Current status of the invasive pest (Tuta absoluta) and other pest complex on tomato crop in Karnataka

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Tomato is one of the commercially important vegetable crops in India. Recently, an invasive pest Tuta absoluta was introduced to India causing potential yield loss to the tomato crop. Several studies were undertaken on the pest since 2014 to understand the biology, distribution, host range, natural enemies and chemical management of the pest. It is important to understand the current status of the pest at regular time intervals to validate the existing practices and to development suitable management technologies. Thus, current study aims at understanding the spatial variation in the pest incidence in randomly sampled 24 tomato fields in larger tomato growing areas viz., Chikkaballapur and Kolar of southern parts of Karnataka from August to December, 2018. There was no recognizable pattern in spatial distribution of the pest damage on the crop vegetation and the fruit yield. Intensity of pest incidence on different plant canopies as well as fruit yield were observed to be very low to low (0 – 20 per cent) in 70 per cent of the sampled locations. Subsequently, less than 10 per cent of locations showed high pest infestation. Further, in all the locations, 10-22 per cent of yield loss was observed to be due to insect pest, diseases and/or nutritional deficiency in the sampled locations. In the total loss incurred, about 50 percent of the damage caused by the incidence of Tuta absoluta alone. Further studies have to be conducted on the effect of biotic and non-biotic factors on the pest population, effect of prevailing management practices on the natural enemies to understand the current status of the pest in different seasons.

Morphotectonic Analysis of Desang River Basin for Feasibility Appraisal of Micro Hydro Power and Diversion Based Irrigation

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Desang River has a good deal of ‘discharge’ and ‘elevation’ in its course required for micro hydropower or diversion based irrigation projects. However, the region is known for its highly tectonic events at different points of time. The importance of morphotectonic analysis of the basin before undertaking any engineering geological project in its course is undisputable. Various morphotectonic parameters are studied in this paper to understand how tectonically active this basin is or how feasible to initiate any big investment for the public good in this basin.
Morphotectonic analysis has established that the basin is less active tectonically and is feasible to commence larger investment for micro hydropower and diversion based irrigation project with extremely low risk of failure due to tectonic eventuality.
Assam has one of the highest per unit electricity cost in the entire country and its irrigation potentiality created mostly based on expensive fossil fuel. Such an expensive bottom line is making micro, mini and small industries highly vulnerable and agricultural activity extremely cost prohibitive. In this backdrop, establishing micro hydropower and diversion based irrigation project could bring about a paradigm shift for the communities living in the vicinity of the Desang river basin.

Do the Transformation Leadership Style have a Massive Influence on Teacher Job Satisfaction?

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In school organizations, principals and teachers have a very important role. This study aims to determine the effect of the principal’s transformational leadership style on teacher job satisfaction. The population in this study was a junior high school teacher in Lampung province, Indonesia. The research sample was determined randomly. Data collection uses questionnaires distributed to teachers. Data were analyzed using normality, homogeneity, simple linear regression and T-test. Based on the results of the analysis, it is known that the transformational leadership style does not affect teacher job satisfaction with a 95% confidence level. Then, based on the results of the T-test, there was no difference in the satisfaction of teacher job between male and female teachers.

Lessons to Be Learnt For Policy Planners on Promoting Health Education on Childhood Fever Management: Evidence from a Cohort of Children with Dengue Fever

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Introduction
Dengue fever has been a public health challenge in Sri Lanka. Many of the home-based secondary preventive measures are influenced by the parental knowledge on fever. This study was done to describe the level of knowledge on fever among parents and its associations with the events of child’s dengue episode with the view of exploring the components that should be covered in related health educational messages.
Methods
A descriptive cross-sectional study was done in six general medical wards of the premier children’s hospital in Sri Lanka. Parents who were the bystanders of children admitted as suspected cases of dengue according to the surveillance guidelines, consisted the study population. The sample size was determined with a statistical formula. An interviewer administered questionnaire was used. Data collection was done by two trained data collectors. Descriptive statistics and the chi square test were used with a significance level of 5%. Prior ethics approval was obtained.
Results
Study sample included 423 parents with a response rate of 99.5%. Most were parents of children of school going age (64.8%) and majority were mothers (97.6%). In more than half (50.4%), the level of knowledge was unsatisfactory. The level of knowledge was significantly associated with the education level (p<0.05), but not with the gender or the employment status (p>0.05) of the parents. A higher knowledge was further associated with a higher utilization of thermometer, and the administration of the correct anti-pyretic dosage and early laboratory diagnosis (p<0.05). Conclusions and Recommendations A higher level of knowledge on fever is associated with favourable clinical events in the dengue episode. The level of knowledge on fever must be improved irrespective of the gender and the employment status of the parents prioritizing those with a lower level of education. Public health interventions must be implemented by regular updating of public health staff’s knowledge on prevention of dengue, fever management their implications on laboratory diagnosis and treatment costs through in service training and in empowering the field health staff in disseminating relevant health education messages to the community

Immune Response to SARS-CoV-2 Infection

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In December 2019 a new type of coronaviruses appeared in China and named Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the disease associated with this virus is called Coronavirus Disease 2019 or COVID-19. Currently, COVID19 is the main global health threat. In this review, we focus in the current knowledge of immune response to SARS-CoV-2. Dysregulation of immune system, such as elevation levels of proinflammatory mediators and their roles in disease progression and pathogenesis as well as imbalance between innate and adaptive immune cells, are discussed in this review.

