Adopting a decolonizing framework, this article examines the role of mainstream Euro-American psychology in shaping neoliberal conceptions of self in many postcolonial nations such as India. We specifically draw on our respective ethnographic research to analyze identity formation in Indian cultural contexts. Our article is organized around three goals. First, we show how Indian outsourcing industries have become heavily reliant on Euro-American "personality tests" and are used for recruitment, screening, promotion, cross-cultural communication, and to motivate employees to become happy and positive workers. Second, we examine the tensions around identity or values that Indian youth face while embracing the ideology of Western corporate culture and acquiring new transnational identities. Third, we analyze how mental health in India is being shaped by neoliberalism by investigating the villagers' narratives in Nandigram, who encountered brutal acts of political violence by the state of West Bengal in India.

Background Lignocellulosic hydrolysates contain a mixture of hexose (C6)/pentose (C5) sugars and pretreatment-generated inhibitors (furans, weak acids and phenolics). Therefore, robust yeast isolates with characteristics of C6/C5 fermentation and tolerance to pretreatment-derived inhibitors are pre-requisite for efficient lignocellulosic material based biorefineries. Moreover, use of thermotolerant yeast isolates will further reduce cooling cost, contamination during fermentation, and required for developing simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF), simultaneous saccharification and co-fermentation (SScF), and consolidated bio-processing (CBP) strategies. Results In this study, we evaluated thirty-five yeast isolates (belonging to six genera including Saccharomyces, Kluyveromyces, Candida , Scheffersomyces, Ogatea and Wickerhamomyces ) for pretreatment-generated inhibitors {furfural, 5-hydroxymethyl furfural (5-HMF) and acetic acid} and thermotolerant phenotypes along with the fermentation performances at 40 °C. Among them, a sugarcane distillery waste isolate, Saccharomyces cerevisiae NGY10 produced maximum 49.77 ± 0.34 g/l and 46.81 ± 21.98 g/l ethanol with the efficiency of 97.39% and 93.54% at 30 °C and 40 °C, respectively, in 24 h using glucose as a carbon source. Furthermore, isolate NGY10 produced 12.25 ± 0.09 g/l and 7.18 ± 0.14 g/l of ethanol with 92.81% and 91.58% efficiency via SHF, and 30.22 g/l and 25.77 g/l ethanol with 86.43% and 73.29% efficiency via SSF using acid- and alkali-pretreated rice straw as carbon sources, respectively, at 40 °C. In addition, isolate NGY10 also produced 92.31 ± 3.39 g/l (11.7% v/v) and 33.66 ± 1.04 g/l (4.26% v/v) ethanol at 40 °C with the yields of 81.49% and 73.87% in the presence of 30% w/v glucose or 4× concentrated acid-pretreated rice straw hydrolysate, respectively. Moreover, isolate NGY10 displayed furfural- (1.5 g/l), 5-HMF (3.0 g/l), acetic acid- (0.2% v/v) and ethanol-(10.0% v/v) tolerant phenotypes. Conclusion A sugarcane distillery waste isolate NGY10 demonstrated high potential for ethanol production, C5 metabolic engineering and developing strategies for SSF, SScF and CBP. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s13068-019-1379-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Through the use of concepts such as traumatization and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), the distressing experiences of survivors are understood in psychology and psychiatry primarily as the behavioural symptoms resulting supposedly from an incomplete emotional and cognitive processing of traumatic events. Due to such an exclusive focus on the intra-psychic processes, besides the survivors' healing facilitated by cultural beliefs and symbols, their trauma-related distress associated with the cultural interpretation of loss is also generally ignored. This paper illustrates the utility of the social constructionist paradigm in understanding the survivors' experiences of suffering and healing within the cultural and socio-political context of violence through an ethnographic study among the poor farmers of Nandigram, India, inflicted by violence from the state government as it tried to forcibly acquire their land to build a chemical factory. How the traumatized selves experience intense distress resulting from disruptions to a sense of wholeness and how this wholeness may be reformulated through culturally valued beliefs are highlighted in the themes of suffering ('experience of PTSD symptoms', 'betrayed self', 'overwhelmed by loss', and 'biographical disruption') and healing ('moral re-affirmation', 'sense of togetherness', 'sense of security due to change in political environment') presented in the vignettes.

