Science Vision

50-57

Authors: K. Lalchhandama

Scrub typhus is one the most important re-emerging infectious disease, and perhaps, the most important bacterial disease. Caused by Orientia tsutsugamushi, it is transmitted through the bite of mites belonging to the genus Leptotrombidium, in which the bacteria are obligate parasites. Though the mites are natural ectoparasites of rodents and other animals, in which there is no disease, opportunistic infection to humans gives rise to a serious disease. Known to Japanese physicians as tsutsugamushi (insect disease), human infection is caused by the larvae of trombiculid mites, the fact established by Mataro Nagayo and co-workers established in 1917. The pathogen was discovered by Naosuke Hayashi in 1920. In Mizoram, the disease has been rampant since 2011. This paper summarises available data on the prevalence of the infection in different districts base on collective information from various sources. Records between 2012 and 2018 show that over a thousand people had been infected and 35 people had died of the disease.

64-69

Authors: Lalnunhruaitluangi, A. Powdel, K. Vanlalzarliani, D. Lalnunzira, S. Kushari, S. Kumar, S. Tapadar, L. Sailo

The study was performed to investigate the quantity of cholesterol level in the commonly consumed fats and oils in Mizoram, and further assessed, whether or not it is of risk to coronary heart diseases (CHD). Samples collected include mustard oil (Vimal), butter (Amul), dalda (Vanaspati), ghee (Amul and Vanaspati), refined oil (Best Choice, Dhara, Nutrela, and Gokul), coconut oil (Parachute), olive oil and palm oil. Performing the experiment gives a result where palm oil was found to contain highest level i.e. 804.5 mg/L and coconut oil (Parachute) has the lowest i.e. 179 mg/L. Daily requirements of cholesterol is estimated to be approximately 300 mg per day and thus showing the tested samples to be safe for human consumptions but however limit use of edible oils is recommended for safety measures for high risk individual.

74-79

Authors: R. Zoramthanga

In this study, two-occasion successive sampling for ratio-to-regression estimator was used to determine the current estimate of the population mean using only the matched part and one auxiliary variable, which is available on both the occasions. The data used were based on the total number of female workers in villages in Mizoram with the total number of literate female in villages in Mizoram as an auxiliary variables. The data were gotten from Census of India 2001 and 2011. The optimum mean square error of the combined ratio-to-regression and ratio estimator has been compared with (i) the optimum mean square error of the chain-type ratio estimator (ii) mean per unit estimator and (iii) combined estimator when no auxiliary information is used at any occasion. This result showed that the combined ratio-to-regression and ratio estimator is more efficient than the other three existing estimators.