North-Eastern Hill University Research Articles

Status of Accredited Colleges affiliated to North-Eastern Hill University in Meghalaya

Status of Accredited Colleges affiliated to North-Eastern Hill University in Meghalaya

Safety Evaluation of a Traditional Medicinal Plant, <i>Flemingia vestita</i> Benth and Hooker in Swiss Albino Mice: An Acute and Sub-acute Toxicity Study

Acute and sub-acute oral toxicity assessment of Flemingia vestita root-peel extract was performed in Swiss albino mice as per OECD guidelines 425 and 407. In acute toxicity test, mice were administered extract doses of 175, 550, and 1760 mg/ kg body weight (b.w.), and finally, 2000 mg/kg b.w., limit dose. The treated animals were observed for adverse signs or mortality for 14 days. In the sub-acute toxicity study, mice were divided into seven groups (n = 5). Animals in group one served as control, while group five received acetaminophen to act as positive control. Groups two, three and four of animals were given 75, 150 and 300 mg/kg doses of extract for 28 days. Animals in groups six and seven served as the satellite groups for 300 mg/kg and acetaminophen-treated groups for another two weeks to monitor any delayed effects or reversal from adverse effects. The study was approved by the Member-Secretary and the Chairman, Institutional Ethics Committee (Animal Models) of North-Eastern Hill University, Shillong vide letter number: IEC/MS/Misc./08/dated September 26, 2019. Body weight, relative organ weight, haematological and biochemical parameters, and histopathology of the liver, kidney, intestine and spleen of animals were studied. No adverse effects or mortality of animals was observed at 2000 mg/kg b.w., limit dose. The LD50 of the extract was estimated to be greater than 2000 mg/kg. In a sub-acute toxicity study, a 300 mg/kg dose showed a noticeable decrease in food, water consumption, and body weight. Likewise, haematological observations revealed an increase in leukocyte count, and biochemical parameters showed an increase in aspartate aminotransferase in 300 mg/kg extract dose. In histopathological studies, mildly disrupted hepatocytes were observed in liver sections of high-dose treated mice. The findings suggest that F. vestita root-peel extract is safe for consumption but may cause mild toxicity at a high dose of 300 mg extract/kg b.w.

About the Authors

Other| April 01 2023 About the Authors Journal of Animal Ethics (2023) 13 (1): 108–110. https://doi.org/10.5406/21601267.13.1.19 Cite Icon Cite Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Permissions Search Site Citation About the Authors. Journal of Animal Ethics 1 April 2023; 13 (1): 108–110. doi: https://doi.org/10.5406/21601267.13.1.19 Download citation file: Zotero Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All Scholarly Publishing CollectiveUniversity of Illinois PressJournal of Animal Ethics Search Advanced Search damiano benvegnù is a senior lecturer at Dartmouth College and an associate fellow of the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics. In 2022, Benvegnù’s environmental humanities projects were awarded with an ACLS Fellowship and a NEH Digital Project for the Public Grant. He is the author of Animals and Animality in Primo Levi's Works (Palgrave Macmillan, 2018). Research interests include environmental humanities, posthumanism, ecocriticism, and critical animal studies. Email: damiano.benvegnu@dartmouth.eduivy borgohain is a junior research fellow of the Indian Council of Philosophical Research. She is working toward her PhD at the Department of Philosophy, North-Eastern Hill University, Shillong, India. Her research work is titled “Neo-Vaiṣṇavism of Assam and Animal Rights: A Critical Study.” Her research interests include animal ethics, Indian philosophy, and religion. Email: b.ivygohain@gmail.comsean butler is director of the Cambridge Centre for Animal Rights Law and a fellow of St. Edmund's College, Cambridge, where he teaches animal rights... You do not currently have access to this content.

