Prem Narain

Bio: Prem Narain is an academic researcher from Indian Agricultural Statistics Research Institute. The author has contributed to research in topics: Population & Socioeconomic development. The author has an hindex of 13, co-authored 80 publications receiving 503 citations. Previous affiliations of Prem Narain include University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston & Indian Agricultural Research Institute.

Genetic diversity - conservation and assessment.

Abstract: The biodiversity that we see around us is the outcome of natural evolution which has been going on for the last 3.5 billion years. However, with growing population and rapid modernization, the biodiversity is now getting depleted at an unprecedented rate. This paper examines some of the mechanisms by which the diversity, particularly at the genetic level, is maintained under natural conditions. It discusses the phenomenon of terminal extinction as well as strategies and policies for the conservation and assessment of genetic diversity.

Statistical evaluation of development on socio-economic front

Abstract: Special Programmes of socio-economic development have been launched in the country to improve the quality of life in different states. The present study deals with the quantification of developmental efforts effected in various socio-economic fields by constructing composite index of development based on information of fourteen important indicators in seventeen major states of the country. This study has been undertaken over two period of time i.e. 1971-72 and 1981-82 with the objective of examining the significance of change and variability in development. Attempts have also been made to estimate potential targets for the underdeveloped states to bring equity in development. The states of Haryana and Punjab are observed to be better off in socio-economic development where as the states of Assam, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh have remained at the low ebb of development during both the periods. The overall level of development is found to be significantly different between the two time periods. Though the various developmental programmes have resulted in an improvement during the second period, its impact appears to have been eroded by the rapid growth of population in most of the states. Special care should be taken to allocate resources optimally on per capita basis for improving the socio-economic conditions of under developed states.

Regional disparities in socio-economic development in Tamil Nadu

Abstract: The level of development of different districts of Tamil Nadu was obtained with the help of composite index based on optimum combination of forty two socio-economic indicators. The district-wise data in respect of forty two indicators were used for twenty two districts of the State. The data on most of the indicators were for the year 1994-95. The level of development was obtained separately for agricultural, infrastructural service and socio- economic sectors. The district of Chengalpattu MGR was ranked first and the district of Pasumpon Muthuramalinga Thevar was ranked last in the level of socio-economic development in the State. Wide disparities were obtained in the level of development among different districts. Northern and north-eastern districts were found to be better developed. The socio-economic development was positively associated with the growth and progress of agricultural development and infrastructural facilities. The level of education, provision of health services, banking facilities, transport and communication systems did not significantly influence the agricultural development in the State. For bringing out uniform regional development, potential targets have been estimated for low developed districts. These districts require improvements of various dimensions in some of the indicators for enhancing the \evel of overall socio-economic development. Some of the districts require unified balanced integration of curative, preventive and promotional health services.

Evaluation of economic development in Orissa

Abstract: The study deals with the evaluation of economic development of different districts of Orissa State with the main objective to rank the districts on the basis of agricultural, industrial, infrastructural and overall economic development indices and to examine the impact of these developments on reduction in the incidence of poverty in the State. The study utilises data at the district level for the year 1990-91 on forty six different indicators depicting various facets of development of different sectors of economy. All the thirteen districts of Orissa have been included in the analysis. The district of Cuttack has been ranked first and the district of Phulbani has been ranked last in the overall economic development. The level of development has been examined separately for agricultural sector and infrastructural service sector. From the composite indices of development of the above three sectors, it is observed that there is greater variability in the level of development in industrial sector as compared to agricultural and infrastructural service sectors. The overall economic development is very much associated with the agricultural development and industrial development. The agricultural and industrial developments are found to be mutually associated which implies that the districts which are agriculturally developed, are mostly developed in industrial sector also. The developments in agricultural and industrial sector seem, therefore, to go hand in hand in the State. The extent of improvement required in different indicators of the low developed districts of the State has been examined. Indicators like irrigation, fertilisers, foodgrains production, fish production and the number of veterinary dispensaries etc. need improvements of varying magnitude in all the low developed districts in agricultural sector. In industrial sector, all the eleven indicators require improvements whereas in service sector improvement is needed uniformally in the indicators concerning medical facilities, decadal growth rate of population, literacy, banking facilities, electrification of villages and length of roads etc.

