South Central India Research Articles

Relationship between clinical presentation and visual outcome in postoperative and posttraumatic endophthalmitis in South Central India

To determine risk factors for poor visual outcome in postoperative and posttraumatic endophthalmitis in a large referral center in south central India. In this prospective observational series the authors examined 388 patients of postoperative (n= 206) and posttraumatic (n= 182) endophthalmitis at the L V Prasad Eye Institute in Hyderabad, India between 1991 and 1997. The analysis was confined to 236 patients-128 (62.1%) postoperative and 108 (59.3%) posttraumatic patients who were followed for a minimum period of 3 months. A detailed protocol was followed. Chi-square and logistic regression analysis were used to determine risk factors for visual outcome worse than 6/18 and worse than 6/120. Postoperative endophthalmitis: In univariate analysis the features associated with poor visual acuity (grouped as < 6/18 and < 6/120) included intracapsular cataract surgery, poor presenting visual acuity, presence of vitreous cells, inability to visualise the optic disc on indirect ophthalmoscopy, presence of vitreous membranes on ultrasonography, and a culture-positive vitreous biopsy. In the multivariate analysis, visual acuity of less or equal light perception (LP) at presentation was associated with a 3-month postoperative visual acuity of < 6/18, with an odds ratio of 5.85 [1.25 - 27.42, 95% CI], and vitreous membranes seen on ultrasonography was associated with a final visual acuity of < 6/120, with an odds ratio of 2.47 [1.05 - 5.83, 95% CI]. Posttraumatic endophthalmitis: In univariate analysis the features associated with poor visual acuity (grouped as < 6/18 and < 6/120) included a retained intraocular foreign body (IOFB), trauma by needle (hypodermic or sewing), poor presenting visual acuity, inability to visualise the optic disc on indirect ophthalmoscopy, presence of vitreous membranes on ultrasonography, and a culture-positive vitreous biopsy. In multivariate analysis, IOFB was associated with a 3-month follow-up visual acuity of < 6/18, with an odds ratio of 5.90 [1.85 - 18.78, 95% CI], and trauma by a needle (hypodermic or sewing) and retained IOFB was associated with a final visual acuity of < 6/120, with an odds ratio of 4.47 [1.22 - 16.38, 95%CI] and 3.76 [1.36 - 10.37, 95% CI] respectively. This is the largest, single-centre, prospective study on risk factors for poor visual outcome in postoperative and posttraumatic endophthalmitis. The independent risk factor for 3-month follow-up visual acuity of < 6/18 was the presenting visual acuity of < or =LP in postoperative endophthalmitis and a retained IOFB in posttraumatic endophthalmitis. The independent risk factor for 3-month visual acuity of < 6/120 was the presence of vitreous membranes on ultrasonography in postoperative endophthalmitis, and trauma by a needle (hypodermic/ sewing) and retained IOFB in posttraumatic endophthalmitis.

Seasonality and Wage Responsiveness in a Developing Agrarian Economy

This paper studies the wage responsiveness of labour supply and demand, simultaneously addressing the twin issues of the non-clearing of developing rural labour markets and seasonality. It employs a data set pertaining to south-central India, and limits itself to the agricultural market for daily-rated labour (by far the predominant form of wage contract in the sample villages). Estimating a theoretically robust and empirically justified disequilibrium model of the agricultural labour market, we find no evidence of backward-bending supply curves or ‘vertical’ demand curves, contrary to findings in the literature. Further, while the agricultural labour market appears to be in equilibrium during the kharif (or rainy) season, it manifests excess supply in the rabi (or post-rainy) season.

Chemical characteristics of rainwater at an urban site of south-central India

Abstract The pH variation and the chemical characteristics of rainwater have been studied during monsoons from 1999 to 2001 at Hyderabad, a city in south-central India. The pH varied from 5.5 to 7.2 with an average of 6.4 which is in alkaline range considering 5.6 as the neutral pH of cloud water with atmospheric CO 2 equilibrium. Out of 28 rain events, only two events were observed in acidic range ( 2+ >Cl − >SO 4 2+ >NH 4 + >Na + >HCO 3 − >NO 3 − >K + >Mg 2+ . The ratios of different components with respect to seawater ratios were observed to be higher, indicating the significant influence of non-marine sources at this site.