First report of Diaporthe tulliensis causing leaf spot of betel vine

The betel vine (Piper betle) is grown in protected areas under the humid and shaded conditions required for the plant's growth. This damp, shady environment favours the spread of numerous diseases, particularly leaf spot disease (Chattopadhayay & Maity, 1990). During 2019–2022, diseased betel leaves were collected from the East Khasi Hills and Ri Bhoi districts of Meghalaya, India. The leaves had spots that were irregular in shape and size, light to dark brown and surrounded by a chlorotic yellow halo, which gradually spread to the leaf centre followed by yellowing, drying and drooping of the whole leaf. An area of approximately of 8 m2 was affected and 5–20% of the plants had symptoms, depending on the year. The number of leaf spots increased with temperature and humidity. To identify the causal agent, lesions (5-10 mm in diameter) were cut from ten infected leaves (Figure 1), surface disinfected with 70% ethanol, rinsed three times in sterile distilled water and then plated on potato dextrose agar (PDA) amended with 30mg/ml of streptomycin sulphate. The same colony type was obtained from all leaves which was white producing yellowish-green pigments and the reverse olive green to brown after seven days (Figure 2A-B) and after 30 days of incubation at 30°C, produced semi-immersed black pycnidial conidiomata which exuded pale yellow to black conidial droplets (Figure 2C). The α-conidia were one to two-celled, hyaline, oval to fusiform, guttulate and 5.3 × 2.5 μm (Figure 2D), conidiophores hyaline but no β- and γ-conidia were observed (Li et al., 2022), and conidiogenous cells were hyaline and septate (Figure 2E-F). The identification of the fungus was confirmed by sequence analysis using ITS1 and ITS4 primers (White et al., 1990) (GenBank Accession No. OQ402579). BLAST analysis showed 100% identity with sequences of Diaporthe tulliensis (e.g. MN911384). In phylogenetic analysis, the isolate in the current study clustered with D. tulliensis using the neighbour-joining method, showing 100% identity (Figure 3). To confirm pathogenicity, the isolate was grown in potato dextrose broth at 28°C for seven days, then inoculated onto five healthy betel leaves using pin-prick inoculation with 10 μl spore suspension (1×105 spores/ml). The untreated control did not show any symptoms, however, the inoculated plants had brown necrotic spots followed by yellowing after four days (Figure 4). On PDA, cultures isolated from infected plant leaf lesions exhibited the same morphology as D. tulliensis and similar conidia were discovered during microscopic analysis subsequently satisfying Koch's postulates. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of D. tulliensis as a fungal pathogen of betel leaves. Diaporthe tulliensis has been reported to cause leaf spots on coffee in China (Gorg et al., 2020) and on Parthenocissus tricuspidata in Taiwan (Huang et al., 2021), cacao pod rot in Puerto Rico (Serrato-Diaz et al., 2022), and stem canker of kiwifruit in China (Bai et al., 2017) and of jasmine in Taiwan (Hsu et al., 2023). The authors thank the Head of the Department of Botany, North-Eastern Hill University for providing laboratory facilities. The first author is also grateful to the Non-Net Fellowship, New Delhi, for financial support in the form of a research fellowship.

Standardization of jackfruit pickle based on traditional methods practiced by people of Garo Hills, Meghalaya

Jackfruit, which is nutritionally rich, is readily available in Garo Hills but is still underutilized and goes to waste every year. Preparation of pickle can make the fruit available throughout the year as well as minimise wastage. A study was conducted during 2018-19 in the Department of Horticulture, North-Eastern Hill University, Tura Campusto prepare jackfruit pickles using about 75 and 90 days old tender green jackfruits. Three methods were used in the preparation of pickles viz., traditional method (boiling the cut fruit pieces in water to soften them), modified method 1 (steam-heating the pieces in an autoclave for softening the pieces) and modified method 2 (sun-drying the fruit pieces for about 2 hours). Following these three methods, two recipe formulations were used for preparation of pickles, which were fixed by making slight modification to the traditional recipe. Storage studies were conducted of the prepared pickles at a bimonthly interval to study the changes in organoleptic properties and biochemical components. It was found that pickles made from tender jackfruit of about 75-90 days old using modified method 1 with either modified recipe 1 or modified recipe 2, were found to be best in terms of organoleptic properties, overall acceptability and consumer preference. Standardising the method with slight modification to the traditional unscientific method will help utilise the fruits to generate income, create employment as well as provide healthy dietary alternative to the common people.

