North 24-Parganas Research Articles

Women Empowerment in West Bengal: Issues and Challenges - An Ethnographic Study

Preamble: This research paper exhibits an exclusive picture of ethnography and the detailed elaborative description of different aspects of empowerment of women through self-help groups in West Bengal. Objectives: This research work was confined to twelve selected SHGs from two villages of North 24-parganas, West Bengal. From January 2013 to January 2015, she collected enormous level of information of eighty (80) selected women from twelve self-help groups. Main aims and objectives of the present research is to measure the empowerment of women through the parameters of SHGs as prevalent among the rural women of West Bengal. Methods: Case-studies is one of the most important methods of ethnography. Here, the ethnographer depicts some significant cases of empowerment of women of respective self-help groups through the help of some ethnographic methods like participant observation, in-depth interview and obviously case study. Findings: Pictures of different levels of empowerment i.e., Economic, Social and Political is seen in this ethnographic account. In North 24-pargana district, Shibdaspur Gram Panchayet consists basically maximum number of Muslim SHG members. For this reason, rate of Political Empowerment among SHG women is very low in those areas. But, the result of Economic Empowerment as well as Social Empowerment is satisfactory

Studies on Diversity of Bacterial Diseases and Occupational Risks through Mudcrab Aquaculture in West Bengal

In West Bengal, the two most tradable species of mud crab (Scylla sp.) are available due to high market demand in local as well as foreign markets. Scylla sp. is an important (ecological, nutritional, and economical) bioresource in India including West Bengal. Juveniles and adult mud crabs are selectively collected by coastal area common people or fisherpersons for culturing in ponds and crabs are traded locally or internationally. Different coastal districts’ people of West Bengal, mainly North-24 Parganas, South-24 Parganas, and Midnapur are inextricably linked to the crab as being culture that serves as their alternative occupation/livelihood. Various bacteria are recorded as related to mud crab as being infections. Some of the bacteria may transmit from mud crabs to humans and cause mainly gastric-related diseases and septicemia by the transmission of virulent genes and microbes from unsafe water to the crab and then to humans. Such pathogenic infections like vibriosis without proper treatment can result in mass mortality of Scylla sp. The potential for disease transmission to people from mud crabs has been demonstrated by a number of significant variables and the water surrounding them. Eating raw or undercooked crab, ingesting water or other substances contaminated with infected crab excrement or mucus, and coming into touch with the infectious agent through open wounds or contact skin scratches or abrasions are the main sources of bacterial infections. It is reported that bacteria transferred by consuming contaminated water with infected organisms or handling are more than 10%. Crab fisherpersons and farmers, in general, have less environmental awareness, and scientific-based knowledge and for this reason, they face various types of occupational hazards including zoonotic septicemia. The present article investigates the distribution of different zoonotic bacteria and their potential threats, both for mud crabs and the human population.

Performance Evaluation of CRIJAF Nail Weeder in Jute Growing Areas of North 24 Parganas District of West Bengal

The study is based on the result of 153 front line demonstrations carried out by ICAR-Central Research Institute for Jute and Allied Fibres, Barrackpore in North 24-Parganas district during 2017-18 and 2018-19 on mechanical weed management through CRIJAF Nail weeder. The FLD on weed management through CRIJAF nail weeder was carried out to show reduction in cost of cultivation due to less labour requirement as compared to conventional practices as well as enhancement in yield. The demonstration yield was increased by 12.11 per cent over the local check. The average extension gap, technology gap and technology index were 360.50 kg/ha, 559.50 kg/ha and 14.38 during the period under study. On an average, the demonstrated fi eld gave higher net returns (Rs. 87337 / ha) and benefi t: cost ratio (2.37) compared to the local checks. It clearly showed that adoption of improved agro-technology can boost the economics of jute growers.