Possession and Medicine in South Central India

Possession is a powerful and surprisingly prevalent belief system in many parts of the developing world. In India it is common for many reasons—isolation, illiteracy, polyglotism, lack of an adequate medical infrastructure, a need for hope. Possession, and the practice of exorcism, is more than just an explanatory system based on superstition and folk lore. It is also an important social structure and force that allows the integration of the sick into the community of the well, and facilitates a first albeit tentative step from the local community to the medical community. In many parts of India, health care delivery as well as social organization is through the practice of possession. Thus, the role and power of possession needs to be appreciated if one seeks to affect health care delivery in India, and further possession should be appreciated if one seeks to better understand how some of its forces might in fact be curative.

Colonialism, Chemical Technology, and Industry in Southern India, 1880-1937

Reviewed by: Colonialism, Chemical Technology, and Industry in Southern India, 1880–1937* Tara Sethia (bio) Colonialism, Chemical Technology, and Industry in Southern India, 1880–1937. By Nasir Tyabji. Delhi: Oxford University Press, 1995. Pp. viii+242; figures, tables, notes, bibliography, index. $28. Nasir Tyabji sees the nature of industrial development in Madras, in general, as a part of the larger pattern of industrialization in colonial India. This pattern emerged from the British policy of using India to balance “Britain’s trade deficit with continental Europe and North America with its own exports of primary products to those countries” (p. 3). Hence the British promoted the production of cash crops in India. Like Bombay and Bengal, Madras relied primarily on a cash-crop-oriented export economy. Just as cotton and cotton textiles from Bombay played a crucial role in Britain’s triangular trade with China, and jute and jute products from Bengal were critically significant in balancing Britain’s trade with the United States, so also the production of oilseeds in Madras was aimed at balancing trade with Britain’s “continental creditors,” France and Germany. [End Page 673] Consequently, Indian industrialization proceeded slowly, and industrial consciousness among Indian merchants lagged. Despite the similarity of British industrial policy in the Madras, Bombay, and Bengal Presidencies, industrial development in Madras, argues Tyabji, was backward compared to industrialization in Bombay and Calcutta. He attempts to illustrate this point with a case study of chemical-technology-based industries, especially those supported by Madras’s primary cash crops, the oilseeds: groundnut and coconut. The focus on oilseeds is significant, as they represented not only one of the major commercial crops and items of export from Madras but, more important, they could have been a base for the application of chemical technology in the process of industrial production. Nevertheless, the process of extracting oil from seeds continued to depend on an existing mechanical process using village ghanis or Chekkus, rather than new chemical technology. Tyabji concludes that industrialization in Madras suffered not only because the British authorities supported industrial effort there only to the extent that it allowed them to increase the export of oilseeds from Madras but also because such limited support failed to incorporate new chemical technology and, therefore, led to slow industrial growth. Tyabji’s conclusion about the relative industrial backwardness of Madras is further supported by his analysis of the Madras textile industry. He points out that the cotton textile industry grew rapidly in the 1920s and 1930s, particularly in Coimbatoore, but that it suffered from underdevelopment as the technical conditions in the mills there remained low. This was partly due to “a low degree of evolution of a specifically industrial social consciousness amongst the industrialists and partly the result of the objective conditions of extreme competition. Success was achieved by cutting corners, by lowering overheads through replacing mechanized process by manual ones and concurrently keeping the workforce on a semi permanent basis, at best” (p. 115). But a large part of this analysis is applicable to the jute mills in Calcutta as well. The case of the jute industry in Calcutta is a telling tale of the rapid growth of jute mills in India, which occurred only with the support of a labor-intensive process of production that relied on backward technologies. Such growth of jute mills in Calcutta was driven by the philosophy of mercantilism rather than imbued with a spirit of modernization and technologically supported industrialization. (See Dipesh Chakrabarty, Rethinking Working Class History: Bengal, 1890–1990 [Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1990]). Tyabji further contends that Madras also lagged behind the key Princely States in south central India. This, according to him, was due to the nature of the British relationship with these states, which was based mainly on the loyalty and trust of the princes. Thus, these states expected a greater degree of freedom and autonomy in pursuing economic growth and development. Moreover, in Princely States such as Hyderabad the [End Page 674] local Sahukars, or businessmen, were becoming increasingly aware of changing economic realities and beginning to articulate their long-term economic interests. They were not happy with a “purely trading role” (p. 10) and aspired to...