Quantitative genetics: past and present

Abstract: Most characters of economic importance in plants and animals, and complex diseases in humans, exhibit quantitative variation, the genetics of which has been a fascinating subject of study since Mendel’s discovery of the laws of inheritance. The classical genetic basis of continuous variation based on the infinitesimal model of Fisher and mostly using statistical methods has since undergone major modifications. The advent of molecular markers and their extensive mapping in several species has enabled detection of genes of metric characters known as quantitative trait loci (QTL). Modeling the high-resolution mapping of QTL by association analysis at the population level as well as at the family level has indicated that incorporation of a haplotype of a pair of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the model is statistically more powerful than a single marker approach. High-throughput genotyping technology coupled with micro-arrays has allowed expression of thousand of genes with known positions in the genome and has provided an intermediate step with mRNA abundance as a sub-phenotype in the mapping of genotype onto phenotype for quantitative traits. Such gene expression profiling has been combined with linkage analysis in what is known as eQTL mapping. The first study of this kind was on budding yeast. The associated genetic basis of protein abundance using mass spectrometry has also been attempted in the same population of yeast. A comparative picture of transcript vs. protein abundance levels indicates that functionally important changes in the levels of the former are not necessarily reflected in changes in the levels of the latter. Genes and proteins must therefore be considered simultaneously to unravel the complex molecular circuitry that operates within a cell. One has to take a global perspective on life processes instead of individual components of the system. The network approach connecting data on genes, transcripts, proteins, metabolites etc. indicates the emergence of a systems quantitative genetics. It seems that the interplay of the genotype-phenotype relationship for quantitative variation is not only complex but also requires a dialectical approach for its understanding in which ‘parts’ and ‘whole’ evolve as a consequence of their relationship and the relationship itself evolves.

Genetical genomics : the added value from segregation

Abstract: The recent successes of genome-wide expression profiling in biology tend to overlook the power of genetics. We here propose a merger of genomics and genetics into ‘genetical genomics’. This involves expression profiling and marker-based fingerprinting of each individual of a segregating population, and exploits all the statistical tools used in the analysis of quantitative trait loci. Genetical genomics will combine the power of two different worlds in a way that is likely to become instrumental in the further unravelling of metabolic, regulatory and developmental pathways.

Population structure in Daphnia obtusa: quantitative genetic and allozymic variation.

Abstract: Quantitative genetic analyses for body size and for life history characters within and among populations of Daphnia obtusa reveal substantial genetic variance at both hierarchical levels for all traits measured. Simultaneous allozymic analysis on the same population samples indicate a moderate degree of differentiation: GST = 0.28. No associations between electrophoretic genotype and phenotypic characters were found, providing support for the null hypothesis that the allozymic variants are effectively neutral. Therefore, GST can be used as the null hypothesis that neutral phenotypic evolution within populations led to the observed differentiation for the quantitative traits, which I call QST. The results of this study provide evidence that natural selection has promoted diversification for body size among populations, and has impeded diversification for relative fitness. Analyses of population differentiation for clutch size, age at reproduction, and growth rate indicate that neutral phenotypic evolution cannot be excluded as the cause.

Genetic Data Analysis II. Methods for Discrete Population Genentic Data

Abstract: ‘‘Gentlemen don’t need mistletoe’’ said the Christmas whiskey billboard I saw recently in Florida, a garish reminder of how much mistletoe lore is embedded in western society. Mistletoe The Genus Viscum, one in the series of medicinal and aromatic plants for industry and academic researchers, centers on the mistletoe in this advertisement, the common European mistletoe,Viscum album. There are helpful discussions on African, Asian, and Argentine mistletoes and their uses but the corpus of the book deals with V. album. Viscum album, considered sacred by the Druids, is no doubt the most widely used parasitic angiosperm for various health concoctions. As a result, much has been learned about its biochemistry and pharmaceutical potential. A great deal of the work on the culture and utilization ofV. album has been done by investigators at Institute Hiscia Center for Cancer Research in Switzerland where votaries of Rudolf Steiner’s distinct form of homeopathy have used mistletoe extracts (‘‘Iscador’’) for many years in cancer treatment. Mistletoe collected from less common hosts are considered to have greater efficacy in preparation of Iscador. As a result, there is a helpful chapter on culturing V. album which is not as difficult as might be imagined for an obligate parasite. Most of the chapters deal with the medicinal aspects of mistletoe including toxicology, clinical aspects, chemistry, and biochemistry emphasizing the lectins which are one of the more desirable compounds produced by the parasite. I found the treatment by Bu ̈ssing (Biological and pharmacological properties of Viscum album L.) helpful because it reviews the link between folk and modern medicine. However, several relevant papers were omitted which are included in a recent excellent review of mistletoes (Watson 2001). Like many books with a diversity of authors, the quality of chapters varies. Obviously produced as a reference volume, Mistletoe lacks an extensive index. Especially aggravating is the lack of an author’s index, limiting the value of the book for anyone looking for specific papers. These days, $70 for a hardbound monograph is reasonable. Color images are well-produced but some of the black and white figures are blurry in my copy. This volume will be of value to ethnobotanists, anyone interested in alternative medicines, and students of mistletoes and parasitic plants. LITERATURE CITED

