eChapters

ABSTRACT

Studies on the behaviour of animals are of utmost importance in the conservation of species. Ecology of the communities and individual species has to be examined in terms of different activities to understand the requirements of the species. Foraging and breeding are the major activities while resting and flight maintenance are also essential, although the time spent might vary in different species or situations.

Bird community studies conducted along with my students in different habitats in the Western Ghats since 1995 showed how the species are associated with each other and the impact of habitat changes on them. Endemic and threatened birds of the Western Ghats were specific about selection of habitat and food in different seasons. Identification of such critical habitats is crucial for conservation and management.

The studies on the bird community and drongos at Thekkady, Periyar Tiger Reserve conducted by me during 1979 to 1982, examined the association of drongos with other species in the area, especially while foraging. They fed mostly in mixed foraging flocks which is beneficial to all the participants. The strategy adopted by them for ecological isolation to reduce competition was by selecting different strata and substrate of the vegetation, varying sizes of insects, and methods of feeding.

In the case of wetland birds also habitat selection is a major behaviour limiting their numbers. For the threatened birds such as the Siberian Crane and the Andaman Teal, habitat quality and food availability were critical. Habitat degradation with over abundance of grass and reduction in sedges resulted in spending long duration for feeding and less returns.

Breeding behaviour of birds is interesting because of their strategies such as when to nest and where to nest. Studies on the seasonality have shown the importance of climatic factors. Many of our land birds nest during summer. Nest-site is also crucial as selection of the site with suitable macro and micro-habitats determine the success of the brood. The habitat patches for the individual pairs or groups of breeding birds which are defended against intruders are termed as territories which play a vital role in the distribution and density of birds. Thus the strategies adopted by species are dependent on the environment and species specific constraints affecting the survival of the species.

The issues that our country faces in ensuring nutritional security for its rapidly growing population necessitate an integrated strategy to domestic animal rearing. Of the various livestock species, pigs are the most likely source of meat production and the most capable feed converters after broiler chickens. It not only provides meat but also bristles and dung. Pig farming provides rural residents with job options and additional revenue to help them better their living conditions. It is critical to assist capital formation in the animal husbandry sector in order to boost farmer incomes. The following are the benefits of pig farming:

• The feed conversion efficiency of the pig is best possible. Except for broilers, pigs produce more live weight gain per kg of feed than any other class of meat-producing animals.
• The pig can transform a wide variety of feed stuffs, such as grains, forages, and broken feeds into valuable nutritious meat. Furthermore, the majority of these meals are not edible or pleasing to humans.

Ber fruit fly:  Carpomyia vesuviana :Tephritidae

Adult is a small fly with black spots on the thorax and dark spots on the wings. They have only one pair of wings typical of diptera. The attack by the insect causes rotting of fruits and fruit drop. The adult female lays eggs singly in cavities made on the fruit by the ovipositor.  One female can lay up to 22 eggs. Egg period lasts for 2-3 days and the emerging maggots feed inside the fruit for about 7-10 days. The fully grown maggot falls to the ground to pupate in soil.  Pupal period is around 5-30 days. There can be 2-3 generations /year.

It is the most significant international convention in the field of protecting copyright. The Berne Convention deals with the protection of works and the rights of their authors. It is based on three basic principles and contains a series of provisions determining the minimum protection to be granted, as well as special provisions available to developing countries that want to make use of them. The Berne Convention, signed on 9 September, 1886, was revised at Paris in 1896 and at Berlin in 1908, completed at Berne (Switzerland) in 1914, revised at Rome in 1928, at Brussels in 1948, at Stockholm in 1967 and at Paris in 1971, and was amended in 1979.

Revolutionizing skin cancer detection
The diagnostic process for skin cancer is evolving. Physicians have in the past relied upon physical exams to be followed by scanning and biopsies taking anywhere between 15 days to return results. Although most abnormalities turn out to be non-cancerous, this is distressing to patients and contributes to healthcare costs. Additionally, certain growths that turn out to be cancerous remain undiagnosed since they have not been visible.
Breakthrough startup Damae Medical is set to reverse this process. The startup has developed an advanced probe that is able to take 3D images of the skin to unveil the full extent of abnormalities in real time. This enables doctors to diagnose in an instant, enabling improved personalized treatment. When an operation is required only diseased tissue is removed to prevent unnecessary treatments and improved outcomes in patients.
The Origins in the Institut d’Optique
The beginnings of Damae Medical can be traced to Palaiseau-based Institut d’Optique where in 2013 two photonics students envisaged potential in an emerging imaging tech. Together with the inventor himself in 2014, they cofounded Damae Medical by taking an exclusive license to the core family of patents held by three partner institutions. While this contract was beneficial in launching the company to an early growth spurt, in the long run created difficulty in exercising control. This was resolved by taking an equity-forcontrol purchase in 2019 by Damae to acquire the foundational patent