Spatio-temporal dynamics of temperature and rainfall across jute growing districts of India

Climate variations in relation to meteorological variables has received global attention and thus study of the spatiotemporal dynamics of temperature, rainfall is the central process to assess climate-induced changes and advocate feasible adaptation strategies. The present study examines changes in rainfall and temperature over 5 important jute growing districts of West Bengal, India. Both rainfall and temperature trend for period of 1980-2019 were analysed using Mann-Kendall test and Sen's slope estimator. Analysis of the data for 39 years revealed that while Howrah and Hooghly district had decreasing rainfall trend, Burdwan and Nadia districts showed increasing trend of rainfall during jute growing period. North-24 Parganas recorded negative rainfall trend. Compared with rainfall, lesser variability of temperature was recorded for all the districts except Burdwan. The positive Sen’s Slope exhibited by Nadia and North-24 Parganas showed an increasing temperature trend. The results herein suggests that jute sowing should be done by March end-April to take advantage of the optimum temperature (25-35 °C) and rainfall due to Norwesters. Thus, studying spatio- temporal dynamics of temperature and rainfall across jute growing states of West Bengal will be helpful for climate change adaptation and successful cropping.

Food Chain Arsenic: Additional body burden on health of arsenic

Introduction
 
 
 Arsenic: The king of poisons, the poisons of kings, and the bane of investigators1. The IARC2 has classified arsenic as a group 1 human carcinogen. Chronic exposure to inorganic arsenic can cause cancerous2-5 and non-cancerous health hazards6,7 in humans. Arsenic can get entry into the human body via drinking water, eating food, inhaling dust, and/or ingesting soil.
 
 In arsenic affected areas of West Bengal-India and Bangladesh huge quantity of arsenic is falling on agricultural land. A study in West Bengal-India reported that in a 201 km2 area of the Deganga block in the arsenic-affected district of North 24-Parganas, 6.4 tons of arsenic is falling on agricultural land in one year from 3200 contaminated tube wells for agricultural irrigation8. They expect tons of arsenic is coming with underground water in the arsenic affected areas of West Bengal-India and Bangladesh and falling on irrigated land. Thus, it is expected arsenic is entering the food chain.
 
 
 
 
 
 Figure. Using tube well water for agricultural irrigation.
 
 Rice and vegetable are the staple food for poor villagers of West Bengal, India and Bangladesh. This is true for the villagers in Kolsur gram-panchayet (G.P.) in Deganga block of North 24-Parganas district, West Bengal-India, where a group of researchers studied for arsenic in soil, rice, and vegetables from fields cultivated with arsenic contaminated water. From the results of total arsenic (drinking water + rice + vegetables + Pantavat + water added for food preparation) body burden to North Kolsur villagers [1185.0 µg for per adult per day and 653.2 µg for per child (around 10 years) per day], as the amount of arsenic coming from rice, vegetables, and water added for Pantavat and food preparation is 485 µg i.e., 41% of total for adult and 253.2 µg i.e., 38.8% for child and from rice and vegetable 285 µg i.e., 24% of total for adult and 153.2 µg i.e., 23.4% for child9-11. Their findings show most of the arsenic coming from food is inorganic in nature10. They reported that 95% and 5% of the arsenic are inorganic arsenic and methylated arsenic in rice, and 96% and 4% are inorganic arsenic and methylated arsenic in vegetables, respectively10.
 
 According to WHO12 1.0 µg of inorganic arsenic per day may give rise to skin effects within a few years.
 It has been estimated that based upon the current U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standard of 50 µg/L, the lifetime risk of dying from cancer of the liver, lung, kidney, or bladder, from drinking 1 liter per day of water could be as high as 13 per 1000 persons13. Using the same methods, the risk estimate for 500 µgL of arsenic in drinking water would be 13 per 100 persons14. In its latest document on arsenic in drinking water, the U.S. National Research Council (NRC) concluded that exposure to 50 µg/L could easily result in a combined cancer risk15 of 1 in 100. Comparing to the WHO, EPA, and NRC document with arsenic burden to Kolsur villagers from water and food it appears that Kolsur villagers’ risk of suffering from arsenical skin effect and cancer is there. Compared to worldwide arsenic consumption from food, it appears Kolsur villagers are also consuming high amount of inorganic arsenic from food and vegetables. Kolsur village is an example of many such villages in West Bengal-India and Bangladesh.
 Furthermore, products from arsenic irrigated water- soil system rich in arsenic are also coming to common marketplace far away from contaminated areas and even people who are not drinking arsenic contaminated water may get arsenic from food products produced from contaminated fields. In West Bengal-India and Bangladesh rice, vegetables, and other products are coming to cities (including Kolkata in West Bengal-India and Dhaka in Bangladesh) from villages and possibility that city people consuming arsenic contaminated products from contaminated areas cannot be ruled out.