Land use effects on soil crusting and hydraulic response of surface crusts on a tropical Alfisol

Soil surface crusting, a common phenomenon on cultivated soils, has major implications for agriculture and the environment because of its effects on soil hydrological properties, erosion and crop establishment. The objectives of this study were to evaluate land use controls on crust formation and the hydraulic response of soils to crust development for a Patancheru series soil (clayey skeletal, mixed, isohyperthermic Udic Rhodustalf) in south-central India. Soil aggregates, obtained from cultivated (PL) and naturally vegetated fallow (NV) land, were packed into sample trays and subjected to laboratory rain simulation to form crusts. Thin sections and visual observation indicated that crust development reached a more advanced stage in the PL case compared with NV following 90 min of rain at 40–80 mm h−1 intensity. This was reflected in a thicker crust layer with fewer voids in the former and a less smooth surface with partially disintegrated aggregates in the latter. The hydraulic response of the soil surface with the progression of crust development indicated a more permeable and less dense crust formed on NV than on PL soil. The results suggested that NV soil aggregates were more stable and that crust formation is more gradual for stable aggregates compared with the less stable PL aggregates. A structural crust-type formed on the Patancheru soil by means of parallel subprocesses involving translocation and illuviation of aggregate disruption by products, and raindrop compaction and particle rearrangement. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Crusting effects on erosion processes under simulated rainfall on a tropical Alfisol

Sealing and crusting of soil surfaces have dramatic effects on water infiltration into and runoff from soils, thereby greatly influencing erosion processes. This study focused on the effect of the initial stage of crusting on inter-rill erosion processes for a crust-prone Alfisol sampled from south-central India. Soil aggregates ranging from 2·4 to 8 mm collected from ploughed (PL) and naturally vegetated (NV) treatments were subjected to rainfall simulation under laboratory conditions. Runoff from PL soil aggregates was 2–2·5 times higher, while percolation was 20–100% lower, than for NV aggregates. Soil wash and splash losses were 0·5–3 times greater for PL than for NV soil. Runoff and inter-rill erosion were significantly higher during the wet simulation run compared with the dry run. The results indicated that NV soil aggregates were more resistant to breakdown from raindrop impact and slaking, and subject to less rapid sealing, than PL soil. Total soil loss was influenced most by initial aggregate stability and the extent of seal development. Splash and wash losses of soil both increased as a result of surface sealing regardless of soil condition for short (30–60 min) rainfall durations. High drying rates resulted in the highest crust bulk densities. Increased crust strength for PL soil compared with NV soil reflected the greater susceptibility of cultivated soil to surface sealing and crusting. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Hepatitis E virus infection in eastern India.

Most cases of enterically transmitted non-A, non-B hepatitis in India have so far been attributed to hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection. Most of the documented studies of hepatitis have focused on the incidence of this disease in northern, western, and south central India. A small seroprevalence study was conducted in the eastern Indian city of Patna to assess the degree of HEV infection among acute sporadic hepatitis cases. Forty-two percent (24 of 57) of the cases of acute sporadic hepatitis were positive for anti-HEV antibodies. Absence of any serologic markers of hepatitis A, B, or E in 58% (33 of 57) of the cases with symptoms of acute hepatitis suggest that there may be as yet unidentified enterically transmitted viruses in this area.

Marriage Markets, Labor Markets, and Unobserved Human Capital: An Empirical Exploration for South-Central India

