First record of Platygaster luteipes Buhl (Hymenoptera: Platygastridae) from leaf galls on black pepper along with first report of the species from India.

Platygaster luteipes Buhl (Hymenoptera: Platygastridae) is reported for the first time from India. Several specimens of both sexes of the species were reared from the globular galls on mature leaves of black pepper. The hitherto undescribed male of the species is characterized and illustrated.     

Arsenic groundwater contamination and its health effects in the state of Uttar Pradesh (UP) in upper and middle Ganga plain, India: a severe danger

This communication presents results of our 2-year survey on groundwater arsenic contamination in three districts Ballia, Varanasi and Gazipur of Uttar Pradesh (UP) in the upper and middle Ganga plain, India. Analyses of 4,780 tubewell water samples revealed that arsenic concentrations in 46.5% exceeded 10 microg/L, in 26.7%, 50 microg/L and in 10% 300 microg/L limits. Arsenic concentrations up to 3,192 microg//L were observed. The age of tubewells (n=1,881) ranged from less than a year to 32 years, with an average of 6.5 years. Our study shows that older tubewells had a greater chance of contamination. Depth of tubewells (n=3,810) varied from 6 to 60.5 m with a mean of 25.75 m. A detailed study in three administrative units within Ballia district, i.e. block, Gram Panchayet, and village was carried out to assess the magnitude of the contamination. Before our survey the affected villagers were not aware that they were suffering from arsenical toxicity through contaminated drinking water. A preliminary clinical examination in 11 affected villages (10 from Ballia and 1 from Gazipur district) revealed typical arsenical skin lesions ranging from melanosis, keratosis to Bowens (suspected). Out of 989 villagers (691 adults, and 298 children) screened, 137 (19.8%) of the adults and 17 (5.7%) of the children were diagnosed to have typical arsenical skin lesions. Arsenical neuropathy and adverse obstetric outcome were also observed, indicating severity of exposure. The range of arsenic concentrations in hair, nail and urine was 137-10,900, 764-19,700 microg/kg, and 23-4,030 microg/L, respectively. The urine, hair and nail concentrations of arsenic correlated significantly (r=0.76, 0.61, and 0.55, respectively) with drinking water arsenic concentrations. The similarity to previous studies on arsenic contamination in West Bengal, Bihar and Bangladesh indicates that people from a significant part of the surveyed areas in UP are suffering and this will spread unless drives to raise awareness of arsenic toxicity are undertaken and an arsenic safe water supply is immediately introduced.     

后配额时代中印纺织品出口比较与借鉴

虽然从2005年1月1日起,全球纺织品进入后配额时代,但我国纺织品出口在接连遭到发达、欠发达国家的强烈抵制和限制的同时．也同样面临来自一些与我国发展水平相似国家的纺织品出口的竞争。作为我国纺织品出口最大潜在竞争对手的印度,其纺织品出口自上世纪80年代开始,连续多年保持高速增长,来自国外的抵制和限制也没有我国突出。因此,印度的纺织品生产经验和出口战略值得关注。     

Water technologies and the environment: Ramping up by scaling down

The world is facing a global water crisis. Already, deficiencies in water supply and water quality are causing widespread human suffering. About 1.1 billion people lack access to clean water, and 2.6 billion do not have access to improved sanitation facilities. Everyday, 4500 children throughout the world die from preventable diseases caused by the lack of clean water and sanitation. China, India, and the United States are all facing major shortages of freshwater, and water pollution is having serious impacts on public health and the environment in both China and India. Major investments in science and technology will be required to address the water issues of the future. A new generation of innovative, small-scale technologies is needed to prevent and control pollution, and to restore watersheds. Creative, collaborative approaches to addressing the world's decline in freshwater resources are urgently needed.     

Globalization at the nano frontier: The future of nanotechnology policy in the United States, China, and India

The field of nanotechnology offers the possibility of transforming the international science and technology (S&T) policy landscape and making a significant impact on the direction of research and development for a wide range of nations and companies. Nanotechnology endeavors in the United States, China, and India remain some of the most interesting because of the opportunities and challenges this field poses for future competition and collaboration between these three nations. This paper examines how nanotechnology will raise new science and policy questions—and lead to new strategic linkages—that will have a major impact on the futures of these nations for decades to come. Then the paper analyzes and compares the current state of nanotechnology in these three countries, discusses some of the main drivers of collaboration, investigates current and potential uncertainties associated with nanotechnology, and offers policy suggestions on ways that these difficulties may be addressed.     

