Feature Article

Research indicate that developmental exposures to apparently nontoxic doses of DZN compromise neural cell development and alter ACh synaptic function in adolescence and adulthood. The patterns seen here differ substantially from those seen in earlier work with chlorpyrifos, reinforcing the concept that the various organophosphates have fundamentally different effects on the developmental trajectories of specific neurotransmitter systems, unrelated to their shared action as cholinesterase inhibitors. March 2008

A high level of child undernutrition in India is well recognized. But one of the disturbing aspects of the nutrition situation in India is that there are substantial differences in level of child undernutrition across social groups, with Scheduled Tribes particularly disadvantaged. In this context, the paper aims to explore the level of child undernutrition among Scheduled Tribes, compared with Scheduled Castes, other backward classes and 'other' castes in the six states in the mid-India tribal belt inhabited by a substantial proportion of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.

Development-induced displacement and its impact on the social, cultural and economic lives of the affected people is a huge discourse in contemporary India. Dislocation due to displacement has an irreversible impact on the lives of those displaced. Review of the existing literature shows that impacts are more severe on the most vulnerable groups such as the landless, tribals, women and children.

An increasing number of people are exposed to aircraft and road traffic noise. Hypertension is an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease, and even a small contribution in risk from environmental factors may have a major impact on public health. The HYENA (Hypertension and Exposure to Noise near Airports) study aimed to assess the relations between noise from aircraft or road traffic near airports and the risk of hypertension. March 2008

At present about 2.5% of agriculture GDP is contributed by rice, earning a foreign exchange of Rs 7000 crores. India also needs production enhancement for feeding soaring population growth. Rice production from irrigated area is almost stagnant. Rainfed area needs to be exploited.

The introduction of the axial piston pumps and the development of energy recovery units especially for seawater reverse osmosis has changed the system design dramatically and reduced the energy consumption by up to 80% in these installations. Oct-Dec 2007

Human activities over the past 250 years have caused the level of green house gases in the atmosphere to rise, thereby impeding the reflection of long wave radiation back to space. As a result, the Earth's atmosphere is warming up at an alarming pace, and leading slowly but surely to change in the climate. This is seen to be already affecting our forests in general and teak forest in particular.

This article emphasizes the virtual synonimity of agriculture security, food security, farmers' security, and security of the rural sector, and the importance of ensuring the above to ensure national security.

Membranes are key components in the majority of plants treating waste water for recycle. These days there are not only relatively small scale plants recycling waste water in factories but also large scale plants treating waste water from cities for recycle. Oct-Dec 2007

Rapid urbanization causes disorganized and uplanned growth of towns and cities. The pressure of an ever growing population becomes a burden on the limited civic amenities which are virtually collapsing. Asymmetrical growth of urban centres consumes agricultural land adjacent to these, resulting in lower agricultural productivity.