Previous articleNext article No AccessMarriage Markets, Labor Markets, and Unobserved Human Capital: An Empirical Exploration for South-Central IndiaJere Behrman, Nancy Birdsall, and Anil DeolalikarJere Behrman Search for more articles by this author , Nancy Birdsall Search for more articles by this author , and Anil Deolalikar Search for more articles by this author PDFPDF PLUS Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail SectionsMoreDetailsFiguresReferencesCited by Economic Development and Cultural Change Volume 43, Number 3Apr., 1995 Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1086/452170 Views: 12Total views on this site Citations: 17Citations are reported from Crossref Copyright 1995 The University of ChicagoPDF download Crossref reports the following articles citing this article:Momoe Makino Female labour force participation and dowries in Pakistan, Journal of International Development 24 (Mar 2021).https://doi.org/10.1002/jid.3537Momoe Makino Marriage, dowry, and women’s status in rural Punjab, Pakistan, Journal of Population Economics 32, no.33 (Jul 2018): 769–797.https://doi.org/10.1007/s00148-018-0713-0Momoe Makino Dowry in the absence of the legal protection of women’s inheritance rights, Review of Economics of the Household 17, no.11 (Jun 2017): 287–321.https://doi.org/10.1007/s11150-017-9377-xJohanna Åström, Robert A. Nakosteen, Olle Westerlund, Michael A. Zimmer Twice chosen: Spouse matching and earnings among women in first and second unions, The Social Science Journal 50, no.33 (Dec 2019): 277–288.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soscij.2013.05.004Kenjiro Yagura Does Labour Migration Offer Opportunities for Meeting Prospective Spouses? The Case of Migrant Workers in Cambodia, Population, Space and Place 18, no.33 (Jul 2011): 277–294.https://doi.org/10.1002/psp.683Md. Abul Basher Promotional role of microcredit: Evidence from the Grameen Bank of Bangladesh, Journal of International Development 34 (Jan 2009): n/a–n/a.https://doi.org/10.1002/jid.1583Nicolas G. Vaillant, Valérie Harrant Determinants of the likelihood of finding the right partner in an arranged marriage: Evidence from a French matchmaking agency, The Journal of Socio-Economics 37, no.22 (Apr 2008): 657–671.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socec.2006.12.055Marcel Fafchamps, Agnes R. Quisumbing Chapter 51 Household Formation and Marriage Markets in Rural Areas, (Jan 2007): 3187–3247.https://doi.org/10.1016/S1573-4471(07)04051-XNorbert R. Schady Convexity and Sheepskin Effects in the Human Capital Earnings Function: Recent Evidence for Filipino Men, Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics 65, no.22 (May 2003): 171–196.https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-0084.00042Chris A Spohr Formal schooling and workforce participation in a rapidly developing economy: evidence from “compulsory” junior high school in Taiwan, Journal of Development Economics 70, no.22 (Apr 2003): 291–327.https://doi.org/10.1016/S0304-3878(02)00099-8Sven E. Wilson The health capital of families: an investigation of the inter-spousal correlation in health status, Social Science & Medicine 55, no.77 (Oct 2002): 1157–1172.https://doi.org/10.1016/S0277-9536(01)00253-2T Paul Schultz Why Governments Should Invest More to Educate Girls, World Development 30, no.22 (Feb 2002): 207–225.https://doi.org/10.1016/S0305-750X(01)00107-3T. Paul Schultz Chapter 8 Women's roles in the agricultural household: Bargaining and human capital investments, (Jan 2001): 383–456.https://doi.org/10.1016/S1574-0072(01)10011-3KAKOLI BANERJEE Gender Stratification and the Contemporary Marriage Market in India, Journal of Family Issues 20, no.55 (Jun 2016): 648–676.https://doi.org/10.1177/019251399020005005Yana Van der Meulen Rodgers, Jane C Cooley Outstanding Female Economists in the Analysis and Practice of Development Economics, World Development 27, no.88 (Aug 1999): 1397–1411.https://doi.org/10.1016/S0305-750X(99)00063-7Jere R. Behrman Chapter 43 Labor markets in developing countries, (Jan 1999): 2859–2939.https://doi.org/10.1016/S1573-4463(99)30029-8Marcel Fafchamps, Agnes R. Quisumbing Human Capital, Productivity, and Labor Allocation in Rural Pakistan, SSRN Electronic Journal (Jan 1998).https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.68988

The Rising Price of Husbands: A Hedonic Analysis of Dowry Increases in Rural India

Dowries in South Asia have steadily risen over the last 40 years and now often amount to over 50 percent of a household's assets. This paper attempts to investigate the reasons behind this increase. It adapts Rosen's implicit market model to the Indian marriage market and tests predictions from the model with data from six villages in South Central India and from the Indian census. It is found that a "marriage squeeze" caused by population growth, resulting in larger younger cohorts and hence a surplus of women in the marriage market, has played a significant role in the rise in dowries.

Dowry ‘Inflation’ in Rural India: A Statistical Investigation

Dowries in most regions of South Asia have steadily become larger over the last 40 years, causing widespread destitution among families with daughters to be married. This paper attempts to investigate the reasons behind dowry ‘inflation’ with data on marriage transactions and other individual and household information from six villages in south-central India, and from the Indian census. It is found that a ‘marriage squeeze’ caused by population growth which resulted in a surplus of younger women in the marriage market, has played an important role in the increase in dowries. Other factors that increase the size of dowries include differences in the landholdings of the parental households, and residence in regions in the more northerly parts of India.

