The “Dravidian model”: egalitarianism and healthcare reform

Throughout the post-independence period, the state of Tamil Nadu has consistently performed better than most other states in several major healthcare indicators, including infant mortality rate and total fertility rate. At the same time, it has received praise for the deep penetration and robust functioning of its public health system. Tamil Nadu’s achievements in healthcare have been analysed in a number of scholarly studies in the past, and a recent book by Kalaiyarasan A and Vijayabaskar M, titled “The Dravidian Model: Interpreting the Political Economy of Tamil Nadu,” is the latest addition to this literature. The authors argue that the state’s uniqueness in human and social development primarily originates in the egalitarian politics and radical social movements of the early twentieth century which constituted a “Dravidian common-sense” that has since “shaped the development trajectory of the state.” Their arguments on the significance of egalitarian politics in improvements in health and wellbeing receive ample support from existing social sciences literature on health, equity, and justice.

Linking of different ethnicities, races and religions to lipid profile patterns and hypolipidaemic drug usage patterns in coronary artery disease patients

Background: Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the consequence of atherosclerosis in which inadequate blood flow in the coronary arteries leads to myocardial necrosis. The impact of ethnic on CAD might be underestimated within Indian communities. There have never been any studies done associating them to lipid profile patterns in the Indian setup hence this study is the first of its kind to work towards attending the absence of data in this direction.The study aimed to evaluate the presence of ethnic differences in lipid profile patterns and hypolipidemic drug use in CAD patients.Methods: An 8-week cross-sectional prospective study was conducted in the cardiology OPD of a tertiary care hospital. Adult CAD patients prescribed with at least one hypolipidaemic drug, having their lipid profile values and willing to give informed consent were selected. The prescription pattern was noted, and the lipid profile values of the patients classified as per ATP III guidelines by NCEP. Atherogenic dyslipidaemia was considered when patients had triglyceride levels >150 mg/dl and HDL<40 mg/dl. The collected data was analyzed using SPSS. P value less than 0.05 was considered as statistically significant.Results: A total of 123 patients enrolled. Out of these, 115 were Hindus and among Hindus, most were Brahmins (34). The most prescribed hypolipidaemic drug was Rosuvastatin. Thirty six patients had high triglyceride levels out of which 35 were Hindus. Low HDL (<40 mg/dl) was present in 70 patients out of which 64 were Hindus. Atherogenic dyslipidaemia was seen in 44 patients. Majority of them belonged to the age group of 51-60 years (43.2%) and were Patels. Total cholesterol and LDL were high in 1 and 2 Jains respectively. Lipid values were higher in Tier-3 city patients.Conclusion: Hindu patients in this study showed a poorer lipid profile while among the castes, Jains and Patel’s fared poorly. It was seen that atherogenic dyslipidemia is on a rise in the Indian population.

Contested domains of biological similarities and sociocultural diversity

Scientists and social scientists often read the same text differently. They also construct categories having the samenomenclature independently. Many of us also work in isolated domains, rarely reading texts researched and documented byothers. We conduct our research within the defined format of our disciplines. We engage with others only when contestations emerge and challenge some of the rooted paradigms of each other’s disciplines. This paper reflects the reactions of asocial scientist to texts on population genetics and attempts to arrive at the genetic theory of the origin of ethnologicalhistory of human populations in India. Inadvertently, most of these intensely researched and passionately documented DNAevidence present a serious challenge to the discourse of cultural pluralism and social diversity that the humanist perspectiveof science and social science takes pride in documenting. This paper is based on secondary resource materials and themethodology adopted is that of narrative research.

Development of typological classification and its relationship to microdifferentiation in ethnic India

The history of the racial classification of the people of India can be looked at in three temporal phases: (1) at the nationallevel, the initial studies of racial classification attempted along with the Census of India; (2) at the regional level, studies byanthropologists and statisticians following systematic sampling and statistical procedures were conducted after the initialnational-level studies and (3) population-specific studies in different regions across the country including micro-evolutionary studies of individual populations followed the regional studies. Initially the racial classification was part of theCensus survey conducted by British anthropologists in some parts of the country among castes and tribes and was based ona few physical traits. This was followed by a systematic anthropometric survey in particulars regions (e.g., UP, Bengal, etc.)by anthropologists and statisticians. This was followed by population specific micro-evolutionary studies across differentregions by numerous anthropologists investigating the role of selection, drift, migration and admixture and other populationstructure variables among endogamous castes and tribes.

