Probing the linkages between educational level and occupational choices of women working in urban informal sector of India.

Background: Education is crucial for empowering women in the labour market. However, the choice of occupation may not always necessarily be determined by their level of education.

Objective: The present study seeks to answer two important questions: (1) Does education help in determining occupational choices of women working in the informal sector? (2) How do factors like number of dependents in the family, woman staying with family, migration status of a woman and the use of networks in the job-search process, affect the occupational choices of women working in the informal sector?

Method: The study utilised the data collected from 476 women, working in the urban informal sector of three northern States of India.

Abscisic Acid: Role in Fruit Development and Ripening.

Abscisic acid (ABA) is a plant growth regulator known for its functions, especially in seed maturation, seed dormancy, adaptive responses to biotic and abiotic stresses, and leaf and bud abscission. ABA activity is governed by multiple regulatory pathways that control ABA biosynthesis, signal transduction, and transport. The transport of the ABA signaling molecule occurs from the shoot (site of synthesis) to the fruit (site of action), where ABA receptors decode information as fruit maturation begins and is significantly promoted.

Antifungal and Antibacterial Effects of Biosynthesized Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles Against Selected Pathogenic and Non-Pathogenic Strains.

We have developed a simple, robust environment-friendly and efficient method for ZnO nanoparticles biosynthesis using fresh leaf extract. Before using these nanoparticles for antimicrobial assay, a detailed characterization was performed using techniques like Ultraviolet/Visible (UV/Vis) spectroscopy, Particle size analysis (PSA), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM),Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) etc. The average size of biosynthesized ZnO nanoparticles was around 30 nm and they were pure and crystalline by nature.

Assessment of Antibacterial Activity of Biosynthesised ZnO Nanoparticles Against pv. Causing Bacterial Blight in Cotton.

Cotton ( L.), is an important fibre and oilseed crop of the world. India in particular has the largest area under cotton cultivation and around 60% proportion in the raw fibre textile industry is contributed by cotton alone.

Analysis of genetic control and QTL mapping of essential wheat grain quality traits in a recombinant inbred population.

Wheat cultivars are genetically crossed to improve end-use quality for traits as per demands of baking industry and broad consumer preferences. The processing and baking qualities of bread wheat are influenced by a variety of genetic make-ups, environmental factors and their interactions. Two wheat cultivars, WL711 and C306, derived recombinant inbred lines (RILs) with a population of 206, were used for phenotyping of quality-related traits.

Exploring diverse wheat germplasm for novel alleles in HMW-GS for bread quality improvement.

Wheat is one of the most important cereals used worldwide in the form of a range of products. Crop landraces have been an immense source of diversity for the breeders. In the present study, 517 Indian wheat landraces have been observed for the difference in bread making quality by assessing allelic behaviour of high molecular weight-glutenin subunits (HMW-GS).

Prevalence of risk factors of noncommunicable diseases in a rural population of district Gautam-Budh Nagar, Uttar Pradesh using the World Health Organization STEPS approach.

Context: Globally, it is estimated that by 2020, noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) will account for 73% of deaths and 60% of disease burden. India is in the midst of an epidemiological transition leading to increasing the prevalence of NCDs. Targeting the risk factors for NCDs is recognized as an essential preventive strategy.

Wheat Improvement in India: Present and Future.

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) contributes substantially to global food and nutritional security. With the growing demands under the constraints of depleting natural resources, environmental fluctuation, and increased risk of epidemic outbreaks, the task of increasing wheat production has become daunting.

Evaluation of HMW-GS 20 and 2.2 from near isogenic lines of wheat variety HD2329 for bread quality improvement.

Background: Hexaploid wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) dominates the list of the most important human food sources ever. Its complex genetic background is the reason behind the wide diversity that exists in nutritional as well as food end-product quality.

Genomic associations for drought tolerance on the short arm of wheat chromosome 4B.

Drought is a major constraint to maintaining yield stability of wheat in rain fed and limited irrigation agro-ecosystems. Genetic improvement for drought tolerance in wheat has been difficult due to quantitative nature of the trait involving multiple genes with variable effects and lack of effective selection strategies employing molecular markers. Here, a framework molecular linkage map was constructed using 173 DNA markers randomly distributed over the 21 wheat chromosomes.