Foundation for Revitalisation of Local Health Traditions

A new species of Chlorophytum is described and illustrated in this article. Morphological, root anatomical, pollen and molecular features were compared with its allied species C. laxum R. Br. which has apiculate anther, lanceolate bract, 16-18 nerved flat leaf and ellipsoid pollen with contrast to obtuse anther, ovate bract, 11-13 nerved conduplicate leaf and ovoid pollen. The molecular features too compliment the differences.

The famous Codex Vaticanus (Vat. gr. 1209 in the Vatican Library) is currently regarded as one of the most essential sources for reconstructing the Greek text of the New Testament. Although it had already been used by textual critics from the sixteenth century onward, the manuscript only rose to the prominent status it now holds in the course of the nineteenth century. This PhD thesis writes the scholarly history of Codex Vaticanus, beginning from Desiderius Erasmus (1466–1536) and his Greek New Testament editions until the editio princeps of this manuscript prepared by Cardinal Angelus Maius (1782–1854). In this time-period that spans 350 years, perceptions of this manuscript changed profoundly. For a long time it had been seen as an inferior witness, useless for making the Greek New Testament edition. However, scholars gradually discovered its value and importance, and their appreciation eventually led to the consensus that considers its text as foundational for the Modern Critical Text, the basis for many contemporary vernacular translations of the New Testament. By examining critical editions, analysing monographs and articles, considering book reviews and pamphlets, and delving into archive collections, the present study delineates the stages of the manuscript’s progression from an ancient manuscript held at the Vatican Library to its designation as the ‘Codex Vaticanus’. It is a study of the many individuals and their stories surrounding this very manuscript, stories about accessibility and the dissemination of knowledge, authority and head-on collisions between the most learned critics, and of continuity and changing paradigms in scholarship. All in all, this thesis sets out how Codex Vaticanus became the manuscript par excellence in the history of New Testament textual scholarship.

Euphorbia kadapensis Sarojin. & R.R.V. Raju (Euphorbiaceae) and Lepidagathis keralensis Madhus. & N.P. Singh (Acanthaceae) an endemic species are first time reported for Karnataka in southern India. A detailed description, photographs and herbarium sheets of the taxon are provided for easy identification.

There are serious problems with P. Payne's discussion of ‘distigmai’ in Codex Vaticanus, and more in particular with his identification and interpretation of so-called ‘distigme-obelos’ combinations. The ‘distigmai’ remain elusive and any ‘distigme-obelos’ is coincidental.

Introduction to The Spirit is Moving: New Pathways in Pneumatology.

Background: Mosquito-borne flaviviruses, such as dengue and Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), cause life-threatening diseases, particularly in the tropics. Methods: Here we performed unbiased metagenomic sequencing of RNA extracted from the serum of four patients and the plasma of one patient, all hospitalized at a tertiary care centre in South India with severe or prolonged febrile illness, together with the serum from one healthy control, in 2014. Results: We identified and assembled a complete dengue virus type 3 sequence from a case of severe dengue fever. We also identified a small number of JEV sequences in the serum of two adults with febrile illness, including one with severe dengue. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the dengue sequence belonged to genotype III. It has an estimated divergence time of 13.86 years from the most highly related Indian strains. In total, 11 amino acid substitutions were predicted for this strain in the antigenic envelope protein, when compared to the parent strain used for development of the first commercial dengue vaccine. Conclusions: We demonstrate that both genome assembly and detection of a low number of viral sequences are possible through the unbiased sequencing of clinical material. These methods may help ascertain causal agents for febrile illnesses with no known cause.

Red sanders (Pterocarpus santalinus) is restricted in its distribution to Southern Eastern Ghats of India and listed by IUCN as endangered species. P. santalinus is the only species of Pterocarpus that has been listed in Appendix II of CITES. Major threats for this endangered tree are illegal and unsustainable harvesting, forest fire, grazing, loss of habitat, inbreeding, pests, diseases, low fruit set and poor regeneration. The threats and methods for conservation of this precious tree are reviewed and discussed.