Gut anatomy of the worker caste of Neotropical genera Cylindrotermes Holmgren and Hoplotermes Light (Infraorder Isoptera, Termitidae)

ABSTRACT Studies over the last six decades have shown that the gut anatomy of the termite worker caste provides a valuable set of taxonomic characters. However, the gut anatomy of most American termitine taxa is still little known. This study investigated the anatomy of the worker gut of the Neotropical termitine genera Cylindrotermes Holmgren and Hoplotermes Light. We provide descriptions and illustrations of the gut in situ and the cuticular ornamentation of the gizzard, enteric valve, and first proctodeal segment for both genera.

Epigenetic modifications and their relation to caste and sex determination and adult division of labor in the stingless bee Melipona scutellaris

Abstract Stingless bees of the genus Melipona, have long been considered an enigmatic case among social insects for their mode of caste determination, where in addition to larval food type and quantity, the genotype also has a saying, as proposed over 50 years ago by Warwick E. Kerr. Several attempts have since tried to test his Mendelian two-loci/two-alleles segregation hypothesis, but only recently a single gene crucial for sex determination in bees was evidenced to be sex-specifically spliced and also caste-specifically expressed in a Melipona species. Since alternative splicing is frequently associated with epigenetic marks, and the epigenetic status plays a major role in setting the caste phenotype in the honey bee, we investigated here epigenetic chromatin modification in the stingless bee Melipona scutellaris. We used an ELISA-based methodology to quantify global methylation status and western blot assays to reveal histone modifications. The results evidenced DNA methylation/demethylation events in larvae and pupae, and significant differences in histone methylation and phosphorylation between newly emerged adult queens and workers. The epigenetic dynamics seen in this stingless bee species represent a new facet in the caste determination process in Melipona bees and suggest a possible mechanism that is likely to link a genotype component to the larval diet and adult social behavior of these bees.

The Concept of Social Vulnerability: A Review from Disasters Perspectives.

Vulnerability is made up of the characteristics of a person or group and their situation that influence their capacity to anticipate, to cope with, resist and recover from the impact of a natural hazard. This research paper is based on the various reviews with special focus on the text of social vulnerability due to natural disasters. Social vulnerability is determined by various factors such as physical, social, economic, and environmental factors or processes, which increase the susceptibility of a community to the impact of hazards. Poverty, occupation, caste, ethnicity, exclusion, marginalization and inequities in material consumption of a society or community also enhance social vulnerability. Some people within the social systems like ethnic minorities, disempowered castes or classes, religious groups, or occupations may live or work in physical areas that are relatively disaster-prone. So to solve the issue of social vulnerability in the long run process there must be interdisciplinary and cross-cultural studies of natural disaster impacts and social vulnerabilities. Social scientists needs to continue to seek practical ways to incorporate local technical knowledge, insight, skills, desires, and needs into the management of disaster situations, so that local people and institutions might be affirmed in identifying problems and offering solutions towards the management of their own situation, and that local capacities may be strengthened to resist future emergencies.

A study to correlate cephalic index of various caste/races of Gujarat State.

The study was carried out in various communities of Gujarat state which are still occupying particular locations of various districts in different regions. Total six communities were selected randomly. These were: Sindhi, Patel, Rabari, Kharwa (fisherman), Bhil and Siddi( negro ). Only male subjects who belonged to 21 - 50 years of age and who were not having any history of inter-caste, inter-religion marriage of their parents uptill at least 3 generations were included. The study subjects were divided into 3 age related groups: Group A: 21 to 30 years, Group B : 31 to 40 years and Group C : 41 to 50 years. 30 subjects, 10 per aforesaid age-groups (A, B and C) were studied from each community. This was followed by head measurements i.e. head length and width were obtained from each study subject ( total being 180) and by cephalic index of each study subject was determined by Hrdlicka’s method. The data were then analyzed by statistical software and to determine statistical significance chi-square and Kruskal Wallis tests were applied. The features observed were co-related with the data of cephalic indices of respective communities.

