The Government of India has made significant progress toward the elimination of visceral leishmaniasis (Kala-azar); however, sporadic cases continue to emerge, threatening the achievement of the elimination target. We report one confirmed case of Kala-azar from the Maharajganj district of Eastern Uttar Pradesh, an area with limited previous documentation of indigenous transmission. A 60-year-old male with no travel history (Bihar, Nepal), presenting with fever, splenomegaly, and anaemia. He tested negative by rK39, confirming by bone marrow aspirate demonstrated intracellular amastigotes of Leishmania donovani an indigenous case from Maharajganj. The patient developed acute renal impairment (serum creatinine 5.6 mg/dL). Miltefosine therapy was initiated but discontinued due to haematuria. The detection of the competent vector in close proximity to the patient’s residence provides supportive entomological evidence for local transmission. Due to the limited scale of sampling, vector density could not be estimated; however, the confirmed presence of Phlebotomus argentipes indicates ecological suitability for transmission. These cases highlight the importance of maintaining robust surveillance, early diagnosis, and rapid treatment, especially for detecting indigenous transmission in regions nearing elimination. Continued vigilance is essential to achieve and sustain the elimination of Kala-azar in India. Purpose: The Government of India has made significant progress toward the elimination of visceral leishmaniasis (Kala-azar); however, sporadic cases continue to emerge, threatening the achievement of the elimination target. We report one confirmed case of Kala-azar from the Maharajganj district of Eastern Uttar Pradesh, an area with limited previous documentation of indigenous transmission.Methods: A 60-year-old male with no travel history (Bihar, Nepal), presenting with fever, splenomegaly, and anaemia. He tested negative by rK39, confirming by bone marrow aspirate demonstrated intracellular amastigotes of Leishmania donovani an indigenous case from Maharajganj. The patient developed acute renal impairment (serum creatinine 5.6 mg/dL). Miltefosine therapy was initiated but discontinued due to haematuria. Results: The detection of the competent vector in close proximity to the patient’s residence provides supportive entomological evidence for local transmission. Due to the limited scale of sampling, vector density could not be estimated; however, the confirmed presence of Phlebotomus argentipes indicates ecological suitability for transmission.Conclusion: These cases highlight the importance of maintaining robust surveillance, early diagnosis, and rapid treatment, especially for detecting indigenous transmission in regions nearing elimination. Continued vigilance is essential to achieve and sustain the elimination of Kala-azar in India.

CT Genetic diversity is a crucial prerequisite for the success of crop improvement programmes. The present investigation was undertaken to assess genetic divergence among twenty-five pigeonpea genotypes using Mahalanobis D² statistics based on eleven yield and yield-contributing traits at BAU, Kanke during kharif 2024-25 in an Alpha Lattice Design with three replications. The genotypes were grouped into four distinct clusters, indicating the presence of substantial genetic variability. Cluster III contained the maximum number of genotypes, followed by Cluster II, Cluster I and Cluster IV. The maximum intercluster distance was observed between Cluster I and Cluster II, whereas Cluster I exhibited the highest intra-cluster distance. Among the characters studied, plant height contributed the highest proportion to total genetic divergence, followed by final plant stand, days to 50% flowering and days to maturity. The results suggest that hybridization between genotypes belonging to genetically divergent clusters may be exploited for the development of high-yielding pigeonpea varieties.

Background: Acute encephalitis syndrome (AES) is a significant public health issue in India, attributed to various etiologies. In eastern Uttar Pradesh, Japanese encephalitis (JE) was the leading cause of AES (10-14% of total AES) until scrub typhus (ST), caused by Orientia tsutsugamushi, was identified in cerebrospinal fluid and blood samples of AES patients contributing more than 60% of AES cases. This study investigates the prevalence of JE-ST coinfection and compares clinical outcomes among JE mono-infection, ST mono-infection, and JE-ST coinfection. Materials and Methods: AES cases admitted to BRD Medical College, Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, India, from January 1, 2017, to December 31, 2017, were included. JE and ST diagnosis was confirmed by serological (IgM) and molecular (PCR) tests. Statistical analysis was done to correlate clinical outcomes and infection group. Results: Total 1180 cases were tested positive for JE and/or ST. The prevalence of JE-ST coinfection was 8.9% among AES cases. JE mono-infection showed a mortality rate of 34.5%, ST mono-infection 13.4%, and JE-ST coinfection 9.5%. JE-ST co-infected cases experienced less severe clinical outcomes compared to mono-infected cases. Conclusion: JE-ST coinfection in AES cases is relatively common, with better clinical outcomes and lower mortality rates compared to JE or ST mono-infections.