Islamic Financial Development between Investment and Economic Growth in the MENA Region and East Asia and the Pacific

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The purpose of this paper is to study, in the first place, the theoretical relationship between Islamic financial development, investment and economic growth. Second, we empirically try to discover the interaction between “Islamic financial development, investment and economic growth”. Our empirical study highlights the direct effects of Islamic financial development on growth and investment. Finally, we also clarify the indirect effects of Islamic financial development on growth through Investment and vice versa, also on other socio-economic indicators over the period from 1990 to 2018, while using the model with simultaneous equations for the MENA region and East Asia and the Pacific.

Determinants of Income among Potato Producers in Dedo and Seka Chokersa Districts of Jimma Zone, Ethiopia

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Potato is vital crop for income and food security in parts of Ethiopia by virtue of its ability to mature earlier than most other crops. This study aimed to identify factors that determine amount of income earned by household’s from potato in Dedo and Seka Chokersa districts of Jimma zone, Ethiopia. For this study 152 potato producers were randomly selected, quantitative and qualitative data were collected from primary and secondary sources. Primary data was collected through interview schedule from potato producing farmers. Descriptive and econometric data analysis was used to convert raw data into information. Tobit model was employed to identify determinants of income earned by households from potato farming. The results of econometric analysis shows that active family labor, access to credit, number of extension contact and access to market information influenced amount of income earned by household’s from potato significantly and positively. Distance from market center and age of house hold head affected amount of income earned from potato farming negatively. Therefore, concerned bodies should provide training for development agents and speed up the frequency of contact with potato farmers, strengthen the financial capability of potato farmers. Initiate active family labor involvement in potato production and marketing activities; improve infrastructures (road and telecommunications) of rural village to increase household’s income from potato farming.

Benthic Seaweeds of the Cibratel Beach, Itanhaém, SP.

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This work aims to present the biodiversity of the ficologic flora of Cibratel Beach, located in the Cibratel neighborhood, in the city of Itanhaém, SP, with geographic coordinates 24º12’00 “S and 46º48’39” W, with subtropical humid climate (Cfa), with average annual temperature of 22ºC and rainfall of 2000-2500 mm / year. The interest in this place is due to its rich biodiversity. The samplings carried out, have followed a seasonality. We performed 07 samplings on the following dates 08/07/2017, 09/09/2017, 04/11/2017, 04/12/2017, 01/13/2018, 04/29/2018 and 06/17/2018, in these one can observe a great variety of species, one persisting throughout the period, others only observed in only one opportunity. As for the fauna, we find bryozoans, enteroprocts, sponges, mollusks, birds, anemones, sea urchins, turtles, crustaceans, loons, buzzards, biguas, atobas, sea cucumbers, aplysia, herons and seagulls. The sampling process was done by scraping the substrate with the aid of a spatula, in order to collect the alga as a whole, without damaging any part of the material, the storage was carried out in plastic bags and conditioned in a freezer until identification, after which, with the aid of specialized bibliography, the samples were placed in 4-5% formalin polypropylene flasks. To date, 41 genre and 61 species have been identified

Grapes (Vitis Vitaceae) – Potent Medicinal Fruit Serves as a Source of Antioxidants and Antibacterial Agent

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In plant kingdom, medicinal plants are main important resource for a variety of drug like emetics, anti-cancer and antimicrobials. Medicinal herbs are highly cultured in India, which includes more than 2000 species are present. Grapes are soft fruit crop belongs to the Family of Vitaceae and Genus of Vitis. Grapes contain excellent source of nutritional values such as vitamins, minerals, proteins and carbohydrate. In this present work, various phytochemical constituents of grapes were identified in different extracts (Ethanol, Acetone and Aqueous). These phytochemicals are used for the treatment of several diseases. The antioxidant property of different extracts of grapes shows better result. The ellagic acid and the natural phenolic antioxidants were also identified. The antimicrobial activity of various grapes extract shows better result against Enterococcus and E.coli sps. Finally, the grape fruit is a wonderful antioxidant and antimicrobial agent.

Understanding Ethnographic Research and Cross-Cultural Differences

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Individuals from different countries who have various backgrounds might encounter barriers when communicating with each other. Ethnographic research is suitable for analyzing interpersonal conflicts from the perspectives of history, customs, language, and culture. The researcher will illustrate her experiences when the researcher was in China and the United States separately in order to set an example for people to understand the cultural differences between the two countries. Also, the researcher will discuss what ethnographic research is and how to utilize this research method in discussing the cultural differences. Ethnographic research will help people understand a social phenomenon by analyzing people’s ideologies and preferences (Willis, 2007). The researcher will explain why mutual understanding and trust are important when communicating. By sharing knowledge and building mutual understanding, people will have a better opportunity for promoting long-term friendships.