Scale insect: Lepidosaphes sp.: Diaspididae

The mature scale is elongated and oval in shape and dark grey in colour. They infest the stems, leaves and petioles, causing shriveled leaves due to sucking of the sap. The affected parts wither and dry up. In severe infestation leaves dry up and give sticky look and gradually the vine wilts.

3.1 Introduction

Government of India has made significant impact in empowering girl child through initiation of various schemes viz; Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana etc. After initiation of such types of programme for girls, Child Sex Ratio was increased during 2021-22 i.e; 929 females per 1,000 males. Recently Government of India has initiated new innovation in Beti Bachao Beti Padhao programme. Present Paper aim is to discuss the new innovations during 2017 to 2022 under this scheme.

In India under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi foresee rural India as ability laden with great prospective to speed of Sustainable Development Goal. Looking at splurge of schemes targeting girl child like Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana, Ladli Yojana and several other schemes empowerment of girl child seems to be heart of a plan to attain dream of Aatma Nirbhar Bharat.

Biostatistics is a branch of statistics that focuses on the analysis and interpretation of data from biological and health-related research studies. It involves the application of statistical methods to design, collect, analyze, and interpret data from studies involving living organisms like: animals, birds including human beings. Biostatistics plays a crucial role in public health, medicine, epidemiology, genetics, and other related fields.

With the increasing availability of data and advancements in biostatistics, breeders can expect further improvements in breeding practices that will results in better outcomes for both livestock farmers and the animals they breed. Animal breeding is a crucial aspect of agriculture and food production, as it helps to improve the quality and quantity of animal products as well ensuring food security to the masses.

13.1 Introduction

13.1.1 Bridging the Gap: Towards a More Equitable Digital Landscape

In an age dominated by digital technologies, the concept of a more equitable digital landscape is paramount to ensuring that the benefits of technology are accessible to all segments of society. The term "digital landscape" encompasses not only the physical infrastructure, such as internet connectivity and hardware, but also the socio-economic and educational factors that influence individuals' ability to participate in the digital realm. The digital divide, often exacerbated by disparities in access to technology, internet connectivity, and digital literacy, presents a significant challenge. This paper, titled "Bridging the Gap: Towards a More Equitable Digital Landscape," seeks to explore the multifaceted nature of the digital divide and propose strategies to overcome these challenges.

6.1 Introduction

In its broadest sense, literacy stands as a fundamental pillar of youth development, transcending mere reading and writing abilities to encompass critical skills necessary for navigating today's complex world (UNESCO, 2020). Concurrently, connectivity serves as the backbone of digital transformation, facilitating communication, collaboration, and access to information on a global scale (ITU, 2021). Skill development, particularly in digital literacy, has become indispensable in an increasingly digitized society, empowering individuals to thrive in both personal and professional domains (European Commission, 2019).

Introduction

Cocoa beans are extracted from the pod of a tree crop Theobroma cacao. It is mainly cultivated in tropical and subtropical countries. In terms of world production, Ivory Coast and Ghana contribute about 65 percent of world production. Cocoa beans are the main ingredient in chocolate. (Teye, E et al 2014). One of the earliest examples of chocolate consumption comes from the Mayans. The Maya drink was prepared with cocoa and water and often included cinnamon and black pepper. It was also known as the “Food of the Gods” and offered to Emperor Moctezuma II by the Aztecs, (Verna, R. 2013). Christopher Columbus was the first European to encounter cocoa in 1502.

Shoot and fruit borer: Earias vitella (=E.fabia), E. insulana: Noctuidae

This is a pest on cotton, bhendi, hibiscus, holly hock and other malvaceous vegetables. The damage is due to the larva that bores into tender terminal shoots in the vegetative stage and flower buds;  flowers and young fruits in the fruit formation stage.  The damaged shoot drops, wither and dry up.  The infested fruits have bore holes, are deformed and become unfit for consumption.  Bore holes are plugged with excreta.