A paradigm shift in disaster mental health research has renewed the emphasis on the survivors' experiences of suffering and healing. This article highlights the importance of utilizing documentary analysis as one of the important qualitative methodologies to explore post-disaster distress of the survivors. Following Figueroa's ( 2008) approach to the analysis of audio-visual texts, the methodological steps, outcomes and their salience have been illustrated through an analysis of a documentary produced by Rakesh Sharma titled Final Solution, based on post-Godhra riots in 2002 in India. The two-phased analysis involved constructionist grounded theory procedures with an initial focus on the documentary as a 'whole'. The methodological steps, rigour and the resulting categories of survivors' suffering ('overwhelmed by losses', 'relational disruption', 'living a forced identity' and 'denial of justice and equity') are discussed in the light of the damage a disaster causes to survivors' experiences of self and social worlds.

Antigen identification is an important step in the vaccine development process. Computational approaches including deep learning systems can play an important role in the identification of vaccine targets using genomic and proteomic information. Here, we present a new computational system to discover and analyse novel vaccine targets leading to the design of a multi-epitope subunit vaccine candidate. The system incorporates reverse vaccinology and immuno-informatics tools to screen genomic and proteomic datasets of several pathogens such as Trypanosoma cruzi, Plasmodium falciparum, and Vibrio cholerae to identify potential vaccine candidates (PVC). Further, as a case study, we performed a detailed analysis of the genomic and proteomic dataset of T. cruzi (CL Brenner and Y strain) to shortlist eight proteins as possible vaccine antigen candidates using properties such as secretory/surface-exposed nature, low transmembrane helix (< 2), essentiality, virulence, antigenic, and non-homology with host/gut flora proteins. Subsequently, highly antigenic and immunogenic MHC class I, MHC class II and B cell epitopes were extracted from top-ranking vaccine targets. The designed vaccine construct containing 24 epitopes, 3 adjuvants, and 4 linkers was analysed for its physicochemical properties using different tools, including docking analysis. Immunological simulation studies suggested significant levels of T-helper, T-cytotoxic cells, and IgG1 will be elicited upon administration of such a putative multi-epitope vaccine construct. The vaccine construct is predicted to be soluble, stable, non-allergenic, non-toxic, and to offer cross-protection against related Trypanosoma species and strains. Further, studies are required to validate safety and immunogenicity of the vaccine.

More than 4,000 families of the Muslim community in the state of Gujarat in India have been facing internal displacement after a communal riot broke out in 2002. Many of them have also been facing bereavement and trauma due to loss of family members and/or sexual assault during the riot. Using innovative qualitative methods, this study explored the experiences of trauma reactions, social suffering, and healing among the children of these families in the Panchmahal district of Gujarat. Findings show the presence of experiences of trauma reactions (trauma specific fear and posttraumatic stress symptoms, such as avoidance and sleep disturbance) and social suffering (loneliness, separation from loved ones, and deprivation) among these children. Findings also show the experiences of healing (support through relatedness, guided by religious values, and harmonious thoughts and experiences) among children, as facilitated by their socio-religious values and the emotionally supportive environment they are receiving at their school. Implications of the findings are discussed in terms of further psycho-social care needed by children such as these.

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Chia (Salvia hispanica L.), a member of the mint family (Lamiaceae), is a rediscovered crop with great importance in health and nutrition and is also the highest known terrestrial plant source of heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acid, alpha linolenic acid (ALA). At present, there is no public genomic information or database available for this crop, hindering research on its genetic improvement through genomics-assisted breeding programs. The first comprehensive analysis of the global transcriptome profile of developing Salvia hispanica L. seeds, with special reference to lipid biosynthesis is presented in this study. RNA from five different stages of seed development was extracted and sequenced separately using the Illumina GAIIx platform. De novo assembly of processed reads in the pooled transcriptome using Trinity yielded 76,014 transcripts. The total transcript length was 66,944,462 bases (66.9 Mb), with an average length of approximately 880 bases. In the molecular functions category of Gene Ontology (GO) terms, ATP binding and nucleotide binding were found to be the most abundant and in the biological processes category, the metabolic process and the regulation of transcription-DNA-dependent and oxidation-reduction process were abundant. From the EuKaryotic Orthologous Groups of proteins (KOG) classification, the major category was “Metabolism” (31.97%), of which the most prominent class was ‘carbohydrate metabolism and transport’ (5.81% of total KOG classifications) followed by ‘secondary metabolite biosynthesis transport and catabolism’ (5.34%) and ‘lipid metabolism’ (4.57%). A majority of the candidate genes involved in lipid biosynthesis and oil accumulation were identified. Furthermore, 5596 simple sequence repeats (SSRs) were identified. The transcriptome data was further validated through confirmative PCR and qRT-PCR for select lipid genes. Our study provides insight into the complex transcriptome and will contribute to further genome-wide research and understanding of chia. The identified novel UniGenes will facilitate gene discovery and creation of genomic resource for this crop.