to 94.5% SOC, 230.4 to 497.3 Mg ha–1 or 6.9 to 14.9% TBC and 420.37 to 672.80 Mg ha–1 or 12.5 to 20% total C-pool of that under the NF. The N stock under Juniperous procera was the highest, while the lowest was under Eucalyptus globulus and Cupressus lusitanica. We suggest that SOC and N sequestration can be enhanced through mixed cropping and because the performance of the native species Juniperous procera is encouraging, it should be planted to restock its habitat.

Bhil, the second largest tribal group of India after the Gond, comprises of several subgroups speaking various language varieties as their mother tongue. Noiri (ISO 639-3: noi) and Dungra Bhili (ISO 639-3: duh) are two such groups. The homeland of the Noira Bhils and Dungra Bhils are divided by the river Narmada. Efforts to develop materials in the Dungra Bhili language have been going on for just over a decade. People working on language development among the Dungra Bhils have observed similarities between the Noira Bhils and Dungra Bhils. Research was initiated and carried out to find out whether language development in Dungra Bhili can serve the purpose among the Noira Bhil. This paper talks about the challenges in relation to naming, standardization and language development.

The Kamaiya (debt-bondage) system affecting a section of the Tharu ethnic group in Nepal was outlawed in 2000 but it has found its way as Kamalahari, Kamaiya child bonded labour. This Kamalahari (Kamaiya child bonded labour) system in Nepal has been labelled as modern forms of slavery by international and national human rights organizations and policy makers. This study presents two perspectives on children at work. The first perspective theorizes children at work as child labour. It uses Gillian's (2003) supply-push, demand/pull and meso/micro/macro factors to explore the various determinants that are supporting the continuation of child labour. Like in the case of Kamalaharis, even after the declaration of the Kamaiya Prohibition Act 2000 and enormous efforts made by the ILO/IPEC and the Government of Nepal to eradicate the system, the practice still prevails. It also explores the various laws and policy interventions against child-debt bondage in Nepal. The second perspective then applies Hobbs and McKechnie's (1998) 'balance model' to the extensive literature on child labour debates. It explores the various determinants of banning child labour and its consequences on children. The paper highlights the pros and cons on the debates between working children and child labour eradication and pins the gaps and overlaps. It looks at the why the state and organisations concerned about child labour should not simply focus on eradicating child labour but also need to consider the basic needs of the children and their families including protection from exploitation at work.

This article examines the experiences of youth transitioning from education to work, within the specific context of rural–urban migration in Nepal. This context is chosen as, compared to developed countries, experiences in developing ones have remained under-researched in the transition studies literature. The study is informed by a biographical research approach, using qualitative longitudinal life (hi)story methods, with a view to revealing local transition patterns and the life events influencing these. The study identifies four different patterns reflecting the education-to-work transitions of young rural–urban migrants in Nepal. These patterns encompass different pathways involving education, migration, work, and mandatory waiting periods. The analysis of these transition patterns highlights how migration for education and work from rural to urban settings, taken together with mandatory waiting periods, exerts key influence on the overall life trajectories of young rural–urban ...

This paper explores the opportunities and barriers encountered by young rural-urban migrants as they transition from education to work in Kathmandu, Nepal. It explores the opportunities available to both male and female youth during their transition from education to work and how these opportunities positively influenced their trajectories. On the other hand, the study also presents the barriers experienced by both male and female youth that may have negatively influenced their education-towork transition processes. Qualitative interviews conducted with 24 participants show that parents' choices in education, migration to Kathmandu for education or work, going abroad for studies and work, and financial resources were the main experiences of opportunities and barriers influencing their trajectories. Using comparative analysis, gender differences in opportunities and barriers were found among the participants.

Statistics show that Nepal has made significant progress in achieving gender parity, especially in the areas of access to education and female literacy rates. However, despite significant advances made towards equal access to education, Nepali society, to a large extent, still privileges a patriarchal mindset which favours a son over a daughter in access to resources. Using a sample of 12 young females, this paper assesses parental choices in education influencing the education to work transition of young females and also their sense of selves. The findings show that the career pathways of young female participants were directly affected by their parents’ choices and intervention in their secondary education. For some, parents’ influence on selecting an education stream turned out to be an opportunity for a better career and life, while for the others it acted as a barrier. The paper highlights the implications of parents’ choices for the young females as they transition from educat...

A 28-yearsld woman with mirror-image dextrocardia and severe rheumatic mitral stenosis underwent successful percutaneous balloon mitral valvuloplasty (PBMV). Standard technique was altered to include transseptal catheterization via the left femoral vein and inter-atrial septal puncture with the transseptal needle rotated to a 7 o'clock position. The predilatation transmitral gradient (mean) of 16 mmHg decreased to 5 mmHg following PBMV. The valve area improved from 1.0 cm2 to 2.6 cm'. There were no complications. This case illustrates that transseptal catheterization can be accomplished safely in patients with unusual cardiac anatomy and mitral valvuloplasty can be performed in patients with mirror-image dextrocardia and rheumatic mitral stenosis.