Electronic health records contain extensive clinical, demographic, diagnostic and treatment information that can support medical research and decision-making. This chapter examines the characteristics of healthcare big data and the challenges associated with EHR storage, integration, quality and analysis. It presents an analytics pipeline covering data ingestion, secure storage, preprocessing, integration, pattern discovery, visualization and clinical decision support. Machine learning and deep learning methods are discussed in relation to clinical phenotyping, risk stratification, predictive epidemiology and adverse-outcome prediction. The chapter also addresses data privacy, governance, regulatory compliance, explainability, scalability and bias, highlighting the need for secure and interoperable EHR-mining systems that generate clinically useful knowledge.

Introduction
The ecosystem recycles nutrients. Approximately forty chemical elements are thought to be necessary for the existence of living things. The earth’s system contains finite materials, hence the only way to maintain it functioning continually is to regenerate the components.
Definition
The term “biogeochemical cycle” refers to the periodic transfer of elements between living organisms (the biotic phase) and their non-living ,(abiotic) environments, such as rocks, water, and air. These cycles, which primarily involve water, oxygen, carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus, are essential to life.
While micronutrients like Cu, Fe, and Co are derived from soil-based edaphic cycles, macronutrients like C, H, O, P, K, N, S, Mg, and Ca are cyclized with the atmosphere.There are two types of bio-geochemical cycles: gaseous and sedimentary cycles. The soil serves as the primary reservoir for nutrients in sedimentary cycles, such as the phosphorus and sulfur cycles, while the atmosphere and oceans serve as the primary reservoirs for nutrients in gaseous cycles, such as the nitrogen, carbon, and oxygen cycles. The biotic and abiotic systems are involved in both cycles. Both are fueled by energy flow and connected to either the hydrologic or water cycles.
• The nitrogen cycle, which involves gaseous components, is the naturalprocess by which nitrogen and nitrogen-containing molecules are transformed.

1. Introduction

Malaria remains one of the most serious tropical diseases and kills an estimated one to two million people each year worldwide (Snow et al., 2005). Spread of drug resistance has played an important role in the occurrence and severity of epidemic diseases in the world (Majori, 2004). As a consequence of resistance to drugs such as quinine, chloroquine, primaquine and mefloquine, the vehemence of malaria has increased in many endemic regions of the world (Schlitzer, 2007; Basco et al., 1994). One of the biggest challenges to malaria control is the emergence and spread of drug resistant P. falciparum strains. Although human malaria transmitted by female Anopheles mosquitoes has four Plasmodium species as its aetiological agents P. falciparum, P. vivax, P. ovaleand P. malariae, the most widespread and severe disease is caused by P. falciparum, which transiently infects the liver before invading red blood cells of the mammalian host. Clinical manifestations occur at the erythrocytic stage and can include fever, chills, prostration and anaemia, as well as delirium, metabolic acidosis, cerebral malaria and multi-organ system failure, which may be followed by coma and death (Fidock et al., 2004; Deprez-Poulain et al., 2005, De Sa et al., 2009).The success of the natural product-based antimalarials such as quinine and artemisinin has showed the importance of plants as potential source of antimalarial agents. Consequently, numerous efforts to identify antiplasmodial activities from plants traditionally used as remedies for fever and malaria (Chen et al., 1997; Havsteen, 2002;

Abstract

Rice is the most produced and consumed source of stable food in J andK, and is excellent in genetic diversity. Rice production is the principal activity and a major source of income for the State. Traditional rice varieties have an enhancing potential in wide range of nutraceutical and functional foods. Besides possessing medicinal and nutritional properties, the by-products generated from these rice varieties in various post harvest operations are equally valuable. Traditional healers and local farmers have been using these traditional varieties in ayurveda and in curing of various kinds of ailments, such as cooling the body in ayurvedic treatments, improving vocal clarity, curing of boils, swellings and skin blemishes. Extracts of brown rice are also used as energy drink in individuals, patients and in treatment of chronic gastric problems, jaundice, dysenteric complaints and to increase lactation and nutrition to Childs. Sticky glutinous rice has been reported in treatment of stomach upsets, nausea, heart-burn and indigestion. Brown rice extracts have been reported in treatments of breast and stomach cancer and warts.