Agro-morphological characterization of bottle gourd [Lagenaria siceraria (Mol.) Standl.] germplasms in Garo Meghalaya hills,

The field experiment was carried out at Horticulture Farm, Department of Horticulture, North Eastern Hill University to evaluate bottle gourd germplasms for horticultural traits and to identify superior genotypes in 30 local bottle gourd genotypes during 2018 and 2019. The experiment was conducted using a randomized block design with three replications. The germplasm lines have been collected from places of Garo Hills districts of Meghalaya. The collected accessions exhibited a wide range of morphological diversity for qualitative as well as for quantitative traits. The grand mean of yield of marketable fruit (kg/plant) was 32.39 kg with the lowest fruit yield/plant of 14.87 kg recorded in GHA-18 and the highest fruit yield of 63.74 kg, fruit yield/plant recorded in GHGA-8. A wide range of variation was recorded for all the characters which indicated that there was better scope for selection for the improvement of these characters.

“Researchers’ perceptions and awareness of predatory publishing: A survey”

ABSTRACT The term “Predatory” alludes to the assumption that these organizations prey on academics for financial gain by charging article processing charges (APC) while failing to meet scholarly publishing standards.Predatory publishing is a growing threat to the academic society. Considering this,the University Grants Commission (UGC),India’s statutory body for higher education,has responded by launching the University Grants Commission–Consortium for Academic Research and Ethics (UGC-CARE) list,which attempts to promote research quality,integration,and publication ethics.An online survey was undertaken to determine the perception and awareness of North Eastern Hill University’s researchers concerning predatory journals.A total of 160 respondents were recorded.The survey reveals that while the majority of participants (58.75%) were aware of predatory publications, a significant portion (41.25%) were not.It was found that a journal’s listing in UGC-CARE list is the most crucial factor in submitting an original manuscript for publication.Researchers,aware of the negative consequences of publishing in piracy-related publications,prefer not to submit their scientific work to such publishers as it risk tarnishing their reputation.As a result,research findings emphasize the necessity for awareness initiatives to educate researchers about predatory publications early in their academic careers.Research initiatives like the UGC-CARE list should be encouraged to minimize predatory publishing; promote quality and transparency in research. Abbreviation: NEHU- North Eastern Hill University, UGC- University Grants Commission, APC- Article Processing Charge, UGC-CARE- University Grants Commission - Consortium for Academic Research and Ethics, DOAJ- Directory of Open Access Journals, DOI - Digital Object Identifiers, API- Academic Performance Indicator

First report of Neodeightonia subglobosa causing leaf rot disease of betel leaf (Piper betle) in India

Betel vine (Piper betle) is one of the oldest agricultural crops that is still farmed commercially in India, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Taiwan and other southeast Asian nations (Punuri et al., 2012). Its leaves are used for chewing and for flavouring in cooking. In June to September 2022 betel leaves harvested in the districts of East Khasi Hills and Ri Bhoi in the state of Meghalaya, India were affected by a leaf rot disease. The leaf rot was more severe during rainy season than the dry season. Infection began with circular, dark brown spots which expanded in size (Figure 1), becoming wet and rotten under continuous high humid conditions causing defoliation. Significant losses (20-100%) of crops occurred in the field and during storage and transportation. Diseased leaves were surface sterilised for 60 seconds with sodium hypochlorite (0.5% v/v) and then rinsed three times with sterile distilled water. After placing the diseased leaves on potato dextrose agar, they were incubated at 28°C for 5 to 15 days. The colony morphology of the fungal isolates initially produced white mycelium, developing into an olivaceous-black colour after 10 to 15 days (Figure 2). Isolate NS1 had pseudoparaphyses that were hyphae-like, septate constricted at the septa (Figure 3a). Conidiogenous cells holoblastic, simple, hyaline (Figure 3b). Conidia spherical to ellipsoidal, pale (9−12 μm) (Figure 3c) as described by Punithalinga (1969). The identification of the isolated fungus was confirmed by sequence analysis using ITS1 and ITS4 primers (White et al., 1990) (GenBank Accession No. OP363241). BLAST analysis showed that the sequence had >99% identity with Neodeightonia subglobosa (KF66199.3). To confirm pathogenicity, the isolate was grown on potato dextrose broth at 28°C for five days, then inoculated onto healthy betel leaves using pin-prick inoculation with 10 μl spore suspensions (1 × 105 spores/ml) of the pathogen. Three days after inoculation, leaf spot symptoms were observed on wounded betel leaves., A fungus was re-isolated from each of the inoculated betel leaves which was morphologically identical to the inolculated isolate (Sang et al., 2014) the fulfilling Koch's postulates (Figure 4). No symptoms were observed on the control plant. Neodeightonia subglobosa has been reported as a pathogen on bamboo (Bengyella et al., 2015) and other species of Neodeightonia have been recorded as plant pathogens, for example N. phoenicum on Phoenix spp. in Greece (Zhang & Song, 2022). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of Neodeightonia subglobosa as a fungal pathogen of betel vine (Piper betle). The authors thank the Head, Department of Botany, North-Eastern Hill University for providing laboratory facilities. The first author is also grateful to the Non-Net Fellowship, New Delhi, for financial support in the form of a research fellowship.