The acceptance of mLearning amongst the suburban college students: A micro-level study in North 24 Pargana of West Bengla

The revolution of mobile phones is not merely limited to calling or texting; it has reached almost every sphere of humankind. In this 21st century, studies have claimed that mobile phones' accessibility is comparatively higher than the toilet. Nearly 6 billion people worldwide now are accessing a working mobile handset (UNESCO, 2014). The ubiquitous use of mobile phones brings mobility to its users and helps them accept this ICT based technology worldwide. This new technology of communication also has a remarkable contribution to the educational sector. Its real-time communication makes learning effortless and congenial to the potential learners. This study will explore mobile-based learning technology among the higher education aspirants of suburban colleges in North 24parganas of West Bengal. Suburban students are not getting the same facilitates as metro city students. Besides that, suburban culture and social taboos sometimes make problems to use or access mobile phones by students. However, this will not be focused on the comparison between metro city students and suburban students. Moreover, this study will focus on the usage of mobile phones among suburban college students and to what extent these students are comfortable with the mobile learning method. M-learning or mobile-based learning is "learning across multiple contexts, through social and content interactions, using personal electronic devices" (M-Learning: Revision History - Wikipedia, 2020). The benefits of mLearning not only accepted by the students and educational institutions also the Indian higher education departments now have concentrated on this technology for its mass availability, user-friendly access, instantaneous sharing capacity, personalized uses, and Running connectivity. In the future, the limitations and barriers of learning can be overcome through mLearning technology.

Elders suffering recurrent injurious falls: causal analysis from a rural tribal community in the eastern part of India.

Falls among the elderly are prevalent but preventable. There is a knowledge gap regarding the factors causing recurrent injurious falls among the elderly, especially in tribal areas. The aim of the present study was to find out the incidence of injurious falls among elderly participants and measure the effect of selected predictors on recurrent injurious falls. A longitudinal observational study was conducted among 536 community-dwelling elderly individuals residing in 16 tribal dominated villages under two community development blocks of North 24-Parganas, West Bengal, India from December 2017 to January 2019. Participants were followed up for 1 year. The predictors of recurrent injurious falls were assessed through Prentice, Williams and Peterson Gap Time hazard model. The mean age of the participants at the baseline was 69.16 (±2.95) years. The majority were male (55.60%), with sedentary physical activity (49.63%). At baseline, history of injurious fall in the preceding 1 year was present in 37.69% of participants. At baseline, 53.17% had malnutrition and 54.29% were dependent on caregivers for activities of daily living. During the follow-up period there were 153 episodes of injurious falls. The incidence of fall was 29.88 episodes per 100 person-years. History of fall had a hazard ratio of 2.33 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.01-5.38). The hazard ratios for malnutrition, impaired balance and faster walking speed respectively were 1.20 (95%CI: 1.01-3.60), 5.96 (95%CI: 3.52-6.34) and 3.23 (95%CI: 2.12-5.26), and were statistically significant. Physical status indicators such as nutritional status, balance and walking speed appeared to be key factors contributing to recurrent injurious falls. Proper nutrition, and regular check-up and rehabilitative measures, are needed to reduce recurrent falls.

Mapping and monitoring of land use dynamics with their change hotspot in North 24-Parganas district, India: a geospatial- and statistical-based approach

Interlinking between anthropogenic activities and natural environment can be monitored through the changing pattern of land use dynamics. The present research has been completed with the amalgamation of Geographical Information System (GIS) and statistical techniques in Sundarbans contiguity North 24 Parganas district. This study aims towards unveiling the existing land use/land cover and their recent transformation pattern, rate and their change ‘hotspot’ over the entire 27-year period. In this study, integration of supervised maximum likelihood classification approach (MLCA) and post-classification comparison approach (PCCA) have been used for accumulating the dynamic information regarding the land use dynamics. The result undoubtedly indicates that the built-up area had been drastically increased and vegetation area had been extremely decreased. Transition matrix shows that the maximum agricultural land was converted into a built-up area and water bodies at the same time agriculture have lost maximum area and built up gained maximum area. However, Moran’s I and Getis–Ord (Gi*) statistic indicate that most of the hotspot have been found in built-up area spacially in the western and south-western part of the district. The overall accuracy of the classification is an acceptable range (> 85%). Finally, this study concludes, the present trend of existing land use and land cover should be monitored for the preservation of standing vegetation, control the lopsided growth of built-up area and natural resource to maintain the natural ecosystem. The potential transformation among the land use classes is imperative towards the planning for sustainable land resource management, appropriate land use for the exact purpose, and potential development in this area.