1. Introduction 
Among the innumerable gifts of nature, plants, animals and minerals have been the basis of treatment of human diseases. Generally it is either of prebiotic origin or originating from microbes, plants or animal sources. More likely they are the natural expression of the increase in complexity of organisms. Beside animals, plants are one of the most important sources of natural products. From the very beginning of their existence, man has acquainted himself with plants and used them in a variety of ways throughout the ages. In search of food and to cope successfully with human sufferings, ancient man began to distinguish those plants suitable for nutritional purposes from others with definitive therapeutic action. Some plants are widely used as food while others showed beneficial effects against various human sufferings such as injuries and diseases. This relationship has grown between plants and man, and many plants have come to be used as drugs. The use of plant as a drug can be divided broadly into five periods. The early period covers the Indian, Chinese, Sumerian, Egyptian and Assyrian civilizations followed by the Greco-Roman, Arabian, Medieval and modern periods (Buchnman, 1980). Among ancient civilisations, India has been known to be rich repository of medicinal plants as the forest in India is the principal repository of large number of medicinal and aromatic plants, which are largely collected as raw materials for manufacture of drugs and perfumery products. About 8,000 herbal remedies have been codified in Ayurveda. The Rigveda (5000 BC) has recorded 67 medicinal plants (Chopra et al., 1956), Yajurveda 81 species and Atharvaveda (4500-2500 BC) 290 species. Charak Samhita (700 BC) and Sushrut Samhita (200 BC) had described properties and uses of 1100 and 1270 species, respectively (Kirtikar & Basu, 1918; Baquar, 1989) in compounding of drugs and these are still used in the classical formulations, in the Ayurvedic system of medicine. Before the availability of synthetic drugs, medicinal plants were used as the most primary source of medicine and continue to provide the mankind with new remedies for many diseases. These were used in crude forms like expressed juice, powder, decoction or infusion. As the plant have specialized biochemical capabilities they are able to synthesize and accumulate a vast array of primary and secondary chemical constituents or phytochemicals (Ghazanfar, 1994). Phytochemicals are responsible for metabolic activities and used for defense purpose. They are produced by specific biochemical pathways, which occur inside the plant cells. Due to their physical characteristic and chemical properties these chemical constituents are highly beneficial to the mankind and most importantly in primary health care. The first chemical substance isolated from plants was benzoic acid (Figure 1) discovered in 1560. The potent pain-killer, morphine (Figure 1) was separated from the dried latex of Papaver somniferum L. (opium) by F. W Serturner (1783-1814). The bioactive molecule, ephedrine (Figure 1) is one of the most potent plant based medicine and was isolated from Ephedra sinica (Ma huang). It was used in the form of various salts to combat bronchial asthma (Tang & Eisenbrand, 1992). Reserpine (Figure 1) an indole alkaloid, obtained from the roots of Indian plant, Rauwolfia serpentina, was used to treat hypertension. Taxol (Figure 1) is a diterpenoid first isolated from the stem bark of pacific Yew, Taxus brevifolia and used against ovarian for the treatment of ovarian cancer.

Introduction

For the past few decades, a number of chemical feed additives such as antibiotics, ionophores, methane inhibitors and defaunating agents have been introduced into ruminant nutrition in order to improve rumen fermentation, and increase growth and milk production by improving intake and feed conversion efficiency. However, most of these supplements are not used routinely because of toxicity problems to the host animals and microbial adaptation to these additives. Most importantly, growing awareness from public health aspects has centered on the safety of tissue residues of these chemicals and also bacterial resistance to antibiotics as a result of increased use in the food chain. These supplements have been criticized by the consumers’ organizations on the ground of product safety and quality. Antibiotic feed additives are banned in European Union. The consumers’ demands have drived the search for natural alternatives to chemical feed additives for eco-friendly animal production. Plants are part of herbivore diets, and these plants contain bioactive compounds with antimicrobial properties can be of interest in animal nutrition. Therefore, recent research has been greatly focused to exploit bioactive plant secondary compounds as natural feed additives to improve rumen fermentation such as enhancing protein metabolism, decreasing methane production, reducing nutritional stress like bloat, and improving animal health and productivity (Wallace et al., 2002; Patra and Saxena, 2009a, b; 2010; 2011), which may be useful in eco-friendly livestock farming (Patra, 2007). This review discusses the effects of different plant metabolites on rumen fermentation, rumen microbial ecosystems and ruminant performance.