Isolation and Biochemical Identification of Soil Bacteria from North Eastern Hill University, Shillong

Isolation and Biochemical Identification of Soil Bacteria from North Eastern Hill University, Shillong

A Tunable Dual-mode SIW Cavity Based Bandpass Filter with Wide Upper Stopband Characteristics

A Tunable Dual-mode SIW Cavity Based Bandpass Filter with Wide Upper Stopband Characteristics by Md. Atiqur Rahman* , Pankaj Sarkar Department of Electronics & Communication Engineering, School of Technology, North-Eastern Hill University, Shillong, 793022, India * Author to whom correspondence should be addressed. Journal of Engineering Research and Sciences, Volume 2, Issue 1, Page #

Anatomy of the Liver of Mizoram Local Pig (Zovawk)

Background: The present study was aimed for the promotion and advancement of the anatomical knowledge at the gross, light microscopic and electron microscopic level in Zovawk (mizo local pig). Methods: The current investigation was done at the Instructional livestock farm, Department of Veterinary Anatomy and Histology, College of Veterinary Sciences and Animal Husbandry, Central Agricultural University, Selesih, Aizawl, Mizoram and Sophisticated Analytical Instrument Facility (SAIF), North Eastern Hill University (NEHU), Shillong, Meghalaya. Six liver samples were collected from six apparently healthy Zovawk animal of either sex and gross morphological observations were done directly after collection. Thereafter tissue samples were collected as such and were preserved in neutral buffer formalin (NBF) and in Karnovsky’s fixative for routine histology and transmission electron microscopic examination, respectively.Result: Zovawk liver shows four distinct borders, i.e. medial, lateral, dorsal and ventral border, two surfaces, i.e. parietal surface or diaphragmatic surface and caudal or visceral surface and six distinct lobes. The average weight of Zovawk liver was 1.402 kg. Weight of the liver was highly correlated with body weight of animal. Histologically, Zovawk liver was characterized with thick Glisson’s capsule and thick connective tissue septa emerging from it, which gives the hepatic lobules its hexagonal shape. Sinusoids of adjacent hepatocytes were lined by stellate shaped Kupffer cells. The ultra-structural examination of liver shows that, the hepatocytes were rich in mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum and glycogen granules. Free ribosome and well developed rER and dense lysosomal granules were common in those hepatocyte.

Study on physico-chemical and nutritional properties of blood fruit [Haematocarpus validus (Miers.) Bakh. f. ex Forman

Blood fruit is one among the lesser known and underutilized fruit plant which has a rich source of antioxidant and possesses immense nutritive and medicinal value but so far systematic studies on various physico-chemical and nutritional properties of blood fruit are scarce. Therefore, a study was conducted during 2017 to 2019 at the North Eastern Hill University, Meghalaya, India to analyze the physico-chemical characteristics of blood fruit for further studies. The fresh fruits were collected from orphan plant from Chitoktak, Tura, West Garo Hills, Meghalaya. They were analyzed for the quality parameters using standard methods and recorded a nutrient of 14.50 °brix TSS, 7.14 % total sugar, 4.54 % reducing sugar, 0.26% total titratable acidity, 5.33 mg/100g ascorbic acid, 7.60 % protein and 138.42 IU β-Carotene (vitamin-A). The fruit has one of the rich sources of carbohydrates (8.68 %) and anthocyanin (195.93mg/100g pulp of total monomeric anthocyanin). The fruit also has trace amount of starch (0.23 g/100 g). The high nutritional value of blood fruit indicates good potential for exploration and value-added products like wine and juice can be processed for consumption during off season.

