Germination and biological adaptation approaches as salt-stress tolerance process in selected paddy cultivars under salinity stress.

Cultivating productive paddy crops on salty soil to maximise production is a challenging approach to meeting the world's growing food demand. Thus, determining salinity tolerance rates in specific paddy cultivars is urgently needed. In this study, the salt tolerance traits of selected paddy cultivars, ADT45 and ADT39, were investigated by analysing germination, metabolites (pigments and biomolecules), and enzymatic (Superoxide dismutase (SOD), Catalase (CAT), and Peroxidase (POD) adaptation strategies as salt-stress tolerance mechanisms.

Boys' perspectives on girls' marriage and school dropout: a qualitative study revisiting a structural intervention in Southern India.

Girls' education has for many decades been central to the global development agenda, due to its positive impact on girls' health and wellbeing. In this paper, the authors revisit boys' attitudes, behaviours and norms related to girls' education, following the Samata intervention to prevent girls' school dropouts in Northern-Karnataka, South India. Data were collected from 20 boys in intervention villages before and after the intervention, and analysis was undertaken using a thematic-framework approach.

Exploring male adolescents' perceptions of gender relations in South India: A project ethnography of the Parivartan program.

In Northern Karnataka, South India, boys' behaviours and attitudes towards girls are regarded as one of the many important proximate structural barriers impeding girls' access to education and academic performance in rural communities. In response to these barriers, public health practitioners developed an intervention, known as the Parivartan program, to confront the wider social and structural influences that shape adolescent boys' perspectives on gender relationships and practices that subjugate adolescent girls. Drawing upon a project ethnography approach, this study presents the findings from two phases of research conducted between 2014 and 2016 among adolescent boys who participated in the Parivartan program.

Prevalence and correlates of psychological distress among 13-14 year old adolescent girls in North Karnataka, South India: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Mental health disorders among adolescents have emerged as a major public health issue in many low and middle-income countries, including India. There is a paucity of research on the determinants of psychological distress, particularly among the poorest girls in the poorest communities. The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence and correlates of different indicators of psychological distress among 13-14 year old low caste girls in rural, south India.

Peptidoglycan in Mycobacteria: chemistry, biology and intervention.

Peptidoglycan, a major glycoconjugate in the mycobacterial cell envelope provides strength to resist osmotic stress and plays a pivotal role in maintaining the cellular morphology. Several unique growth stage specific structural alterations occur in its constituent monosaccharides and peptides that allow Mycobacterium to survive nutrient starvation and environmental stress. Here, we discuss the enzymes involved in its intricate biosynthesis that are novel targets for therapeutic intervention and provide an opportunity for potential antibiotic adjuvants.