Impact of Land-Use/Land-Cover Change on Land Surface Temperature Using Satellite Data: A Case Study of Rajarhat Block, North 24-Parganas District, West Bengal

Increase in land surface temperature (LST) of growing urban areas in the current global warming scenario is a cause of concern for city planners. This study discusses the impact of land-use/land-cover (LULC) change on LST of the area in and around Rajarhat block, North 24-Parganas District, West Bengal, covering an area of 165 km2. Multi-spectral and multi-temporal satellite data from Landsat 5 TM (1990), Landsat 8 OLI (2016) and Sentinel 2A (2016) are used for the LULC mapping, and thermal infrared data from Landsat 5 TM and Landsat 8 TIRS (2016) are used for estimating the LST of 1990 and 2016. Results show that land-use pattern in November has changed in Rajarhat from 1990 to 2016: 13 km2 of vegetation cover lost due to urbanization; 9.3 km2 of open land converted to agricultural land and open fields/parks; 1.4 km2 of aquaculture ponds converted to tree cover/scrublands and 1.45 km2 of lakes/ponds filled up. Loss of vegetation (scrubland and tree) cover resulted in LST rise by about 1.5 °C. Aquaculture ponds have the ability to resist the rise in LST since the increase in temperature of this class is only 0.24 °C due to increase in its area. This change in land-use pattern over 26 years has increased the LST by 0.94 °C. The urban-heat-island (UHI) phenomenon has also increased. The area of the ‘strongest’ heat-island phenomenon, as per UTVFI classification scheme, has increased by 20.1 km2. Positive correlation is observed between NDBI and LST’s of urban areas (r = 0.002 for 1990 and r = 0.047 for 2016) which suggests that urbanization is responsible for the rise in LST. The NCEP NOAA surface temperature model suggests that the long-term trends in the rise in maximum LST over Rajarhat is about 1 °C from January 1990 to November 2016 with 90% confidence level validating the extracted LST data from satellites. Sustainable urban planning is required to arrest the rise in LST which includes urban forestry, construction of water bodies and fountains, preserving existing aquaculture ponds and reducing construction activities.

Heavy Metal Residues in Soil and Water of North-24 Parganas (West Bengal) and its Relation to Chevon quality

Heavy metal toxicity is a major form of environmental pollution. Their tendency for bio-accumulation and bio-magnification in the food chain affects human health. An investigation was carried out in North-24-Parganas of West Bengal . Soil, water and chevon samples were collected from targeted areas over a span of six months and were analyzed for the presence of lead, arsenic, iron and zinc applying atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Soil samples revealed high concentration of iron and zinc whereas water samples indicated high concentration of iron and arsenic. These levels did not impact the overall edible quality of meat because concentration of lead and arsenic were Below Detection Limits and concentration of iron and zinc were mostly below maximum permissible limit. Thus advocating, chevon from goats reared in areas having high heavy metal residual content is largely with in acceptable limits, however continuing elevation of levels may cause reverse impact in future.

Association between Obesity and Oral Health Status in Schoolchildren: A Survey in Five Districts of West Bengal, India

