Symposium Report: International Symposium on Ciliate Biology,India Habitat Centre,New Delhi,India, 04–06 April 2018

Ciliated protists have attracted wide interest among researchers from the Indian subcontinent in the last few years. An International Symposium on Ciliate Biology (ISCB) 2018 was held on 04–06 April 2018 at the India Habitat Centre, New Delhi, India. The symposium represented a synergy with International Research Coordination Network for Biodiversity of Ciliates (IRCN‐BC), an affiliate society of International Society of Protistologists (ISOP). The symposium provided a platform for Indian and International delegates to exchange knowledge, present their latest research findings, and establish collaborations as well as creating a networking opportunity for undergraduate and postgraduate students. Nine foreign delegates from 5 countries and 300 Indian delegates actively participated in the event which included 22 oral and 57 poster presentations.     

Marriage and employment patterns amongst UK-raised Indian,Pakistani, and Bangladeshi women

Discussion over marriage migration in the UK has largely focused on the South Asian groups, identified in survey data as Indian, Pakistani, and Bangladeshi. This paper uses qualitative interviews and national Labour Force Survey data to gain some insights into how UK-born Pakistani and Bangladeshi women view marriage and, in particular, marriage to a partner from their country of origin; the extent to which UK-born Indian, Pakistani, and Bangladeshi women and men marry partners from overseas and the key factors that influence this; and the effect on the level of economic activity for Indian, Pakistani, and Bangladeshi women of marriage to a UK-born/raised partner versus a partner from overseas.     

Religion,ethnicity and politics: Hindu and Muslim Indian immigrants in the United States

This article focuses on the political struggles between Hindu and Muslim Indian immigrant groups in the United States over the definition of "Indianness". Hindu Indian American organizations define India as a Hindu society and are strong supporters of the Hindu nationalist movement in India. Muslim Indian American organizations, on the other hand, view India as a multi-religious and multicultural society. They are striving to safeguard India's secularism and towards this end, have entered into coalitional relationships with lower caste groups. Both types of organizations are working to influence American and Indian politics in line with their respective interests, leading to an exacerbation of the conflict between the two immigrant groups. This article examines the reasons for this development and its implications, both for the development of an Indian American community in the United States and for religion and politics in India.     

Branchinella maduraiensis Raj (Crustacea,Branchiopoda, Anostraca) shown by new evidence to be a valid species

The fairy shrimp Branchinella kugenumaensis (Ishikawa) was long considered a widely, though disjunctly, distributed species occurring from Japan through eastern Asia to southern India. Attempts by Raj (1951, 1961) to make the Indian populations a new variety (B. k. var. madurai) on the basis of antennal and frontal appendage morphology and on its distribution pattern, were considered unconvincing by later authors. Our new comparison of Japanese and Indian specimens has revealed several differences. The resting egg shells of B. kugenumaensis from Japan have irregular polygonal fields; whereas, the shells of the Indian taxon have lip-like units covered with spinules. Furthermore, there are lobes lateral to the basal penes in the Indian specimens that are lacking in the Japanese taxon. As well as differences in antennal and frontal appendage morphology. These differences correspond with previous illustrations of populations from both geographic regions and lead us to consider Raj's proposed subspecies as a valid species. This brings the number of accepted species in the genus Branchinella to 34. More specimens will need to be evaluated from the area between India and Japan to determine if B. maduraiensis is endemic to the Indian subcontinent or is more broadly distributed on the Asian mainland. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Postcoloniality,National Identity,Globalisation and the Simulacra of the Real

The focus of this paper is a famous boys' boarding school in the North Indian city of Dehra Dun. The Doon School was founded in 1935 and was soon hailed by a wide cross section of post-colonial Indian intelligentsia as the site for the production of the ‘modern’ Indian citizen. The discussion below suggests that contemporary social analysis needs to focus on specific sites of the production of the discourses of the nation and citizenship rather than simply announce their dissolution as an ‘inevitable’ by-product of ‘globalisation’; this seems to be the stand taken by certain strands of theorisation in the so-called globalisation debate and in particular versions of cultural studies. I argue that rather than having simply dissolved, the ‘national’ emotion, at least in the Indian context, may have been transformed into the production of ‘post-coloniality’ as a differentiating category to distinguish the ‘progressive’ populations of the nation-state from its ‘backward’ counterparts. I employ Baudrillard's concept of the ‘real’ in order to argue for situated analyses of the contemporary global condition where analyses of the relationship between nation-states and of the asymmetries within them continue to be important political tasks.     