Tamarindus indica L : an important forage plant for Apis florea F in south central India

Tamarindus indica L, plante importante pour Apis florea F dans le Sud de l'Inde Centrale. L'etude porte sur l'analyse pollinique de 6 echantillons de miel et de 300 pelotes de pollen preleves directement sur 6 rayons d'une colonie d'Apis florea en juin 1990 dans 3 regions du district de Ranga Reddy, Andhra Pradesh, Inde (fig 1). Les echantillons ont ete analyses selon la methode de Louveaux et al (1978). Cinq echantillons de miel etaient monofloraux, un seul toutes fleurs. Les types de pollens predominants sont Tamarindus indica L dans 3 echantillons et Ageratum conyzoides L et Punica granatum L dans chacun des 2 autres miels monofloraux

Rising bromine levels threaten ozone layer

Concerns that man-made brominecontaining halocarbons, in addition to chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), are helping destroy Earth's ozone layer intensified last week when a team of researchers reported that atmospheric levels of two such bromine compounds are on the rise. The researchers conducted several balloon experiments from 1980 to 1987 to measure the atmospheric abundance of Halon-1211 (CBrClF 2 ) and Halon-1301 (CBrF 3 ), which are used to extinguish fires. They found that atmospheric levels of these gases are increasing 12% and 5% per year, respectively. The concentration of CBrClF 2 is currently about 2 parts per trillion by volume (pptv) and that of CBrF3 is about 1.3 pptv, they found. These readings were made at altitudes of 10 to 15 km over southern France (44° N) and south central India (17.5° N). Scientists are concerned because CBrClF 2 and CBrF 3 are important sources of bromine oxides, which can deplete ozone more efficiently than chlorine oxides. Moreover, bromine monoxide (BrO) and chlorine m...

Age patterns of women at marriage, cohabitation, and first birth in India

The purpose of this paper has been to examine the age patterns of Indian women at marriage, cohabitation, and first birth. This task is complicated by features of the Indian marriage institution that differentiate it from the institution of marriage in Western cultures. It is also complicated by the diversity of Indian marriage customs and by the possibility that Indian marriage patterns have changed over time. Nevertheless, our analysis of survey data for two districts in south central India support the following conclusions: Marriage and childbearing have been and continue to be universal. The timing of marriage and childbearing, which showed only a small increase over a fairly long period of time, appears more recently to be undergoing some changes in the direction of longer delays. The significant rural-urban differences in marriage and fertility timing are at least partly the result of the greater impact of education on age at marriage, cohabitation, and first birth in urban areas than in rural areas. Observed characteristics such as religion and education explain more variation in women's marriage and fertility timing in urban areas than in rural areas (i.e., education seems to generate new social norms that tend to displace norms derived from tradition. The incidence of childhood marriages and two-stage marriages has been on the decline, causing the small but noticeable rise in age at marriage to exceed somewhat the increase in age at cohabitation. Age patterns of marriage in India do not closely resemble Western patterns, although age patterns of cohabitation and first birth do. And socioeconomic variables appear to explain less variation in marriage and fertility timing within local communities than across communities. Most important, the results highlight the need for more recent and richer data on marriage and fertility behavior in India. In particular, they strongly suggest that marriage patterns in India are now in the midst of major changes. This conclusion is similar to that reached by Caldwell, Reddy, and Caldwell (1983), who adopted a more qualitative approach to analyzing marriage change than ours, but whose observations are also more recent than ours. Through the collection and analysis of more recent and geographically widespread data, we can begin to assess more fully the nature and magnitude of the demographic changes under way and speculate on their implications for population growth, economic development, and the formulation of public policy in India.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Potential of wild germplasm for increasing yield of grain sorghum

Sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] backcross populations containing 3 to 50% wild germplasm were evaluated in south central India for grain yield and nine related traits. No individual BC0F2- to BC2F2-derived lines were high transgressive segregates for grain yield. Only 1.5% of all BC3F2- or BC4F2-derived lines were transgressive segragates, with 26% higher mean grain yield than their respective recurrent parents. The ten highest-yielding BC2F2- to BC4F2-derived lines per mating having parent CK60B yielded an average of 14% more than CK60B, which was, at the 5% level, a statistically significant difference. However, the increased yield was associated with increased plant height. The highest-yilding lines from RS/R/A2725 x virgatum and RS/R/A2725 x verticilliflorum were an average of 13.5% higher-yielding than RS/R/A2725 (a significant difference) and were equal in plant height. Selection increased BC2 mean grain yields by 6 to 27%. Population mean yield, mean yield of selected lines, and frequency of high-yielding lines were highest in the BC4.