Potential benefits from improved energy efficiency of key electrical products: The case of India

The economy of the world's second most populous country continues to grow rapidly, bringing prosperity to a growing middle class while further straining an energy infrastructure already stretched beyond capacity. At the same time, efficiency policy initiatives have gained a foothold in India, and promise to grow in number over the coming years. This paper considers the maximum cost-effective potential of efficiency improvement for key energy-consuming products in the Indian context. The products considered are: household refrigerators, window air conditioners, motors and distribution transformers. Together, these products account for about 27% of delivered electricity consumption in India. The analysis estimates the minimum Life-Cycle Cost option for each product class, according to use patterns and prevailing customer marginal rates in each sector. This option represents an efficiency improvement ranging between 12% and 60%, depending on product class. If this level of efficiency was achieved starting in 2010, we estimate that total electricity consumption in India could be reduced by 4.7% by 2020, saving over 74 million tons of oil equivalent and over 246 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions. Net present financial savings of this efficiency improvement totals 8.1 billion dollars.     

Considerations for infectious disease research and practice

As the 21st century unfolds, strategies to prevent and control infectious diseases remain an area of vital interest and concern. The burden of disease, disability, and death caused by infectious diseases is felt around the world in both developed and developing nations. Moreover, the ability of infectious agents to destabilize populations, economies, and governments is strikingly apparent. To an unprecedented degree, infectious disease-related issues are high on the agendas of world leaders, philanthropists, policymakers, and the public. This enhanced focus, combined with recent scientific and technological advances, creates new opportunities and challenges for infectious disease research and practice. This paper examines these issues in the context of three countries: China, India, and the United States.     

Estimating Regional Evapotranspiration Using Remote Sensing: Application to Sone Low Level Canal System, India

Remote sensing-derived spectral data have been used in the past to partition net radiation, soil heat, and sensible heat fluxes for estimating latent heat flux as a residual of surface energy balance, and thus regional evapotranspiration. Attempts to provide a simplified procedure for estimating sensible heat flux at a regional scale have not been successful because of the relatively strong dependence of the heat transfer coefficient on the land–atmosphere boundary condition. This paper presents a remote sensing-based procedure to estimate the sensible heat flux incorporating the local meteorological conditions, and in turn to determine the regional evapotranspiration. The model utilizes satellite-derived surface albedo, surface temperature, and leaf area index along with a very few agrometeorological data as inputs. The proposed procedure has been tested on a part of the Western Yamuna Canal system, India, and is found to be computationally simple as well as stable. For a well-watered wheat crop, the average evapotranspiration by the proposed model is estimated to be 2.05?mm?d?1 on January 30, 1996, whereas it is estimated to be 1.89?mm?d?1 using the Penman-Monteith equation, indicating a difference of less than 10%. The model is subjected to sensitivity analysis for uncertainties in the observed wind velocity and the computed leaf area index (by ±20%) to estimate sensible heat flux. Results reveal that the percentage change in mean sensible heat flux for the image is less than 5% in all cases, thus indicating the acceptability of the model against the uncertainties. Further, the model has been applied to three sets of Landsat-TM data covering the Sone Low Level Canal system, India, to demonstrate its usefulness in evaluating water delivery performance.     

Leather processing in Ethiopia and Kenya: lessons from India

This article discusses the successful value-added chain within India's leather industry, and then draws contrasts with the evolution of the leather products industries of Kenya and Ethiopia. Much of India's success derives from the ability of its stakeholders—from government to industry—to set their own policies and priorities regarding the development of the leather industry. The fact that India selectively liberalized the entry of a variety of industries into the global economy added to the improved performance of its leather products sub-sector. By contrast, both Ethiopia and Kenya followed different policies regarding liberalization, with differing results. Although the leather industry is important for both countries, moving up the value-added chain remains tenuous at best for Kenya and only slightly better for Ethiopia. This article recommends that both countries need to formulate and implement policies that will move the leather industry from raw and semi-processed production outward to the leather products and leather goods sub-sectors.