Correlates of cervical cancer screening among underserved women.

Background and Objectives: Substantial subgroups of Indian women, specifically those of ethnic minorities, had not been screened for cervical cancer or are not screened at regular intervals. We aim to find out the magnitude of cervical cancer and precancerous lesions among women in the age group 15-60 years, and to identify the various socio-demographic and reproductive correlates among those with the cervical lesions. Patients and Methods: Nine hundred and sixty-eight adult women in the age group 15−60 years were selected by simple random sampling technique in a population based descriptive cross-sectional study in a cervical cancer screening camp in a primary health center at the East Sikkim, during 1st September to 30th November 2006. Main outcome measures were the extent and correlates of cervical cancer without any interventions. The data collection tool used for the study was a pre-tested questionnaire prepared prior to the study for ensuring feasibility, acceptability, time management, validity and reliability. Information on socio-demographic and reproductive variables was collected by interview method using this questionnaire. Results: Out of 968 women in the study population, overwhelming majority 921 (95.15%) had no overt or pre-cancerous cervical lesion. Only 47 were found to have changes in their cervical epithelium. None of these 47 women was proved dyskaryotic on cytopathological screening of the cervical smear. No significant difference was noted among those with or without lesions among women below 30 years of age with those above, among illiterate women with literates, in per capita monthly family income difference, age at marriage and childbirth. Low-grade and high-grade squamous intraepithelial cervical lesions were associated with Hindu women only and were related with past history of abortion and still birth in women significantly. Conclusion: There was an imperative need for identifying prevalence of asymptomatic cervical dysplasia in all population.

Transcript levels of ten caste-related genes in adult diploid males of Melipona quadrifasciata (Hymenoptera, Apidae): a comparison with haploid males, queens and workers

In Hymenoptera, homozygosity at the sex locus results in the production of diploid males. In social species, these pose a double burden by having low fitness and drawing resources normally spent for increasing the work force of a colony. Yet, diploid males are of academic interest as they can elucidate effects of ploidy (normal males are haploid, whereas the female castes, the queens and workers, are diploid) on morphology and life history. Herein we investigated expression levels of ten caste-related genes in the stingless bee Melipona quadrifasciata, comparing newly emerged and 5-day-old diploid males with haploid males, queens and workers. In diploid males, transcript levels for dunce and paramyosin were increased during the first five days of adult life, while those for diacylglycerol kinase and the transcriptional co-repressor groucho diminished. Two general trends were apparent, (i) gene expression patterns in diploid males were overall more similar to haploid ones and workers than to queens, and (ii) in queens and workers, more genes were up-regulated after emergence until day five, whereas in diploid and especially so in haploid males more genes were down-regulated. This difference between the sexes may be related to longevity, which is much longer in females than in males.

Castes in the neotropical social wasp Leipomeles dorsata (Fabricius) (Hymenoptera: Vespidae): a window for workers achieving a new status in the colony

Morphometric studies performed in several species of Neotropical social wasps from the tribe Epiponini showed that in some species there are marked differences between castes, while other species present highly distinct castes with differences only in ovarian development. This work analyzed females from six colonies of the social wasp Leipomeles dorsata (Fabricius) in which queens (egglayers) and workers showed differences in ovarian development and coloration. We propose that wasps with developed ovaries (egglayers) and coloration similar to those of workers are possibly intermediates that obtained the status of queens in the colony.

Morphological and physiological variation between queens and workers of Protonectarina sylveirae (de Saussure) (Hymenoptera, Vespidae, Epiponini) / Variações morfológicas e fisiológicas entre rainhas e operárias de Protonectarina sylveirae (de Saussure) (Hymenoptera, Vespidae, Epiponini)

Morphological and physiological variation between queens and workers of Protonectarina sylveirae (de Saussure) (Hymenoptera, Vespidae, Epiponini). The Neotropical swarm-founding wasps, Epiponini, range from the absence of morphological differentiation between castes to highly distinct castes. We measured eight body parts of females of two colonies of Protonectarina sylveirae (de Saussure, 1854). ANOVA and Discriminant Analysis evidenced significant differences between castes, as previously observed by other authors for other species of Epiponini. However, some females previously categorized as queens, were actually workers, supported by our statistic analyses. These individuals showed intermediate morphological features between queens and workers, having distinct patterns of hairs and clypeal spots. The castes of P. sylveirae are distinct, however intermediate individuals may be found in colonies promoting social flexibility.