IntroductionChildhood obesity, dental caries, and periodontal disease are major public health problems due to their adverse impact on the growth and development of children. Obesity and oral health are associated as both share some common risk factors.AimThe specific aim of the study was to determine the correlation, if there is any, between obesity and oral health in children.Materials and methodsA cross-sectional survey was conducted in five districts of West Bengal, India. A total of 1,227 school-going children of 6 to 12 years were examined from the districts of Howrah, Hooghly, West Midnapore, South 24-parganas, and North 24-parganas. Following indices were analyzed: Decayed-missing-filled teeth (DMFT), decayed, extracted, filled teeth (deft), simplified oral hygiene index (OHI-S). Depending on their nutritional status, subjects were categorized as being normal weight, overweight, and obese. Logistic regression analysis were applied to the study to find out the association between the above-mentioned dental indices and independent variables: Gender and nutritional status.ResultA positive association was found between obesity and oral health status in children.ConclusionConsidering the results of this study, it was concluded that obesity is related to oral hygiene status of children. In order to improve oral hygiene status in children, dietary modifications need to be done.How to cite this article: Halder S, Kaul R, Angrish P, Saha S, Bhattacharya B, Mitra M. Association between Obesity and Oral Health Status in Schoolchildren: A Survey in Five Districts of West Bengal, India. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2018;11(3):233-237.

DESCRIPTION OF FOUR NEW SPECIES OF SENGA (PLATYHELMINTHES: CESTOIDEA) FROM FRESHWATER FISHES OF INDIA

The genus Senga6 contains 47 valid species. Four new species of Senga6, reported from India.Senga kakdwipensis sp.nov. collected from the intestine of a freshwater fish, Mastacembelus armatus from Kakdwip, South 24-Parganas, West Bengal; Senga bengalensis sp.nov. collected from the freshwater fish, Mastacembelus armatus from Hasnabad, North 24-Parganas, West Bengal; Senga orissaensis sp.nov. collected from the intestine of a freshwater fish, Channa punctatus from Puri district of Orissa and Senga nagalandensis sp.nov. collected from the intestine of a freshwater fish Colisa fasciata from Mokokchung district of Nagaland. Senga kakdwipensis sp.nov. characterized by a triangular scolex, 0.115-0.56 in length and 0.275-0.08 in breadth ; absence of neck; rostellar hooks arranged in a single circle, 46-56 in number and testes 45-48 in number. Senga bengalensis sp.nov. characterized by a triangular scolex, 0.23-0.445 in length and 0.085-0.27 in breadth; a pair of fleshy bothria present; rostellar hooks 48-50 in number of two different sizes arranged in two semicircles; presence of neck; testes 50-60 in number.Senga orissaensis sp.nov. characterized by a pear-shaped scolex that measures 0.1 in length and 0.2 in breadth; rostellar hooks 54 in number arranged in two semicircles; presence of short apical disc; short neck present; testes 39-40 in number. Senga nagalandensis sp.nov. characterized by an ovoid scolex with a pair of fleshy half-moon-shaped bothria, measures 0.45 x 0.35; apical disc present and is provided with 46 unequal rostellar hooks arranged in a single circle; neck absent; testes are 60-70 in number. The presence of these new morphological characters differentiates the three observed new species from the rest of the described species in the genus.

Current status of arsenic contamination in drinking water and treatment practice in some rural areas of West Bengal, India

The aim of the present investigation was to draw the current scenario of arsenic (As) contamination in drinking water of community tube well and drinking water treated by tube wells installed with different adsorbent media-based treatment plants in districts Nadia, Hooghly and North 24-Parganas districts, West Bengal, India. As removal efficiencies of different treatment plants varied from 23 to 71%, which is largely governed by adsorption capacity of adsorbent and influencing environmental factors. Though investigated treatment plants removed substantial amount of As from tube well water, high As concentration in treated drinking water was retained after passing through the treatment plants. This high level of As concentration in tube well water and retention of high As concentration in treated drinking water were severe for the consumers which therefore, indicating the improvement of removal efficiency of treatment plant by meticulously considering favorable influencing factors or/and application of other high capacity treatment alternatives to adsorb the excess As retained in drinking water and regular monitoring of As concentration in the treated drinking water are indispensable.