Phytogeographical and community similarities of alpine tundras of Changbaishan Summit,China, and Indian Peaks,USA

Abstract. We compared the diversity, phytogeography, and plant communities in two mid-latitude alpine tundras with comparable aerial and elevational extents: Changbaishan Summit in eastern Asia and Indian Peaks in western North America. Despite wide separation, the two areas shared 72 species. In all, 43% of the species on Changbaishan Summit are also distributed in the alpine zones of western North America, while 22% of the species on Indian Peaks are also distributed in the alpine zones of eastern Asia. Almost all the shared species also occur in the Beringian region. Phytogeographical profiles of species and genera showed that 69% of species and over 90% of genera in both alpine tundras belong to the three phytogeographical categories: cosmopolitan, circumpolar, and Asian-North American. We attributed the current floristic relationship between these widely separated areas to the periodic past land connection between the two continents during the Tertiary and Pleistocene. Indian Peaks has a closer floristic relationship with the Arctic tundra than does Changbaishan Summit. Indian Peaks also has 45% higher species richness and lower vegetation cover than Changbaishan Summit. Plant communities from the two areas were completely separated in the two-way indicator species analysis and non-metric multidimensional scaling on floristic data at both species and generic levels, whereas ordination of communities by soil data produced a greater overlap. The plant communities on Changbaishan Summit in general have lower alpha diversity, higher beta diversity (lower between-community floristic similarity), and more rare species than does Indian Peaks. Mosaic diversity does not differ in the two alpine tundras, although the analysis suggests that Changbaishan Summit communities are more widely spaced on gradients than the Indian Peaks communities.     

Human biology in Tlaxcala, Mexico: demography

A demographic survey was conducted as part of an ongoing population study of large Mestizo and Indian communities in Tlaxcala, Mexico. Comparative data on population structure and movement, mate selection, age at marriage, differential fertility, and mortality were collected through the administration of a standardized demographic proforma, and then cross-tabulated by computer analysis. The resulting differences between the Indian and Mestizo populations are interpreted in terms of the relative importance of hybridization, natural selection, and genetic drift. Sizeable variance in achieved reproduction and the high neonatal mortality suggest the operation of natural selection in these two populations. Observed patterns of population movement and mate selection indicate that the Mestizo population of the city of Tlaxcala is highly hybridized, in contrast to the endogamous Indian community of San Pablo del Monte.     

Nutritive value of Indian bread-root,squaw-root,and Jerusalem artichoke

Three native species formerly used as food plants by the Indians of western Canada were analyzed for nutritive value. The species were Indian bread-root (Psoralea esculenta Pursh, squaw-root (Perideridia gairdneri(Hook & Arn.) Mathias), and Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosusL. var. subcanescensGray. Protein scores, which are estimates of protein quality based on egg protein with a value of 100, were: squaw-root, 81;Jerusalem artichoke, 58;and Indian bread-root, 36. Squaw-root proved to be nutritionally the best among the 3 species and could also be a useful source of vitamins A and C and of potassium. Both squaw-root and Indian bread- root are also valuable sources of food energy,and all 3 plants, especially Indian bread- root, are good sources of lysine and therefore good supplements for cereals.     

HIV infection in India: Epidemiology, molecular epidemiology and pathogenesis

The year 1986 saw first case of HIV infection as well as first report of AIDS case in India. Since then the epidemic has spread throughout the country. In the recent years there is evidence of epidemic being stabilized with decrease in new infections reported from some parts of the country. The absolute number of HIV infections in the country is expected to be close to 2.5 million and National AIDS Control Programme, phase III is geared to contain the epidemic. HIV viruses circulating in India predominantly belong to HIV-1 subtype C. However, there have been occasional reports of HIV-1 subtype A and B. Matter of concern is reports of A/C and B/C mosaic viruses that are being reported from different parts of the country. The data on HIV drug resistance from India is rather limited. Most of the studies have shown that the virus strains from drug naïve patients do not show significant level of drug resistance mutations. The few immunological studies in Indian patients show that the Indian HIV infected patients show both HIV-specific CTL responses as well as neutralizing antibody response. Mapping of CTL epitopes showed that while Indian patients identify same regions of Gag antigen as recognized by South African subtype C infected patients, some regions are uniquely recognized by Indian patients. There are very few studies on host genetic factors in India in context with HIV infection. However there are evidences reported of association of host genetic factors such as HLA types and haplotypes and HIV disease.     