As vespas enxameadoras neotropicais, Epiponini, apresentam desde ausência de diferenciação morfológica entre as castas até castas altamente distintas. Medimos oito partes corporais das fêmeas de duas colônias de Protonectarina sylveirae (de Saussure, 1854). ANOVA e Análise Discriminante evidenciaram diferenças significativas entre as castas, como observado anteriormente por outros autores em outros Epiponini. No entanto, algumas fêmeas, previamente categorizadas como rainhas, eram na verdade operárias, com base nas análises estatísticas. Esses indivíduos apresentaram características morfológicas intermediárias entre rainhas e operárias, tendo padrões distintos de pilosidade e da marca do clípeo. As castas em P. sylveirae são distintas, no entanto indivíduos intermediários podem ser encontrados nas colônias promovendo uma flexibilidade social.

Os refugos do mundo: figuras do pária / The outcasts of the world: images of the pariahs

Do século XVI ao século XVIII, o termo pária, cunhado por viajantes ocidentais, oficiais do império ou missionários para designar a degradação dos marginalizados na Índia, era corrente em círculos letrados portugueses, ingleses, franceses, alemães e holandeses. No discurso iluminista - e ao longo do século XIX -, o termo adquiriu um novo sentido, relacionado à conotação cada vez mais pejorativa de "casta". Assim, a metáfora do pária representa uma expressão idiomática de crítica à autoridade arbitrária e à exclusão social e política persistente. Graças à literatura, ao teatro e à opera, ela adentra os espaços públicos literário e plebeu europeus, dando nome às hierarquias modernas invisíveis e denunciando a construção desumanizadora do outro em um mundo que alega ter a universalidade dos direitos humanos como seu princípio fundador.

From the 16th to the 18th centuries, the term pariah, coined by Western travelers, imperial officials or missionaries to designate the abjection of the outcasts in India, circulated in Portuguese, English, French, German and Dutch literati circles. In the discourse of Enlightenment - and throughout the 19th century - it acquires a new meaning, related to the increasingly pejorative connotation of "caste". The metaphor of the "pariah" provides thus an idiom of the critique of arbitrary authority and the persisting social and political exclusion. Thanks to the literature, theater, and opera, it enters the European literary and plebeian public spaces, giving a name to the modern invisible hierarchies, and denouncing the dehumanizing construction of the other in a world claiming as its grounding principle the universality of human rights.

DOTS Reacdes Socially Marginalized Population in the Community a Study from a Rural Area of South India.

We report here that the Directly Observed Treatment, Short course (DOTS) is reaching all tuberculosis patients in the community irrespective of social classification based on the analysis from the tuberculosis prevalence survey and programme performance during 1999-2003 from a rural area in Tamilnadu, South India. New smear- positive cases treated under a DOTS programme were classified in two groups namely; scheduled caste living in colony and other population. The prevalence of smear- positive cases among the scheduled caste population was 1.9 times higher than the other population and this was reflected in the notification also. The successful treatment outcome was also similar in these two groups (75% and 78% respectively; overall 77%). From these findings it is concluded that people living in colony have equal access to DOTS as those in the village.

Morphological caste studies in the neotropical swarm-founding Polistinae wasp Angiopolybia pallens (Lepeletier) (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) / Estudos morfológicos das castas da vespa Polistinae enxameadora neotropical, Angiopolybia pallens (Lepeletier) (Hymenoptera: Vespidae)

Neotropical swarm-founding wasps present polygynic colonies and a great variation in relation to caste differentiation, ranging from species in which queens and workers are similar in shape and size to those where variation in shape and size is conspicuous. Canonical discriminant analysis and Bonferroni t-test analysis on morphometric data collected from eight body parts of specimens from nine colonies of Angiopolybia pallens (Lepeletier) were undertaken as a step towards to a better understanding on caste differenciation in Epiponini. All specimens were dissected to verify the ovary developmental stage, and the spermatheca was removed to check for the mating status. Females were then grouped as queens (mated with developed ovaries), intermediates (virgin with developed ovaries) and workers (virgin with undeveloped ovaries). Even though differences were found for some measurements in seven out of the nine colonies evaluated, multivariate analysis (Wilks' lambda values) indicated castes could not be reliably distinguished only by morphology. We conclude that morphological differences among A. pallens castes are low or absent, reflecting a possible groundplan for the Epiponini, i.e. a post-imaginal pattern of caste differentiation.

