The present study was designed to investigate acute toxicity of dimethoate on juvenile Cyprinus carpio var. communis. Fishes weighing 10 ± 2 gms were selected and mortality data was statistically evaluated by Finney's Probit Method. The 96-hour LC50 value for Cyprinus carpio was found as 1.1 ppm in static bioassay system. Mean values of physicochemical parameters of aquarium waters determined during bioassay depicted slight variation indicating that the mortality in aquarium fishes occurred due to pesticide exposure and not suffocation. Lab. temperature ranged from 12 to 13°C; water temperature ranged from 11 to 12°C; dissolved oxygen ranged from 3.90 to 4.56 mg/L; pH ranged from 6.90 to 7.05; total dissolved solids ranged from 2.66 to 3.0 × 103 mg/L, while CO2 remained at a constant value of 2.0 mg/L. The fishes elicited various behavioural responses such as uncoordinated movements, convulsions, excessive mucus secretion, and imbalanced swimming which ended in a collapse to the bottom of the aquarium. Prior to death, the clinical signs like scale erosion, pale body colour, and hemorrhagic patches over the body were noticed which became more vivid up to the termination of experiments. Results of the study indicate potential toxicity of dimethoate in fingerlings of common carp for which the natural waterbodies must be continuously monitored to reduce its impact across food chains.

The present study was undertaken to determine the incidence of helminth parasites in fishes with special reference to water quality parameters in Dal Lake and River Jhelum and correlate the observations. Water, fish, and parasite samples were collected during different seasons from various sites and processed. Three fish species, namely, Schizothorax niger Heckel 1838, Schizothorax esocinus Heckel 1838, and Schizothorax curvifrons Heckel 1838, were recovered from these water bodies. The physicochemical parameters temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, and free carbon dioxide showed variation vis-à-vis the season and location of the stations in water bodies. Acanthocephalan parasite Pomphorhynchus kashmirensis Kaw 1941 (27.47%) and two intestinal cestodes Bothriocephalus acheilognathi Yamaguti 1934 (30.63%) and Adenoscolex oreini Fotedar 1958 (32.43%) were recovered from all the three species of Schizothorax. All the three parasites showed higher prevalence during summer and the least prevalence during winter. Parasitic infections were prevalent more in male fishes compared to females. The presence of the parasites had reduced the condition coefficient of the infected fishes in both water bodies. The study also showed that some of the physicochemical features showed a significant positive correlation with the prevalence.

Despite numerous studies on the taxonomy of a highly complex group of schizothoracine (snow trouts), with over five recognized species from Kashmir, India (Schizothorax niger, Schizothorax esocinus, Schizothorax plagiostomus, Schizothorax curvifrons and Schizothorax labiatus) based on traditional morphological data, the relationships between these species is poorly understood and the taxonomic validity is still under debate. To resolve the evolutionary relationships among these species, we sequenced mitochondrial fragments, including 16Sr RNA, Cytb and the D-loop. Separate analyses of 16S and Cytb showed intermixing of the species and 16S was found more conserved than Cytb. The D-loop was found highly variable and showed length variation between and within species. Length variation was observed in di-nucleotide (TA)n microsatellite repeats with a variable number of repeat units (n = 7-14) that did not show heteroplasmy. Central conserved sequence blocks (CSBs) in D-loop sequences were found comparable to other vertebrate species. All phylogenetic reconstructions recovered the focal taxa as a monophyletic clade within the schizothoracines. Analyses with combined mitochondrial data sets showed close genetic relationships of all the five species. In addition to a close relationship between S. niger and S. curvifrons, two distinct groupings of S. ecoscinus and S. plagiostomus were supported by all the analyses. This study gives an insight into molecular phylogeny of the species and improves our understanding of historical and taxonomic relationships derived from morphological and ecological studies.