A Human Skeleton From The Pryor Creek Burial, 24YL404, Yellowstone County,Montana

Abstract

An adult human skeleton, found associated with artifacts of both Indian and White manufacture near Billings, Yellowstone County, Montana, is thought on the basis of cranial measurements and morphological features to be a prehistoric Crow Indian.     

Ethnic and sub-ethnic attachments among Chinese,Korean, and Indian immigrants in New York City

This article compares ethnic and sub-ethnic attachments in Chinese, Indian, and Korean immigrants in New York City, based on results of a survey. Indian respondents, with much higher levels of education and fluency in English, show a lower level of cultural ethnic attachment than the other two groups. The Chinese show the lowest level of formal ethnic affiliation, mainly due to their much lower level of religious affiliation. All three groups show extremely high levels of informal ethnic networks. However, Chinese and Indian respondents largely limit their close friendships to their sub-ethnic group, based on national origin, religion, regional origin and/or language, while Korean respondents, characterized by group homogeneity, tend to maintain close friendships with all other Koreans. Much larger proportions of Chinese and Indian respondents than Koreans choose the sub-ethnic identity label and they show much lower levels of loyalty to their homeland than Korean respondents.     

Divinity,Miracles and Charity in the Sathya Sai Baba Movement of Malaysia

This paper examines how a Hindu revitalisation movement addresses the modernisation in Malaysia. Modernisation entails material development and nation-building, but also the weakening of the authority of religious institutions and the internalisation of faith. The following of the Indian guru, Sathya Sai Baba, is largely urban-based, attracting many Indian business people, scientists and professionals. The paper elaborates theoretical debate on the gift, pioneered by Marcel Mauss, and explores how ‘contractual’ and ‘sacrificial’ religious giving is articulated within this movement in a way that reconciles spirituality with modernity. This articulation enables devotees to bid for a position as the custodians of morality within a modern, ethnically plural society, in which the elite of the Indian minority is marginalised in several respects.     

Inbreeding effects on reproductive outcome: a study based on a large sample from the endogamous Vadde of Kolleru Lake, Andhra Pradesh, India.

Inbreeding effects on reproductive outcome vis-à-vis fertility, prenatal loss and prereproductive mortality, and secondary sex ratio of live and dead children were examined in a large sample of 2078 women of the Vadde fishing population of Kolleru Lake in Andhra Pradesh, India. Demographically, this population is a single endogamous unit. By using an exponential regression model with the proportion of offspring survival as a dependent variable and the inbreeding coefficient as an independent variable, I further examined the inbreeding effects. The results were compared with results from other fishing groups and other southern Indian and non-Indian populations. The results among the Vadde were consistent with those found for other groups of Telugu-speaking fishermen and several other southern Indian populations in that the effects were neither perceptible nor significant. The average B value and the number of lethal equivalents found for the highly inbred southern Indian populations in general and for the Vadde in particular were much smaller than those from other parts of the world, providing empirical support to Sanghvi's hypothesis on long-term effects of inbreeding.     

Food habits of the Indian fox (Vulpes bengalensis) in Kutch, Gujarat, India

We characterized the diet of the Indian fox (Vulpes bengalensis) during the breeding season in a semi-desert region of Western India. Diet was estimated using scat analysis. We used Index of Relative Importance (IRI) to determine the contribution of prey items in the diet of the Indian fox.Indian foxes were observed to feed on a wide variety of prey items. Arthropods were the most frequently occurring prey in their diet. IRI scores were highest for the group Coleoptera and Orthoptera followed by rodents, termites, Ziziphus fruits and spiny tailed lizards (Uromastyx hardwickii). IRI scores for rodents were higher for pups, differing significantly from proportions present in adult diet, thus indicating that they are crucial food items for the young ones. Prey proportions in the fox diet differed between the two habitats in the study area (grassland and scrubland).Our data suggest that the Indian fox is essentially an omnivore showing similar diet (in terms of high incidence of arthropods) to foxes inhabiting arid and semi-arid regions. The opportunistic and generalist strategy has probably helped the species to survive in varied habitats across the Indian subcontinent.     