We have synthesized a novel series of 18 dialkyl 1,4-dihydro-4-(2Јalkoxy-6Ј-pentadecylphenyl)-2,6-dimethyl-3,5 pyridine dicarboxylates from anacardic acid, a natural compound found in cashew nut shells, and investigated their blocking action on Land T-type calcium channels transiently expressed in tSA-201 cells. The IC 50 values for L-type calcium channel block obtained with the series ranged from 1 to ϳ40 M, with higher affinities being favored by increasing the size of the alkoxy group on the 4-phenyl ring and ester substituent in the 3,5 positions. A detailed analysis of the strongest L-type channel blocker of the series (PPK-12) revealed that block was poorly reversible and mediated an apparent speeding of the time course of inactivation. Moreover, in the presence of PPK-12, the midpoint of the steady state inactivation curve was shifted by 20 mV toward more hyperpolarized potentials, resulting in an increase in blocking efficacy at more depolarized holding potentials. Surprisingly, PPK-12 blocked T-and Ltype calcium channels with similar affinities. One of the weakest L-type channel inhibitors (PPK-5) exhibited a T-type channel affinity that was similar to that seen with PPK-12, resulting in a 40-fold selectivity of PPK-5 for T-over L-type channels. Thus, dialkyl 1,4-dihydro-4-(2Јalkoxy-6Ј-pentadecylphenyl)-2,6-dimethyl-3,5 pyridine dicarboxylates may serve as excellent candidates for the development of T-type calcium-channel specific blockers.

Numerous estimates for the coming decades project changes in precipitation resulting in more frequent droughts and floods, rise in atmospheric CO 2 and temperature, extensive runoff leading to leaching of soil nutrients, and decrease in freshwater availability. Among these changes, elevated CO 2 can affect crop yields in many ways. It is imperative to understand the consequences of elevated CO 2 on the productivity of important agricultural crop species in order to devise adaptation and mitigation strategies to combat impending climate change. In this study, we have modeled rice phenology, growth phase, and yield with the BDecision Support System for Agrotechnology Transfer (DSSAT) CERES rice modelâ nd arrived at predicted values of yield under different CO 2 concentrations at four different locations in Eastern India out of which three locations were irrigated and one location was rainfed. The ECHAM climate scenario, Model for Interdisciplinary Research on Climate (MIROC)3.0 climate scenario, and ensemble models showed different levels of yield increase with a clear reduction in yield under rainfed rice as compared to irrigated rice. A distinct regional and cultivar difference in response of rice yield to elevated CO 2 was seen in this study. Results obtained by simulation modeling at different climate change scenarios support the hypothesis that rice plant responses to elevated CO 2 are through stimulation of photosynthesis. Realization of higher yields is linked with source sink dynamics and partitioning of assimilates wherein sink capacity plays an important role under elevated CO 2 conditions.

Bioethanol and biodiesel produced from renewable energy sources are gaining importance in light of volatile fossil fuel prices, depleting oil reserves, and increasing greenhouse effects associated with the use of fossil fuels. Among several alternative renewable energy sources, energy derived from plant biomass is found to be promising and sustainable. Sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] is a resilient dryland cereal crop with wide adaptation having high water, nutrient, and radiation use efficiencies. This crop is expected to enhance food, feed, fodder, and fuel security. Sweet sorghum is similar to grain sorghum but has the ability to accumulate sugars in the stalks without much reduction in grain production. Hence, it is used as a first-generation biofuel feedstock, where the grain and stalk sugars can be used for producing bioenergy, while energy sorghum or biomass sorghum is increasingly viewed as a potential feedstock for lignocellulosic biofuel production. Although the commercial use of sweet sorghum for bioethanol production has been demonstrated in China and India, the viability of large-scale lignocellulosic conversion of sorghum biomass to biofuels is yet to be demonstrated. This chapter dwells on sorghum feedstock characteristics, biofuel production models, sustainability indicators, and commercialization. S orghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] originated in the Sahel region of Africa (Legwaila et al., 2003), is adapted to tropical and temperate cropping systems, and is one of the five most cultivated crop species globally. It is used for food, feed, fuel, fiber, brewing, and construction purposes (Srinivasarao et al., 2015). It is efficient in converting CO 2 into sugar (Schaffert and Gourley, 1982) and highly productive with tolerance to drought, water logging, and salinity (Almodares et

