The Ganges River dolphin (Platanista gangetica gangetica) (GRD) is classified as one of the most endangered of all cetaceans in the world and the second scarcest freshwater cetacean. The population is estimated to be less than 2,000 individuals. In Nepal’s Narayani, Sapta Koshi, and Karnali river systems, survival of GRD continues to be threatened by various anthropogenic activities, such as dam construction and interactions with artisanal fisheries.

Antibiotics have saved countless lives and enabled the development of modern medicine over the past 70 years. However, it is clear that the success of antibiotics might only have been temporary and we now expect a long-term and perhaps never-ending challenge to fi nd new therapies to combat antibiotic-resistant bacteria. A broader approach to address bacterial infection is needed. In this Review, we discuss alternatives to antibiotics, which we defi ned as non-compound approaches (products other than classic antibacterial agents) that target bacteria or any approaches that target the host.

In the present study, researchers aimed to determine the effect of both active and passive smoking on the prevalence of the hearing impairment and the hearing thresholds in different age groups through the analysis of data collected from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES).

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About 60% of the European wetlands are located in the European part of Russia. Nevertheless, data on methane emissions from wetlands of that area are absent. Here we present results of methane emission measurements for two climatically different years from a boreal peatland complex in European Russia. Winter fluxes were well within the range of what has been reported for the peatlands of other boreal regions before, but summer fluxes greatly exceeded the average range of 5–80 mg CH4 m−2 d−1 for the circumpolar boreal zone.

Peridomestic (“backyard”) chicken flocks are gaining popularity in the developed world (e.g., North America or Europe), yet little is known regarding prevalence or severity of their ectoparasites. Therefore, five birds on each of 20 properties throughout southern California were surveyed in summer for on-host (permanent) and off-host dwelling (temporary) ectoparasites. Only four premises (20%) were entirely free of ectoparasites.

Kandi block of Murshidabad district, West Bengal is situated in the Mayurakshi–Dwarka Plain. This is one of the maximum flood-affected blocks in Murshidabad. The average frequency of occurrence of floods in the last decade is 8. This study prepares a vulnerability map of Kandi block at village level combining physical, social and economic indicators of flood hazard. PCA analysis has been applied for computation of vulnerability indices. The results reveal that there is a difference in biophysical exposure and vulnerability index.

Rice is consumed by half of the world’s population. It is a model monocotyledonous crop. In this communication, the effect of 1-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) on the growth, yield attributes and yield is elaborated. Results show that NAA, a synthetic auxin, when applied in spray influences the life cycle of rice via metabolic processes to manifest beneficially through translocating assimilates from source to sink, and hence the yield.

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This study was aimed to monitor and quantify the metals present in the groundwater of Ranchi city, state capital of Jharkhand, India. Samples were collected from 44 locations during three seasons. The results show that arsenic concentration ranged from 0 to 0.2 and 0 to 0.015 mg/l in monsoon and pre-monsoon seasons respectively, but was below detection limit in the post-monsoon season. Manganese varied from 0 to 4.199, Nickel from 0 to 0.077, Selenium from 0 to 0.14, and Fe varied from 0 to 0.047 mg/l.

Rapidly increasing urbanisation in India has brought much needed focus on the urban development policies in India. The Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission was the first programme to provide substantial funds for urban local bodies to improve their infrastructure and bring in better governance systems. This article tries to look at the mission from a new public management perspective. The performance of ULBs in project implementation shows delinking from the reforms agenda of the mission.

Small farmers' participation in global value chains is of prime importance for inclusive agricultural development in developing countries like India. However, the issue of inclusiveness of modern arrangements like contract farming and the determinants of participation in such arrangements is understudied in such contexts. This paper examines the issue of small farmers' participation in contract farming arrangements in Punjab, where farming is dominated by medium and relatively large farms.