Acute respiratory infections (ARIs) are a leading cause of death in children under five globally. The seasonal trends and profiles of respiratory viruses vary by region and season. Due to limited information and the population’s vulnerability, we conducted the hospital-based surveillance of respiratory viruses in Eastern Uttar Pradesh. Throat and nasal swabs were collected from outpatients and inpatients in the Department of Paediatrics, Baba Raghav Das (BRD) Medical College, Gorakhpur, between May 2022 and April 2023. A total of 943 samples from children aged 1 to 60 months were tested using multiplex real-time PCR for respiratory viruses in cases of ARI and SARI. Out of 943 samples tested, the highest positivity was found for parainfluenza virus [105 (11.13%) PIV-1 (79), PIV-2 (18), PIV-4 (18)], followed by adenovirus [82 (8.7%), RSV-B, [68 (7.21%)], influenza-A [46(4.9%): H1N1 = 29, H3N2 = 14), SARS CoV-2 [28 (3%)], hMPV [13(1.4%), RSV-A [4 (0.42%), and influenza-B (Victoria lineage) 1 (0.10%). The maximum positivity of respiratory viruses was seen in children between 1 to 12 months. The wide variation in prevalence of these respiratory viruses was seen in different seasons. This study enhances understanding of the seasonal and clinical trends of respiratory virus circulation and co-infections in Eastern Uttar Pradesh. The findings highlight the importance of targeted interventions to reduce the burden of respiratory infections in this region.

A study conducted across 33 blocks in seven districts in Jharkhand highlighted the predominance of oyster mushroom cultivation, underscoring the untapped potential of white button (Agaricus bisporus) mushroom. Among various A. bisporus cultures, culture S 79, grown on malt extract agar, exhibited vigorous growth, a fluffy texture and rapid colony initiation - within just 2.26 days. Substrate enrichment experiments revealed that a mixture of 25 per cent compost and 75 per cent poultry manure yielded mushrooms with longer stipes (13.96 cm), larger pilei (12.90 cm), and heavier sporophores (109.54 g). This combination achieved a yield of 1,746.63 g per bed and a biological efficiency of 105.49 per cent. Additionally, integrating vermicompost at a ratio of 8.0 kg compost to 2.0 kg vermicompost further enhanced yields to 1,796.48 g per bed, with a biological efficiency of 115.09 per cent. Casing materials also played a crucial role; a 3:2 ratio of cocopeat to vermicompost at a 1.0 cm thickness produced a yield of 1,540.71 g and a biological efficiency of 105.46 per cent. Overall, the study concluded that the optimal combinations of compost, vermicompost, and casing parameters significantly enhanced the yield and quality of A. bisporus. These findings highlight the substantial potential for white button mushroom cultivation in Jharkhand, offering farmers a lucrative opportunity to diversify their agricultural practices and improve their livelihoods.. KEYWORDS :Agaricus bisporus, cocopeat, compost, mushroom, poultry manure, vermicompost

Depillaring panels in underground coal mines are more susceptible to roof failure due to the formulation of induced mining stresses. The basic reason behind the same is the large exposed cross-section area during the state of excavation. Roof fall occurrence is usually more in such regions as they also trigger other ground control-associated problems and thus, is a reason for concern. For a large extent of years, different rock mass classification systems are being used for the design of support systems in various underground mines, however, nonetheless, roof fall contributes to most fatalities, thereby drawing crucial challenges for mining engineers and geologists. In this study initially, rock loads of split, slices, and goaf edges were determined for nine sand stowing panels applying Barton’s Q-System. Further, the study was extended by the estimation of Bieniawski RMR and rock load height. Numerical models for depillaring panels were also conducted to ascertain the rock load height on the basis of obtained safety factor contours of models. Accordingly, an effort has been made in this study to suggest the proper bolt length with suitable bolting patterns on the basis of rock load obtained from the Q-system and rock load height attained by Bieniawski RMR and numerical models. The outcome of the study helped in designing adequate support with proper safety by replacing vertical support. Support design guideline was also proposed with respect to the Q-system, rock load, and obtained bolt length for investigated sites of depillaring panels.