The East Indian Diaspora in Costa Rica: Inbreeding Avoidance, Marriage Patterns, and Cultural Survival

Anthropologists have long been interested in the survival of Indian cultural traits in the New World. In this article, we present results of an ongoing project with a Costa Rican community that descends from East Indian indentured servants. We focus on the group's marriage patterns and how these patterns might have helped keep the community as a cohesive ethnic group. We investigate the group's level of inbreeding by computing the inbreeding coefficient using two different methods. We show that the community has been successful at keeping its inbreeding low, despite its small size, by allowing marriage with nonmembers of the community. We propose that unless consanguineous marriages are allowed virtually all of the community's marriages will be with noncommunity members. Absorption into tourism, as well as the community's staunch avoidance of consanguineous marriages and virtually universal marriage with noncommunity members, will likely contribute to their disappearance as a viable ethnic group.     

A new species of Habralictus Moure from Dominica, Lesser Antilles (Hymenoptera, Halictidae)

A new species of Habralictus Moure (Apoidea, Halictidae) is described from the island of Dominica, Habralictus gonzalezisp. n. The species is distinguished from other West Indian Habralictus and a key is provided to the West Indian Habralictus. Brief comments on the genus Habralictus and bee species of Dominica are provided.     

Systematic status and biogeography of the Javan and small Indian mongooses (Herpestidae, Carnivora)

The Javan and small Indian mongooses, ranging from the Middle East to South-east Asia, are considered as two species or as a single species, varying in size and colour from west to east. In order to clarify their systematic status and to define the limits of their ranges, Cytochrome b sequences were obtained from 27 specimens, and localities of 392 specimens from museum collections were determined. The phylogenetic analyses revealed that the Javan and Small Indian mongooses grouped in two separate clades with their range limits located in Myanmar. The Javan mongoose is in fact closer to the grey mongoose than to the small Indian mongoose.     

Genetic population structure of Indian oil sardine, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Sardinella longiceps</Emphasis> assessed using microsatellite markers

Indian oil sardines, commercially and ecologically important pelagic fishes in Indian waters have not been the focus of major genetic studies as compared to their counter parts in Atlantic and Pacific oceans in spite of several reports suggesting stock complexity and intraspecific diversity. Hence, we investigated the genetic stock structure of Indian oil sardine, Sardinella longiceps using microsatellite markers by collecting a total of 768 individuals from eight locations along the Indian coast and one from Gulf of Oman over a 2 year period (2013–2015). Six polymorphic microsatellite markers revealed significant genetic differentiation between populations with the highest F_ST value (0.055) between Oman and Indian coastline. Within the Indian coastline another major subdivision between Mumbai & Mangalore vs. other regions was detected (F_ST value 0.047) which was also confirmed in Barrier analysis with the presence of two strong barriers between these eco-regions. There exist pronounced differences in oceanographic and environmental features between Gulf of Oman, Western Indian Ocean and Eastern Indian Ocean (Bay of Bengal) which may act as barriers for effective dispersal and gene flow resulting in genetic differentiation. Even though, the samples collected from Calicut, Kollam, Trivandrum, Chennai and Vizag showed the presence of admixed genotypes, the possible presence of distinct populations in some regions was evident in Bayesian analysis which needs to be confirmed further using more widespread sampling design and powerful markers. The present study provided insights into the biocomplexity and intra-specific diversity of Indian oil sardine populations, which needs to be preserved for maintaining resilience of these important fishes to climate change and habitat alterations in the Indian Ocean.     

“Indians” and native Americans in the movies: A history of stereotypes,distortions, and displacements

Knowledge about Indian cultures and history among non‐native children is extremely limited and stereotyped due to a continued process of distortions and displacements in literature and particularly in Hollywood movies. The dual Indian stereotype was functionalized according to the colonizers’ interests. Hollywood movies depicted Indians first as noble or blood‐thirsty savages, then, in the fifties, as cyphers in melodramatic racial conflicts, and in the seventies, as heroes of an anti‐war counterculture. Recently, films showing Indians as believable individuals have emerged, and native American actors and filmmakers are ready to be heard and seen.