The effects of local selection, balanced polymorphism and background selection on equilibrium patterns of genetic diversity in subdivided populations.

Abstract: Levels of neutral genetic diversity in populations subdivided into two demes were studied by multilocus stochastic simulations. The model includes deleterious mutations at loci throughout the genome, causing 'background selection', as well as a single locus at which a polymorphism is maintained, either by frequency-dependent selection or by local selective differences. These balanced polymorphisms induce long coalescence times at linked neutral loci, so that sequence diversity at these loci is enhanced at statistical equilibrium. We study how equilibrium neutral diversity levels are affected by the degree of population subdivision, the presence or absence of background selection, and the level of inbreeding of the population. The simulation results are compared with approximate analytical formulae, assuming the infinite sites neutral model. We discuss how balancing selection can be distinguished from local selection, by determining whether peaks of diversity in the region of the polymorphic locus are seen within or between demes. The width of such diversity peaks is shown to depend on the total species population size, rather than local deme sizes. We show that, with population subdivision, local selection enhances between-deme diversity even at neutral sites distant from the polymorphic locus, producing higher FST values than with no selection; very high values can be generated at sites close to a selected locus. Background selection also increases FST, mainly because of decreased diversity within populations, which implies that its effects may be distinguishable from those of local selection. Both effects are stronger in selfing than outcrossing populations. Linkage disequilibrium between neutral sites is generated by both balancing and local selection, especially in selfing populations, because of linkage disequilibrium between the neutral sites and the selectively maintained alleles. We discuss how these theoretical results can be related to data on genetic diversity within and between local populations of a species.

Importance of Genetic Diversity Assessment in Crop Plants and Its Recent Advances: An Overview of Its Analytical Perspectives

Abstract: The importance of plant genetic diversity (PGD) is now being recognized as a specific area since exploding population with urbanization and decreasing cultivable lands are the critical factors contributing to food insecurity in developing world. Agricultural scientists realized that PGD can be captured and stored in the form of plant genetic resources (PGR) such as gene bank, DNA library, and so forth, in the biorepository which preserve genetic material for long period. However, conserved PGR must be utilized for crop improvement in order to meet future global challenges in relation to food and nutritional security. This paper comprehensively reviews four important areas; (i) the significance of plant genetic diversity (PGD) and PGR especially on agriculturally important crops (mostly field crops); (ii) risk associated with narrowing the genetic base of current commercial cultivars and climate change; (iii) analysis of existing PGD analytical methods in pregenomic and genomic era; and (iv) modern tools available for PGD analysis in postgenomic era. This discussion benefits the plant scientist community in order to use the new methods and technology for better and rapid assessment, for utilization of germplasm from gene banks to their applied breeding programs. With the advent of new biotechnological techniques, this process of genetic manipulation is now being accelerated and carried out with more precision (neglecting environmental effects) and fast-track manner than the classical breeding techniques. It is also to note that gene banks look into several issues in order to improve levels of germplasm distribution and its utilization, duplication of plant identity, and access to database, for prebreeding activities. Since plant breeding research and cultivar development are integral components of improving food production, therefore, availability of and access to diverse genetic sources will ensure that the global food production network becomes more sustainable. The pros and cons of the basic and advanced statistical tools available for measuring genetic diversity are briefly discussed and their source links (mostly) were provided to get easy access; thus, it improves the understanding of tools and its practical applicability to the researchers.