Single Pass pillar extraction-based Fish and Tail (Christmas Tree) mechanised depillaring method is found to be efficient in addressing the strata control issues below easily cavable roof of Pinoura colliery in Johilla Area of South Easter Coalfields Limited. It has been proved to be fast and safe in extraction of relatively smaller size of coal pillar (25 m × 25 m) up to 150 m depth of cover. Continuous coal cutting machine (Continuous Miner) in combination with shuttle/ram car and quad/twin-bolter are utilised during mechanised extraction of coal using Christmas Tree method. Average coal production from a depillaring panel using mechanised Continuous Miner (CM) technology using Christmas Tree method is around 2000 t and a record production of 6000 t has been achieved in a day in Indian coalfields. An average coal pillar size (20 m x 20 m x 3 m) can provide almost 2000 t of coal considering 70

Background: Clinical and epidemiological aspects of dengue have extensively been studied in India. However, limited data are available on social and behavioral aspects of dengue outbreak. We aimed to fill this gap and wish to study socioeconomic, demographic, and behavioral factors associated with dengue outbreak in the Gorakhpur region of eastern Uttar Pradesh, India.Methods: This retrospective observational study was conducted among dengue patients discharged from hospital. Data on sociodemographic, economic, and behavioral factors of dengue were collected telephonically using a structured questionnaire. Continuous and categorical variables were reported as mean +/- SD and numbers (%), respectively. Logistic regression analysis was done to establish association between patient's characteristics, awareness, and preventive behavior.Results: Age group 19-45 years 156/232, males 159/232, urban residents 142/232, residing in pucca house 187/232, and from lower-income families 149/232 were mostly affected in this outbreak. Patients spent a median of Indian national rupees 20,000 on treatment. Only 10.8% of patients had Ayushman health insurance cards. Awareness about dengue infection was found in similar to 43% patients. Literates, middle income group, and professionals/semiprofessionals were significantly more aware about dengue disease, mosquito bite, and treatment than their counterparts. Travel history was significantly associated with dengue infection in the males of 19-45 years age group belonging to rural areas. Use of mosquito repellent, nets, wearing full sleeve clothes were significantly less in rural residents while barefoot walking was more frequently observed in this population. Use of mosquito repellent was significantly associated with income, and these were observed more in the middle-income group.Conclusion: People with low education level, residing in urban areas, residing in pucca houses, who travel frequently, and who belong to lower-income groups were majorly affected by this dengue outbreak. Less dengue awareness and not following preventive practices were found in them. Targeted health education campaigns in urban setting could prevent dengue and economic burden on these vulnerable groups.

Acute respiratory infections (ARIs) are a serious public health concern across the world, causing considerable morbidity and mortality. Every year, around 13 million children under the age of five die. Approximately 95% of them are from developing nations, and ARIs are responsible for one-third of all deaths. Human Metapneumovirus (hMPV) is one of the causative agents associated with respiratory tract infections. There is lack of information about hMPV from the eastern region of Uttar Pradesh. In our centre, Indian Council of Medical Research- Regional Medical Research Centre Gorakhpur (ICMR‐RMRC Gorakhpur) at Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, India; we tested for respiratory pathogens in under-five patients presenting with ARI and severe acute respiratory illness (SARI) through semi nested PCR. A total of 100 nasal and throat specimens were collected from the OPD and IPD of Department of Paediatrics, BRD Medical College, Gorakhpur during from February 2022 to April 2022. Out of 100 enrolled pediatric patients, 4 (4%) were found to be positive. Among the patients who tested positive for hMPV, 25% (1/4) patient unfortunately died. The phylogenetic analysis of hMPV showed the close resemblance with the clade of Singapore and USA hMPV isolates. Our work underlines the importance of hMPV as the cause of acute respiratory infections in children and the need for routine testing for this virus in laboratories. Further comprehensive information regarding the incidence of hMPV in this area is needed.