As vespas neotropicais enxameadoras possuem colônias poligínicas e uma variação muito grande em relação à diferenciação das castas, desde espécies em que rainhas e operárias possuem formas e tamanhos semelhantes até aquelas em que grande diferença na forma e no tamanho são observados. Estudos morfométricos utilizando oito medidas corporais em nove colônias de Angiopolybia pallens (Lepeletier) foram realizados a fim de aumentar o conhecimento sobre diferenciação de castas em Epiponini, empregando-se análise canônica discriminante e teste t de Bonferroni. Os indivíduos foram dissecados para determinar o nível de desenvolvimento ovariano e as espermatecas foram removidas para verificar a ocorrência de inseminação e assim definir os três grupos de fêmeas: rainhas (ovários desenvolvidos e espermateca fecundada), intermediárias (ovários desenvolvidos e espermateca não-fecundada) e operárias (ovários não-desenvolvidos). Apesar de serem encontradas diferenças significativas para algumas medidas em sete das nove colônias, a análise multivariada (lambda de Wilks) mostrou que as castas são de difícil distinção apenas pela morfologia. É possível concluir que diferenças morfológicas entre castas de A. pallens são pequenas ou ausentes, o que reflete o plano basal para os Epiponini, i.e. padrão pós-imaginal de diferenciação castas.

Castes and asynchronous colony cycle in Polybia bistriata (Fabricius) (Hymenoptera: Vespidae)

Neotropical swarm-founding wasps, the Epiponini, are an outstanding group of social insects whose societies are polygynic and complex nest builders. Caste dimorphism in these wasps ranges from incipient to highly distinct. Morphometric analyses of nine body parts, ovarian status, relative age and development of the 5th gastral sternite gland (Richards´ gland) of Polybia bistriata Fabricius were undertaken in order to estimate caste differentiation in nine colonies. Morphological and physiological data were used in multivariate analyses in order to evaluate the level of discrimination between inseminated and non-inseminated females. Clear physiological differences were found: queens had highly developed ovaries and they were inseminated, and workers had totally undeveloped ovaries or they had few developed oocytes (only in two colonies), but in both cases insemination was not detected. ANOVA and discriminant function analysis detected slight, but significant differences between castes. In relation to colony cycle, colonies were considered to be in the following stages: one in pre-emergence, four in worker production and four in sexuals production. Richards´ gland analyses indicated that in small colonies (<100 females) queens had a less developed gland than in medium (100-200 females), and large colonies (>200 females). Taking the whole data, it was possible to conclude that caste differences were slight, but more evident in some phases of the colony cycle, a phenomenon previously described for other epiponines.

Os Epiponini, vespas sociais neotropicais, são um grupo de insetos sociais com sociedades poligínicas, construtoras de ninhos complexos. O dimorfismo das castas varia de incipiente até altamente distinto. Análises morfométricas de nove partes corporais, estágio de desenvolvimento ovariano, idade relativa e desenvolvimento da glândula do quinto esternito do gáster (glândula de Richards) de Polybia bistriata (Fabricius) foram utilizados para calcular o nível de diferenciação das castas de nove colônias. Dados morfológicos e fisiológicos foram usados em análises multivariadas para avaliar o nível de discriminação entre fêmeas inseminadas e não-inseminadas. Foram encontradas diferenças fisiológicas claras: rainhas tinham ovários altamente desenvolvidos e inseminados, e as operárias não estavam inseminadas e tinham ovários não desenvolvidos ou uns poucos oócitos desenvolvidos (em duas colônias). ANOVA e análise da função discriminante detectaram diferenças significantes entre as castas. Considerou-se, pelos dados obtidos, que as colônias estavam nas seguintes fases em relação ao ciclo colonial: uma em pré-emergência, quatro em produção de operárias ;.e quatro em produção de sexuados. Análises das glândulas de Richards indicaram o seu menor desenvolvimento em rainhas de colônias pequenas (< 100 fêmeas) do que aquelas de colônias médias (100-200 fêmeas), e grandes (> 200 fêmeas). Considerando-se todos os dados, é possível concluir que as diferenças entre as castas são pequenas, mas evidentes em algumas fases do ciclo colonial, um fenômeno previamente descrito para outros epiponíneos.