District-wise trend analysis of rainfall pattern in last century (1901-2000) over Gangetic region in West Bengal, India

The aim of the present study was to estimate long-term trend in the amount of rainfall for Gangetic West Bengal (GWB) meteorological sub-division of India and each of the 13 districts under GWB separately. Monthly rainfall time series data of 100 years (1901-2000) were analyzed to measure monotonous trend of rainfall employing Sen’s slope estimator. Statistical significance of the trend was determined using non-parametric Mann-Kendall test. An important result derived from the analysis was that the GWB sub-division and South 24 Parganas (S24P) district showed significant increasing trend (mm/year) of annual rainfall measuring 2.025 and 4.99 respectively. An inclining trend of monsoon precipitation, which was significant, found in four districts viz. Bankura, North 24 Parganas (N24P), S24P and West Midnapore along with GWB itself. A major finding of the study revealed that six districts and GWB had significant increasing trend in September rainfall with a maximum value of 1.324 mm/year in S24P district. Contribution of rainfall in October and post-monsoon season as well increased considerably in Kolkata and S24P districts while in December, similar trend was observed for Birbhum and Howrah districts. Murshidabad, S24P and East Midnapore districts experienced significant rising trend of precipitation in July, August and November respectively. On the contrary, Burdwan and Nadia districts, in the month of May and pre-monsoon season, had considerable declining trend of rainfall. Significant decreasing trend (mm/year) of precipitation, a concern for Nadia district, with magnitude of 0.127 and 0.293, was observed in the months of March and April respectively.

A Study on the Conch Shell Industry in West Bengal

From time immemorial, West Bengal has been famous in the field of conch shell handicrafts. The gifted artisans produce wonderful objects of craft from conch shell materials. Their rare artistic skills have been streamlined in manufacturing exquisite household pieces. The present paper focused on identifying the present condition of the conch shell industry in the state, and the challenges faced by the artisans for continuing their handicraft work. The research paper is based on primary survey of 240 household conch shell units in four districts of West Bengal namely North 24-Parganas, Purba Medinipur, Paschim Medinipur, and Bankura. The paper tried to identify the major problems faced by the craftsmen in the industry. The survey revealed that irregularity in the supply and continuous increase in prices of raw materials and monopoly of raw material suppliers caused great frustration to many household entrepreneurs. The study also found that despite the poor conditions of artisans, the conch shell industry still plays an important role in creating artistic value for the artisans by maintaining and carrying forward the cultural and religious legacy of the conch shells and also generates livelihood through creation of employment and income for the artisans.

Assessment of hydrogeochemistry and the quality of groundwater in 24-Parganas districts, West Bengal

Hydrogeochemistry of an area helps in understanding the geological processes which control the chemistry of water and play an important role in determining the suitability of groundwater for various purposes. In the present study, an attempt has been made to understand the geological processes controlling the quality of water in a part of North and South 24-Parganas districts of West Bengal. 39 representative groundwater samples were collected from the study area and physico-chemical parameters were analyzed for all the samples. Schoeller and Durov diagram were used to understand the hydrochemical nature of water. Results obtained from water chemistry were used in the interpretation of controlling processes using different conventional graphs, and determining the quality of groundwater. Silicate weathering and ion exchange are the dominant processes controlling the chemistry of groundwater in the study area, where calcium and magnesium in the water are replaced by the sodium and potassium in the minerals from the host rock as chloro-alkaline indices are negative at most of the places. Saturation index was calculated to understand the mineralogy of the subsurface. The groundwater is oversaturated with iron containing minerals like Fe(OH)3, goethite, and hematite, while undersaturated with anhydrite and gypsum. The groundwater suitability was determined by calculating water quality index for drinking purpose; while SAR, and residual sodium carbonate indices for the agricultural purpose. The groundwater in the study area is not suitable for drinking, but can be used for other household use and in irrigation for agriculture.

Lipid and fatty acid compositions of a trematode, Isoparorchis hypselobagri Billet, 1898 (Digenea: Isoparorchiidae) infecting swim bladder of Wallago attu in the district North 24-Parganas of West Bengal.

Lipid classes and fatty acid compositions of a digenetic trematode, Isoparorchis hypselobagri inhabiting swim bladder of Wallago attu were analyzed by TLC and GLC. The total lipid (TL) and percent content of neutral lipid (NL, 61.59), glycolipid (GL, 19.78) and phospholipid (PL, 18.62) were recorded. The total lipid is 3.81% of the wet weight of the body tissue. The total percent of saturates, monoenes, dienes and polyenes in TL, NL, GL, and PL of the parasite were 52.0, 49.7, 57.9, 61.5; 31.7, 31.8, 33.1, 26.3; 5.7, 5.7, 4.7, 4.2; as well as 10.33, 12.6, 4.3, 7.4 respectively. Diunsaturated fatty acids were present in low amount. Palmitic 16:0 (among all saturates) and oleic 18:1ω9 (among all unsaturates) acids were the predominant fatty acids in the parasite recorded.