Improving the yield and quality of sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) forage for livestock feeding is a major breeding objective, because of sorghum's inherently high biomass accumulation, high productivity per unit water utilized and its ability to produce a ratoon crop after harvesting of the plant crop. Newly bred sorghum lines, including 36 lines falling in 5 different categories, i.e. 12 experimental dual-purpose lines, 6 germplasm accessions from the ICRISAT collection, 11 commercial varieties and hybrids, 6 forage varieties and 1 bmr mutant line, were evaluated in terms of fodder yield, quality and ratooning ability. The main crop produced more dry biomass (P<0.05) at 80 days after planting (mean 22.87 t DM/ha; range 17.32-33.82 t DM/ha) than the ratoon crop (mean 8.47 t DM/ha; range 3.2-17.42 t DM/ha) after a further 80 days of growth. Mean nitrogen concentration in forage did not differ greatly between main and ratoon crops (2.56 vs. 2.40%, respectively) but there was wide variation between lines (2.06-2.89%). The line N 610 recorded highest N percentage of 2.89%, followed by SSG 59 3 (2.86%) and SX 17 (2.81%). Highest acid detergent fiber % was recorded by ICSV 12008 (42.1%), closely followed by CO 31 and IS 34638 (40.0%). The least acid detergent lignin % was observed in MLSH-296 Gold (3.59%), ICSV 700 (3.75%) and ICSSH 28 (3.83%). Metabolizable energy concentration was highest in N 610, Phule Yashodha and SX 17 (mean 8.34 MJ/kg DM), while in vitro organic matter digestibility ranged from 52.5 to 62.6%. The main crop contained much higher mean concentrations of the cyanogenic glycoside, dhurrin, than the ratoon (639 vs. 233 ppm, respectively) with ranges of 38 to 2,298 ppm and 7 to 767 ppm, respectively. There was no significant correlation between dhurrin concentration and dry biomass yield so breeding and selection for low dhurrin concentrations should not jeopardize yields. Hence, breeding for sorghum can target simultaneously both quality and biomass improvement.

The dearth of proper delineation for energy sorghum cultivation has led to a prerequisite for evaluation and identification of test environments for the newly developed lines. This becomes of vital importance as the biomass yield is highly influenced by genotype and environmental (G 9 E) interactions. Several agronomic traits were considered to assess the biomass yield and the combined analysis of variance for G (genotype), L (location) and interaction effect of G 9 L. The variations in the yield caused by the interaction of G 9 L are very essential to acquire knowledge on the specific adaptation of a genotype. Thus, the multi-location trials conducted across locations and years have helped to identify the stable environments with specific adaptation for biomass sorghum. The presence of close association between the test locations suggested that the same information about the genotypes could be obtained from fewer test environments, and hence the potential to reduce evaluation costs. The two genotypes-IS 13762 and ICSV 25333-have shown stable performance for biomass traits across all the locations, in comparison with CSH 22SS (check). The top ten entries with stable and better performance for fresh biomass yield, dry biomass yield, grain yield and theoretical ethanol yield were

Antibiotic resistance, and, in a broader perspective, antimicrobial resistance (AMR), continues to evolve and spread beyond all boundaries. As a result, infectious diseases have become more challenging or even impossible to treat, leading to an increase in morbidity and mortality. Despite the failure of conventional, traditional antimicrobial therapy, in the past two decades, no novel class of antibiotics has been introduced. Consequently, several novel alternative strategies to combat these (multi-) drug-resistant infectious microorganisms have been identified. The purpose of this review is to gather and consider the strategies that are being applied or proposed as potential alternatives to traditional antibiotics. These strategies include combination therapy, techniques that target the enzymes or proteins responsible for antimicrobial resistance, resistant bacteria, drug delivery systems, physicochemical methods, and unconventional techniques, including the CRISPR-Cas system. Thes...

Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L.) is an important legume, especially in the hot, dry tropics and subtropics of sub-Saharan Africa. It has been widely reported to be drought tolerant. Cowpea is a highly nutritious, multi-purpose crop, used as a leafy vegetable and grain legume with potential to contribute to food security in marginal areas. However, the crop is still classified as underutilized species; legume research focus has been mainly devoted to established legumes such as common bean and soybeans. There is a need to collect empirical information on cowpea which could be used to advise farmers on management strategies. This Research was conducted at Dr. John Garang Memorial University of science and technology, Jonglei State, South Sudan to evaluate the effects of different colored net covers on growth, pod yield and quality of cowpea. A randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three treatments and four replications was used. Cowpea plants were grown under a white, blue net cover with open field production as the control. Variables measured included plant height, dry pods, grain yield and biomass. Cowpea grown under the different colored net covers showed relatively growth and crop performance marked by more vegetative and lower total yields compared to those grown in the open field which showed higher yield. Growing cowpea under open field hastened the rate of pod maturation more than under the colored nets. Findings of this study demonstrate the potential of open field in improving cowpea pod yield and quality under tropical field conditions.