Collaborative Research Trends and Authorship Patterns in North Eastern Hill University from 2000 to 2010

Authorship trends and collaborative research are studied in the North Eastern Hill University (NEHU) based on the data collected from Annual Report and NEHU Institutional Repository published during the year 2000-2010. Outcome of the study shows that multi authored articles 64.93% prevail the single authored articles 35.07%. The degree of collaboration in NEHU is 0.65. Average number of authors per paper varies from 2.29 to 3.44. In 10 years from 2000 to 2010 the average no. of authors per paper is 2.72. . This study is in support for the fact that NEHU faculty members preferred collaborative trends for their research and publication work.

Research Scholar, English Department, North-Eastern Hill University,

While COVID-19 has unleashed waves of reverse-migration from the cities back to the hometowns due to economic and physical uncertainties that accompanied the pandemic, queer people from the North-Eastern Region of India choose to stay in the cities. Defying the reverse-migration trend, they choose the freedom that the city gives them over the prejudice of their hometown toward their sexuality. This paper will theorize how pandemic affects and at the same time affirms queer sexualities This paper will re-interpret metronormativity in the context of North-East queer people and will co-opt Judith Halberstam’s theory while at the same time reworking it to fit the local context of queer North-East. Unlike Halberstam’s theory that the metro offers a continuum of free existence to the queer people, this paper will examine certain queer narratives both online and through interviews in order to understand how the city offers not a “freer” existence ( in the sense that freedom is given and implied upon) but rather a relatively anonymous existence which allows them to live freely in anonymity but never silent. It will problematize the concept of home and space and how queer subjectivities are (un)formed depending upon certain variables that the home offers which eventually affects queer existence. This existence will then juxtapose with Kosofsky’s “gesture of silence” of the home and the closet and in doing so, it will attempt to understand North East queer’s preference for the danger of COVID 19 and the “insecurities” of the city over the “security” of home.

Note on 40 years of organized international cooperation in buckwheat research / Zapis ob 40 letnici organiziranega mednarodnega sodelovanja pri raziskavah ajde

The Department of Botany, North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU), Shillong, India in collaboration with ICAR - National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (NBPGR), India, and DBT - Institute of Bioresources and Sustainable Development (IBSD), India organized the 14th International Symposium on Buckwheat ...

Note on the 14th International Symposium on Buckwheat at North-Eastern Hill University, Shillong, India from Sept. 3 to 6, 2019

The Department of Botany, North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU), Shillong, India in collaboration with ICAR-Na- tional Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (NBPGR), India, and DBT-Institute of Bioresources and Sustainable De­velopment (IBSD), India organized the 14th International Symposium on Buckwheat at North-Eastern Hill Univer­sity, Shillong from Sept. 3 to 6, 2019 at North Eastern Hill University, Shillong ...

COMPARATIVE STUDY OF LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SCIENCE EDUCATION BETWEEN MAINLAND CHINA AND INDIA: A CASE STUDY

Purpose of the study: This study will present an overview of the history of Library and Information Science (LIS) education and the general situation of its Master level education in Mainland China and India. Further, a comparison of Master of LIS (MLIS) education between Heilongjiang University and North-Eastern Hill University will be analyzed mainly through six aspects along with coming up with several suggestions to improve the future education quality of MLIS program in Mainland China.
 Methodology: The case study method, literature research method, field investigation method, in-depth interview method, and comparative research method will be adopted to conduct this study.
 Main Findings: Through the comparative analysis of two universities’ MLIS education in six aspects, it can be found that there are some problems existing in four aspects of MLIS education in Heilongjiang University.
 Applications of this study: This study can be helpful in the field of LIS education and also can be a reference for concerned academic institutions to refine their LIS education system.
 Novelty/Originality of this study: Currently there is no literature about comparative studies of LIS education between Mainland China and India. Therefore, to bridge the missing gap, a necessity is felt to take up research on such kind of topics.