Seasonality of tuberculosis in rural West Bengal: A time series analysis

Background: There is a recent concern about the global climatic change that is expected to have broad health impacts. The health effects of extreme weather events include a spectrum of wide variety of impacts. According to a study in Northern India, tuberculosis (TB) diagnosis peaked between April and June, and it reached a nadir between October and December. However, no seasonality was reported from South India. Aims: This study is aimed to assess the seasonality of TB in rural West Bengal and to develop a univariate time series model. Settings and Design: Retrospective record-based study was carried out at Amdanga tuberculosis unit (TU), North 24-parganas, West Bengal. Materials and Methods: A total of 1507 new TB cases were registered in the TB register of the TU during January-2008 to December-2011 period were taken for this study. Statistical Analysis: Seasonal adjusted factor (SAF), autocorrelation function (ACF), partial autocorrelation function (PACF), and seasonal autoregressive integrated moving average (SARIMA) methods were applied by using the SPSS 16.0 version. Results: ACF and PACF at lag 12 shows significant pick suggesting seasonal component of the TB series. SAF showed peak seasonal variation from March to June and nadir from October to December in additive model. Univariate model by expert-modeler in the SPSS showed SARIMA ((0,0,0)(1,2,0) 12 could best predict the model with 54.3% variability. Conclusion: A seasonal pattern of TB was observed. This information would be usefulfor administration and managers to take extra care to arrange and provide extra facilities during the peak seasons.

Impact of Frontline Demonstrations on Jute (Corchorus olitorius)

In order to increase production and productivity of jute (Corchorus olitorius) by adopting improved production technologies, several frontline demonstrations (FLDs) on jute with package technologies were conducted by Central Research Institute for Jute and Allied Fibres (CRIJAF), Barrackpore during 1996 to 2005 i n eight different villages of North 24-Parganas and Hooghly districts of West Bengal. A study on impact of the demonstrations on the farmers' behaviour was conducted. Results of the study revealed that demonstrated technologies increased the fibre yield of jute by 4.45 q ha-1 over the farmer's practice (25.10 q ha -1), the post-demonstration yield was 29.55 q ha -1 as the farmers adopted many components of the technology package that were used in demonstrations. Economic surplus from increased production of jute fibre by about 4.45 q ha -1 provided additional Rs. 5570 ha-1 to the farmers. The results further indicated that additional income that accrued due to increased harvest of jute by adopting improved practices was utilized by the farmers by increasing expenditure by about 50%, on food, health care of the family members, education of children, and purcha se of farm implements or essential items and attending social and entertainment programmes. Impact of the demonstrated technologies to increase fibre yield of jute by contact farmers up to 3 q ha -1 in nearby villages within radius of three to seven km distance from the adopted villages was also found. A definite impact of the FLDs was thus observed.

A Study on Factors Influencing the Adoption Behaviour of Fish Farmers with Special Reference to Scientific Fish Culture in West Bengal, India

This paper analyses the factors influencing adoption behaviour of fish farmers towards scientific fish culture practices in North 24-Parganas district of West Bengal for the data pertaining to the years 2005 to 2008. The data were collected through interview method following a structured schedule from 120 fish farmers selected randomly. Both qualitative and quantitative variables were used for getting results on adoption technique. The findings revealed that the majority of the farmers have obtained medium adoption score (76.57). Twelve variables were found positively and significantly related to adoption level of fish farmers and only two variables (age and caste) were negatively and significantly related. All the psychological variables (except credit orientation), communication variables, occupation, land holding (socio-economic) and size of water body and duration of water availability (situational variables) had positive significant correlation. Most of the socio-personal, socio-economic and situational variables have no bearings with adoption. Technique of Path analysis showed that extension agency contact exhibited highest positive direct effect on adoption behaviour followed by innovative proneness, occupation, economic motivation, knowledge about scientific fish culture. Among the total indirect effects, the highest and lowest impacts were received from the variables cosmopoliteness and caste respectively. Majority of the substantial indirect effects were channelized through economic motivation, family type, occupation, extension agency contact, knowledge and innovative proneness.