Introduction: Individual and community characteristics predictive of knowledge, perception, and attitude on COVID-19, specifically on gender, have not been adequately explored.Objective: To examine the gender differences in COVID-19 knowledge, self-risk perception and public stigma among the general community and to understand other socio-demographic factors which were predictive of them.Method: A nationally representative cross-sectional multi-centric survey was conducted among adult individuals(& GE;18 yrs) from the community member (N = 1978) from six states and one union territory of India between August 2020 to February 2021. The participants were selected using systematic random sampling. The data were collected telephonically using pilot-tested structured questionnaires and were analyzed using STATA. Gender-segregated multivariable analysis was conducted to identify statistically significant predictors (p < 0.05) of COVID-19-related knowledge, risk perception, and public stigma in the community.Results: Study identified significant differences between males and females in their self-risk per-ception (22.0% & 18.2% respectively) and stigmatizing attitude (55.3% & 47.1% respectively). Highly educated males and females had higher odds of having COVID-19 knowledge (aOR: 16.83: p < 0.05) than illiterates. Highly educated women had higher odds of having self-risk perception (aOR: 2.6; p < 0.05) but lower public stigma [aOR: 0.57; p < 0.05]. Male rural res-idents had lower odds of having self-risk perception and knowledge [aOR: 0.55; p < 0.05 & aOR: 0.72; p < 0.05] and female rural residents had higher odds of having public stigma [aOR: 1.36; p < 0.05].Conclusion: Our study findings suggest the importance of considering thegender differentials and their background, education status and residential status in designing effective interven-tions to improve knowledge and reduce risk perception and stigma in the community about COVID-19.

Decision-making effectiveness is vital for government functioning and its administration. However, this greatly impacts the changing circumstances of uncertainty and ambiguity. Intuition offers a viable way forward by integrating it with rational thinking and decision-making. It has a scientific basis and can be developed as a skill. It has been found to be helpful to point out the way forward dealing with uncertainty, recognising patterns and handling information overloads. The challenge lies in how to harness this skill. In this paper, a number of ways are discussed to integrate intuition into the workplace, enabling the organisation to support this process and ultimately merge it into the day-to-day decision-making.

Respiratory tract infections usually cause mild illnesses but sometimes it can pose serious health threats as evident from recent COVID 19 pandemic and disease severity are reportedly correlated with bacterial coinfections. Despite of various in vivo and in vitro studies, very little is known about the underlying mechanism of these coinfections. This chapter highlights the present understanding of the underlying mechanism of viral-bacterial coinfection during respiratory infections.

The Eastern Uttar Pradesh region of India is known for its endemicity of acute encephalitis syndrome (AES). Decades of research have established that Orientia tsutsugamushi, a causative of scrub typhus, is a substantial contributor (>60%) for the AES cases besides other aetiology, but additional factors in the remaining proportion are still unidentified. Rickettsial infections are challenging to diagnose in clinical settings due to overlapping clinical symptoms, the absence of definitive indicators, a low index of suspicion, and the lack of low-cost, rapid diagnostic tools. Hence, the present study was designed to determine the load of rickettsial infections among AES cases. Furthermore, we aim to find out the prevalent rickettsial species in AES cases as well as in the vector population at this location. The study included the whole blood/cerebrospinal fluid of AES patients and arthropod specimens from rodents. The molecular identification was performed using the 23S-5S intergenic spacer region and ompB gene with genomic DNA obtained from studied specimens. We detected 5.34% (62/1160) of rickettsial infection in AES cases. Among these, phylogenetic analysis confirmed the presence of 54.8% Rickettsia conorii (n = 34) and 16.1% of Rickettsia felis (n = 10), while the rest proportion of the isolates was unidentified at the species level. Furthermore, R. felis was identified in one CSF sample from AES patients and three flea samples from Xenopsylla cheopis. Rickettsia spp. was also confirmed in one Ornithonyssus bacoti mite sample. The results of this investigation concluded the presence of spotted fever group Rickettsia spp. among AES identified cases as well as in the mite and flea vectors that infest rodents.