Verrier Elwin and His Fieldwork Method

I would first of all like to thank the Anthropological Survey of India for inviting me to deliver the Elwin Memorial Lecture at a national seminar on ‘Verrier Elwin and his Field Method’ held at North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU) in May 2018. I have chosen to speak on ‘Verrier Elwin and his Fieldwork Method’ in view of the paucity of information on the subject, as neither Elwin has written on how he conducted his fieldwork or what his methodology of fieldwork was, nor have others written much about his method of fieldwork. Indeed, many like Enthoven (1946) and Devereux (1946) have written on the richness, soundness and reliability of his data, but they are silent about how he collected his data or what his fieldwork method was like. Among the few who I know have written on Elwin’s fieldwork method are Bhabagrahi Misra ( 1970 , 1971 ), Ramachandra Guha ( 1998 , 1999 ) and Vinay Kumar Srivastava (n.d., ms). I am not aware of the writings of any other author on this subject.

Naringenin sensitizes lung cancer NCI-H23 cells to radiation by downregulation of akt expression and metastasis while promoting apoptosis

Pharmacognosy Magazine,2020,16,70,229-235.DOI:10.4103/pm.pm_535_19Published:August 2020Type:Original ArticleAuthors:Taranga Jyoti Baruah, Kimrose Hauneihkim, and Lakhon Kma Author(s) affiliations:Taranga Jyoti Baruah, Kimrose Hauneihkim, Lakhon Kma Department of Biochemistry, North-Eastern Hill University, Shillong, Meghalaya, India Abstract:Background: Naringenin (NGN) is a flavonoid that has shown anticancer activities, but the ability of NGN to radiosensitize cells of the non-small cell variety of lung cancer has not been looked into yet. Objectives: The objective of the study was to check for the ability of NGN to promote radiosensitization of the lung cancer cell line – NCI-H23 (H23). Materials and Methods: 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay, trypan blue exclusion assay, and colony-forming assay were performed to check the effect of NGN, with and without X-ray treatment, on the viability of cancer cells. Protein carbonylation, DNA fragmentation, and caspase-3 activity were determined. The levels of pAkt, Akt, matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2), RAD50, and p21 proteins were looked at by Western blotting. Messenger RNA (mRNA) levels of AKT1, CASPASE3, BAX, BCL2, and BCLXL were also checked. Results: When combined with radiation, NGN lowered the survivability of H23 cells. NGN showed a prooxidant effect while no DNA fragmentation was observed. mRNA levels of CASPASE3 and caspase-3 activity also showed an increase. pAkt, Akt, MMP-2, and p21 protein levels were lowered in the NGN-treated groups, while the RAD50 protein levels showed an increase. The mRNA levels of BCL2 and BCLXL were lowered, while BAX mRNA levels were elevated in response to NGN treatment. Conclusion: The results showed that NGN, used singularly or in combination with radiation, can lower the procancerous and prometastatic Akt, p21, and MMP-2 proteins while upregulating the apoptotic process. Keywords:Akt, Caspase-3, Matrix metalloproteinase-2, naringenin, Non-small cell lung cancer, RadiosensitizationView:PDF (1.56 MB)

TRANSFORMATIONAL APPLICATION AVENUE OF CORT THINKING STRATEGY FOR HIGHER EDUCATION.

01Apr 2019 TRANSFORMATIONAL APPLICATION AVENUE OF CORT THINKING STRATEGY FOR HIGHER EDUCATION. Nikme S.C. Momin and Kasaatchi Tera K. Marak. Professor/Head of Department of Education, North Eastern Hill University, Tura Campus,WestGaro Hills, Meghalaya, India. Research Scholar, North Eastern Hill University, Tura Campus,WestGaro Hills, Meghalaya, India.