Radioactive elements in the sediments of the Upper Proterozoic Chhattisgarh basin, India, as indicators of palaeoenvironments

The crescent-shaped Chhattisgarh basin occupies an area of ∼ 33 000 km 2 in southcentral India (bounded by 20° 30′N–22° 20′N, 80° 46′E–83° 46′E). The Upper Proterozoic sediments in the basin, which may be of epicontinental or stable shelf sediment origin (Schnitzer, 1971), are included in the Chhattisgarh System. This System is divisible into the lower Chandarpur Group and the upper Raipur Group. Murti (1980) worked out the stratigraphic succession of the central part of the basin and summarized the present status of knowledge of the geology of the basin. Palaeocurrent and grain size data, major and trace elements, oxygen and carbon isotopes have been employed to delineate the environments of sedimentation of the Chhattisgarh basin (Murti and Aswathanarayana, 1982). In view of the usefulness of the contents of radioactive elements and Th/U ratios in the study of environments of sedimentation (Rogers and Adams, 1969), thorium, uranium and potassium contents of various sedimentary rocks (34 samples) from the central part of the basin have been determined by gamma-ray scintillation spectrometry. About 400 g of each sample (−120 mesh) was assayed with an integral assembly consisting of a 4 in (10.2 cm) × 2 in (5.1 cm) NaI (T1) crystal, coupled to 3 in (7.6 cm) RCA-8054 photomultiplier tube (M/S Nuclear Supplies, USA). The instrumental set-up and analytical procedure, have been described in detail by Rao (1974). The description and radioelement contents of the different stratigraphic units (arranged in stratigraphic sequence) are given in Table I.

Risk and Insurance: Perspectives on Fertility and Agrarian Change in India and Bangladesh

Relative to other approaches and emphases -- the value of childrens labor for example -- the potential importance of environmentally and socially determined risk as a source of derived demand for children in poor agrarian settings has been largely overlooked. Using frequency of distress sale of land as an indicator of the adequacy of insurance mechanisms this article compares sources of risk and means of insurance in rural Bangladesh (represented by the village of Char Gopalpur) and a semi arid area of south central India (represented by 2 villages in Maharashtra and 1 in Andhra Pradesh). While both regions are characterized by harsh environment of risk in the Indian setting efficient adjustment mechanisms have evolved -- particularly capital markets and public relief employment -- that have partially neutralized risk prefvented the distress sale of land and greatly reudced the need for the insurance that children could otherwise provide. No comparable mechanisms exist in the Bangladesh setting and thus the value of children remains high. It is suggested that regional differences in environments of risk and sources of insurance within South Asia may go far to explain regional differences in recent fertility trends. (authors) (summaries in ENG FRE SPA)

Microfossils in Collenia-like stromatolites from the proterozoic Vempalle formation of the Cuddapah Basin, India

Abstract A diverse assemblage of organically preserved unicellular and filamentous microorganisms has been discovered in cherty portions of calcareous, domical, Collenia-like stromatolites from the approximately 1400 Ma-old Vempalle Formation (Papaghni Subgroup, Cuddapah Group) of south-central India. Evidence suggests that this apparently cyanophyte-dominated community, the oldest stromatolitic microbiota now known from the Indian subcontinent, may contain eukaryotic unicells; if so, these fossils would appear to be among the oldest eukaryotes yet reported. Comparison of the Vempalle assemblage with microbiotas preserved in similar stromatolites from other Precambrian units seems to indicate (as recently suggested for stromatolites of the group Conophyton) that Collenia-like stromatolites of differing ages were probably built by differing microbial communities. If such is typical of most stromatolite groups, it seems unlikely that identification of stromatolites at the group-level can provide sufficient grounds for effective subdivision and correlation of Precambrian strata; analyses of such structures at the form-level, however, and of the microorganisms involved in their deposition, could prove to be biostratigraphically useful.