The Micro Ring Resonator is emerging as a leading technology in photonic computing and optical data processing applications. The old traditional circuit’s failure to withstand high frequency makes the MRR based all optical devices superior. The employment of an optically pumped signal enables us to circumvent conversion losses of an electrical signal. Thereby helping not just in reducing the complexity related to it but also lowering down the allied losses. This paper show case the notion related to all optical switching where MRR structure is used for the construction of all optical circuits. This work exhibit’s the implementation of an all-optical T flip-flop using MRR structure. This MRR based T flip-flop is further wielded in a cascaded network for the construction of a 3-bit UP counter. Designed UP Counter being Synchronous in creation does not require external clock pulse. Benefits of this synchronization is that all the individual output bits changes state identically in response to common clock signal. The Synchronous UP counter is capable of counting pulse from 000 to 111 (binary representation) in one cycle. The truth Table of the T flip-flop and the 3-bit synchronous UP counter is verified using MATLAB Simulation results. In this work we have tried to indulge all the mathematical modelling of the optical circuit constructed with the MRR structure. The design is unbound to complexity and can contribute in various field of optical domain.

The underachievement of support systems in roof bolts layout design is one of the dominant causative factors of roof fall in underground mines. Various factors triggering the roof failure are the presence of laminated roof, the geological plane of weaknesses, the time lag in support installation, inefficient grouting/bonding of roof bolts, improper estimation of roof bolt length, the concentration of the induced stresses due to mining activities, etc. The roof fall concerns mining engineers as it seriously affects safety and productivity. Hence the stability of the openings has to be considered as a priority to suspend the movement of overlying layered strata by application of adequate support. Application of rock mass classification system helps in guiding suitable roof support design for apt stabilization of the mine openings. The study has been carried out to assess the befitting support design of various openings in underground chromite mine considering applicable rock mass classification systems namely Bieniawski's Geomechanical System and Barton's Q - system inclusive of numerical analysis. The values of rock load obtained by Bieniawski's geomechanical system was on the higher side. Thus, in view of the safety and stability of engineering structures, Bieniawski's geomechanical system was considered for the design of a support system. Rock load was determined for different dimensions of underground openings such as decline, cross-cut junctions, cross-cut roadways, ore drive, footwall drive, and haulage junctions, wherein width variation resulted in influencing rock load. Safety factor has also been analysed with respect to the width of the opening to demarcate stable and semi-stable zones.

BackgroundRecent studies on severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) reveal that Omicron variant BA.1 and sub-lineages have revived the concern over resistance to antiviral drugs and vaccine-induced immunity. The present study aims to analyze the clinical profile and genome characterization of the SARS-CoV-2 variant in eastern Uttar Pradesh (UP), North India.MethodsWhole-genome sequencing (WGS) was conducted for 146 SARS-CoV-2 samples obtained from individuals who tested coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) positive between the period of 1 January 2022 and 24 February 2022, from three districts of eastern UP. The details regarding clinical and hospitalized status were captured through telephonic interviews after obtaining verbal informed consent. A maximum-likelihood phylogenetic tree was created for evolutionary analysis using MEGA7.ResultsThe mean age of study participants was 33.9 ± 13.1 years, with 73.5% accounting for male patients. Of the 98 cases contacted by telephone, 30 (30.6%) had a travel history (domestic/international), 16 (16.3%) reported having been infected with COVID-19 in past, 79 (80.6%) had symptoms, and seven had at least one comorbidity. Most of the sequences belonged to the Omicron variant, with BA.1 (6.2%), BA.1.1 (2.7%), BA.1.1.1 (0.7%), BA.1.1.7 (5.5%), BA.1.17.2 (0.7%), BA.1.18 (0.7%), BA.2 (30.8%), BA.2.10 (50.7%), BA.2.12 (0.7%), and B.1.617.2 (1.3%) lineages. BA.1 and BA.1.1 strains possess signature spike mutations S:A67V, S:T95I, S:R346K, S:S371L, S:G446S, S:G496S, S:T547K, S:N856K, and S:L981F, and BA.2 contains S:V213G, S:T376A, and S:D405N. Notably, ins214EPE (S1- N-Terminal domain) mutation was found in a significant number of Omicron BA.1 and sub-lineages. The overall Omicron BA.2 lineage was observed in 79.5% of women and 83.2% of men.ConclusionThe current study showed a predominance of the Omicron BA.2 variant outcompeting the BA.1 over a period in eastern UP. Most of the cases had a breakthrough infection following the recommended two doses of vaccine with four in five cases being symptomatic. There is a need to further explore the immune evasion properties of the Omicron variant.