Objective: The current study was undertaken to evaluate the seasonal dependency and prevalence of gastrointestinal roundworms (nematodes) infecting domestic fowls ( Gallus gallus domesticus ) in Kashmir. Materials and Methods: From August 2017 through July 2019, the investigation was undertaken during each of the four seasons. We tested 400 guts obtained from varied places around the Kashmir valley for nematode infestation. The nematodes found within the digestive tract were collected and identified using a variety of identification keys under the microscope. Statistical Package for the Social Sciences was used to analyze the data (version 20). Chi-square ( χ 2 ) test was carried out to analyze the sample data. Results: 196 hosts were infected with various nematodes, indicating an overall prevalence of 49% (196/400). The findings revealed that the prevalence of Ascaridia galli was 32.97% (61/185) in the first year and 35.34% (76/215) in the second year. Heterakis gallinarum had a prevalence rate of 20.80% (38/185) in the first year and 24.18% (52/215) in the second year, whereas Capillaria spp. had a prevalence rate of 10.81% (20/185) in the first year and 12.55% (27/215) in the second year. The overall prevalence of A. galli was determined to be 34.25% in both years (August 2017–July 2019), with a mean intensity of 4.86. Summer months had the highest parasitic load. Heterakis gallinarum had a prevalence rate of 22.5% and a mean intensity of 26.83. Summer was shown to have the most considerable parasitic burden. Capillaria spp. had an overall prevalence of 11.75% and a mean intensity of 4.59; autumn had the highest parasite load. The most abundant species was identified as A. galli . It was shown that there is a significant ( p < 0.01) link between seasonality and helminth parasite prevalence. Conclusion: The study’s findings indicate that these gastrointestinal nematodes are ubiquitous throughout the year, but are particularly abundant in the summer and fall seasons among domestic poultry in the study area. This study on the prevalence of gastrointestinal nematodes in Gallus gallus domesticus demonstrates the seasonality of infection rates and also offers various methods and techniques for framing effective strategies for controlling these helminthes to maximize profit from backyard chicken farming.

The objective of the present study is to describe the phases of gonadal development and determine the spawning season of Schizothorax curvifrons in River Jhelum Kashmir. A total of 298 fish specimen were studied to analyse the gonadosomatic index and maturity stages of S. curvifrons. Five maturity stages namely Immature phase, Preparatory phase, Maturing phase, Ripe/spawning phase and Spent phase were observed in the gonads. Based on GSI values and gonadal conditions, April to June appears to be the spawning season for S. curvifrons

Women get less of the material resources, social status, power and opportunities for self-actualization than men do who share their social location – be it a location based on class, race, occupation, ethnicity, religion, education, nationality, or any intersection of these factors. The process of feminization of poverty in Central Asia and Uzbekistan is intimately connected to the cultural and institutional limitations that put a ceiling on women’s involvement in economic activity. This article attempts to study and explore gender in the context of poverty reduction in Uzbekistan, the most populated state of Central Asia, to understand the ways and manner in which poverty and other forms of deprivation demand women’s participation in variety of contexts. The study is primarily an empirical one and is based on an extensive sociological investigation in the field.

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India, one of the fast growing and developing nations of the world, is doing well in growth, but it is not up to the mark in some fields. In science and technology, it is doing at par with other developed nations, and markable achievements are being touched. But in health or human growth, most of the population is not clear about the importance of health and human potentials. Many portions of the population are not aware of the positive aspects of human beings that can help them to flourish. The study has been done to find the psychological well-being of academic achievement and gender. For the study, a sample of 519 senior secondary school students from different senior secondary schools of Kulgam and Anantnag districts of Kashmir valley were selected. The sample was drawn by using a multi-stage stratified sampling technique. The tools of data collection were Psychological Well-Being Scale (PWBS) developed by Dr. Devendra Singh Sisodia and Ms. Pooja Choudhary (2012) and academic achievement as the marks obtained by senior secondary school students in the board examination conducted by JKBOSE. The data obtained from these students were then analyzed using appropriate statistical techniques with the help of SPSS version 22. The paper also makes some suggestions, keeping the findings of the study in mind to enhance the psychological well-being of our budding human resource.