Cytochrome b based genetic differentiation of Indian wild pig (Sus scrofa cristatus) and domestic pig (Sus scrofa domestica) and its use in wildlife forensics

The Indian wild pig (Sus scrofa cristatus) is a protected species and listed in the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. The wild pig is often hunted illegally and sold in market as meat warranting punishment under law. To avoid confusion in identification of these two subspecies during wildlife forensic examinations, we describe genetic differentiation of Indian wild and domestic pigs using a molecular technique. Analysis of sequence generated from the partial fragment (421 bp) of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) cytochrome b (Cyt b) gene exhibited unambiguous (> 3%) genetic variation between Indian wild and domestic pigs. We observed nine forensically informative nucleotide sequence (FINS) variations between Indian wild and domestic pigs. The overall genetic variation described in this study is helpful in forensic identification of the biological samples of wild and domestic pigs. It also helped in differentiating the Indian wild pig from other wild pig races. This study indicates that domestic pigs in India are not descendent of the Indian wild pig, however; they are closer to the other wild pig races found in Asia and Europe.     

Associations between Adolescent Psychosocial Factors and Disengagement from Education and Employment in Young Adulthood among Individuals with Common Mental Health Problems

Journal of Youth and Adolescence - Transition to adulthood can be a challenging developmental task for adolescents with common mental health problems and is linked to adverse outcomes such as...     

Amitav Ghosh: The Nutmeg’s Curse: Parables for a Planet in Crisis

Jindal Global Law Review -     

Development of latent fingermarks by aqueous electrolytes

In this work we present our observations on the interaction between metallic (copper, aluminum, iron, brass, zinc) and non-metallic (glass and plastic) surfaces bearing latent fingermarks and several aqueous electrolytic solutions. Good quality fingermarks could be observed on some of the metallic and even on non-metallic surfaces after such treatment. The influence of factors such as time interval from deposition, pH of the electrolytes, wiping the latent marks prior to processing and the presence of a second metal on the quality and permanence of the developed impressions have been studied. As a rule, sebaceous marks provided much better quality impressions on all the surfaces. Initial explanations based on electrochemical processes are suggested.