Morphological studies on castes of Protopolybia chartergoides (Hymenoptera, Vespidae, Epiponini) observed in colonies during male production stage

Social wasps are important for the study of social behavior evolution because their colonies present different degrees of caste differentiation, from morphologically similar to highly conspicuous, associated with the occasional presence of intermediate females, which bears developed ovaries but no insemination. In the Polistinae, depending on the taxon, such differentiation can be discreet or conspicuous. This work intended to study morphological and physiological differences between castes in Protopolybia chartergoides by using morphometric analyses associated with multivariate statistical analyses and physiological evaluations from females' ovarian development. Results evidence low morphological and physiological differences among the castes in P. chartergoides, indicating three groups of females: queens, workers and intermediates. In this way, it was possible to suggest that Protopolybia chartergoides presents post-imaginal caste differentiation (or a very subtle form of pre-imaginal determination).

Vespas sociais são importantes para o estudo da evolução do comportamento social devido suas colônias apresentarem diferentes graus de diferenciação de castas, de morfologicamente similares às altamente conspícuas, associadas com a presença de fêmeas intermediárias, as quais desenvolvem seus ovários, mas não estando inseminadas. Nos Polistinae, tais diferenciações podem ser discretas ou conspícuas. Este trabalho teve como objetivo estudar as diferenças morfológicas e fisiológicas entre as castas de Protopolybia chartergoides pelo uso de análises morfométricas associada com análises estatísticas multivariadas e avaliações fisiológicas do desenvolvimento ovariano das fêmeas. Os resultados mostraram baixa diferenciação morfológica e fisiológica entre as castas de P. chartergoides, indicando a presença de três grupos de fêmeas: rainhas, operárias e intermediárias. Assim, foi possível sugerir que Protopolybia chartergoides apresenta diferenciação de casta pós-imaginal (ou uma forma muito sutil de determinação pré-imaginal).

Caracterização das glândulas mandibulares nas diferentes classes de adultos de Scaptotrigona postica Latreille (Hymenoptera: Apidae) / Characterization of the mandibular glands in different adult types of Scaptotrigona postica Latreille (Hymenoptera: Apidae)

As glândulas mandibulares de operárias recém-emergidas, nutridoras e campeiras, rainhas virgens e fisogástricas, e machos maduros de Scaptotrigona postica Latreille foram estudadas histológica e morfometricamente. Estas glândulas apresentam diferenças histológicas características para cada idade e/ou função do indivíduo. De acordo com a morfometria conclui-se que as glândulas mandibulares possuem um ciclo secretor determinado, no qual a secreção começa a ser produzida nas operárias recém-emergidas, e acumula-se no citoplasma e reservatório da glândula das operárias nutridoras. Nas operárias campeiras o citoplasma encontra-se bastante vacuolizado, o que foi interpretado como resultado da eliminação da secreção. Rainhas fisogástricas apresentaram as maiores áreas celulares e nucleares, ao oposto dos machos, os quais apresentaram as menores áreas.

The mandibular glands of newly-emerged, nurse and forager workers, virgin and physogastric queens, and mature males of Scaptotrigona postica Latreille were studied under histological and morphometrical analyses. These glands present differences in their histology, according to the age and/or function of the individuals. The morphometric results showed that the mandibular glands have a very markedly secretory cicle, in which the secretion starts to be produced in newly emerged workers, being accumulated into the cytoplasm and reservoir in the nurses. In forager workers the cytoplasm presents many vacuoles, which are remaining of the secretion releasing. Physogastric queens showed the largest cellular and nuclear areas. On the contrary, the males presented the smallest ones.