Residual blood specimens collected at health facilities may be a source of samples for serosurveys of adults, a population often neglected in community-based serosurveys. Anonymized residual blood specimens were collected from individuals 15 – 49 years of age attending two sub-district hospitals in Palghar District, Maharashtra, from November 2018 to March 2019. Specimens also were collected from women 15 – 49 years of age enrolled in a cross-sectional, community-based serosurvey representative at the district level that was conducted 2 – 7 months after the residual specimen collection. Specimens were tested for IgG antibodies to measles and rubella viruses. Measles and rubella seroprevalence estimates using facility-based specimens were 99% and 92%, respectively, with men having significantly lower rubella seropositivity than women. Age-specific measles and rubella seroprevalence estimates were similar between the two specimen sources. Although measles seropositivity was slightly higher among adults attending the facilities, both facility and community measles seroprevalence estimates were 95% or higher. The similarity in measles and rubella seroprevalence estimates between the community-based and facility serosurveys highlights the potential value of residual specimens to approximate community seroprevalence.

Residual blood specimens provide a sample repository that could be analyzed to estimate and track changes in seroprevalence with fewer resources than household-based surveys. We conducted parallel facility and community-based cross-sectional serological surveys in two districts in India, Kanpur Nagar District, Uttar Pradesh, and Palghar District, Maharashtra, before and after a measles-rubella supplemental immunization activity (MR-SIA) from 2018 to 2019. Anonymized residual specimens from children 9 months to younger than 15 years of age were collected from public and private diagnostic laboratories and public hospitals and tested for IgG antibodies to measles and rubella viruses. Significant increases in seroprevalence were observed following the MR SIA using the facility-based specimens. Younger children whose specimens were tested at a public facility in Kanpur Nagar District had significantly lower rubella seroprevalence prior to the SIA compared to those attending a private hospital, but this difference was not observed following the SIA. Similar increases in rubella seroprevalence were observed in facility-based and community-based serosurveys following the MR SIA, but trends in measles seroprevalence were inconsistent between the two specimen sources. Despite challenges with representativeness and limited metadata, residual specimens can be useful in estimating seroprevalence and assessing trends through facility-based sentinel surveillance.

A black organic-rich alluvial clay from Alleppey, Kerala State, India, gave a well defined 17Å reflection in the natural untreated state. Ethylene glycol and heat treatments showed it to be essentially a smectite. Treatments with H2O2 and 0·1 N NaOH contracted the spacing to about 14Å, indicating that sorbed organic matter was responsible for the original enhanced spacing.

In the natural state, the clay was chiefly divalent with respect to the ions on its exchange sites and was at a pH of 6·2. Subsequent attempts to resorb the organic matter (which had been extracted from the clay by repeated NaOH treatments, converted to the H-form, concentrated and freeze-dried) into the interlamellar space of H2O2-treated clay proved successful only after the pH was brought down to 3•2 and the clay converted to an essentially monovalent state through repeated 1 N NaCl treatments.

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is a common hormonal condition affecting women of reproductive age(1). Women with PCOS experience a broad range of clinical symptoms, collectively grouped into reproductive, metabolic, psychological and anthropometric features(2). Complementary therapies, such as nutrient supplementation, have been identified as potential adjunct therapeutic approaches to support currently recommended lifestyle and pharmacological interventions(3). However, evidence for their overall efficacy and safety is inconsistent and unclear. This review aimed to systematically map the available literature on the use of nutrient supplementation for the management of PCOS features, including metabolic, reproductive, psychological and anthropometric. This review followed a systematic approach with literature searches using CINHAL, Cochrane reviews, Medline, PsycINFO, Scopus and LILACS conducted up to April 2022. All types of study designs were included if they reported on the efficacy or association between micronutrient supplementation and/or nutraceuticals on features of PCOS in women (≥ 18 years) with a confirmed diagnosis of PCOS. A total of 317 articles were included involving n = 23,926 women. Forty-three different supplements examined various clinical features of PCOS grouped into metabolic, reproductive, psychological and anthropometric. The most studied supplements included Inositols (n = 83), Vitamin D (n = 51), N-acetylcysteine (n = 25), Omega-3 fatty acids (n = 18) and Biotics (n = 14). Most studies (n = 262; 83%) reported on reproductive features followed by metabolic (n = 212; 66%), anthropometric (n = 181; 57%) and psychological (n = 5; 2%). Less than half (n = 148; 47%) of the included studies reported on the potential for adverse events. Our results highlight that the potential therapeutic benefit of micronutrient and nutraceutical supplementation on psychological features of PCOS warrants future exploration. Additional primary studies that are adequately powered are needed to investigate therapeutic doses needed for clinical benefits. Lastly, a more rigorous approach to monitoring and recording adverse event data is recommended.

Water droplets containing the SARS-CoV-2 virus, responsible for coronavirus 2019 transmission, were introduced into a controlled-temperature and -humidity chamber. The SARS-CoV-2 virus with green fluorescent protein tag in droplets was used to infect Caco-2 cells, with viability assessed through flow cytometry and microscopic counting. Whereas temperature fluctuations within typical indoor ranges (20°C–30°C) had minimal impact, we observed a notable decrease in infection rate as the surrounding air’s relative humidity increased. By investigating humidity levels between 20% and 70%, we identified a threshold of ≥40% relative humidity as most effective in diminishing SARS-CoV-2 infectivity. We also found that damage of the viral proteins under high relative humidity may be responsible for the decrease in their activity. This outcome supports previous research demonstrating a rise in the concentration of reactive oxygen species within water droplets with elevated relative humidity.

Rice crop is affected by different types of floods at different stages of the crop cycle. Constant efforts of researchers resulted in the development of rice varieties for anaerobic germination, flash floods and stagnant flooding by both conventional and molecular breeding approaches. Detection of QTLs for different types of floods in new genetic source (AC39416A) is needed to combat adverse effects of climate change. Present investigation was carried out to identify QTLs for flood tolerance using recombinant inbred lines derived from Indra and AC39416A. QTL mapping resulted in identification of QTLs, qAG3.1 on chromosome 3 for anaerobic germination and qSF10.1 on chromosome 10 for plant survival % under stagnant flooding. These QTLs explain 59.08 and 13.21% of phenotypic variance respectively. Two candidate genes were identified in qAG3.1 region, LOC_Os03g42130 gibberellin 20 oxidase2 and LOC_Os03g44170 glutathione S-transferase. The underlying mechanism might be the inhibition of gibberellic acid synthesis and thereby protecting seedlings from oxidative stress under anoxia condition. Genomic region of qSF10.1 revealed LOC_Os10g35020 glycosyltransferase and LOC_Os10g35050 aquaporin protein loci, which might be responsible for adaptive mechanism for plant survival % under stagnant flooding. This indicates that the new genetic resource AC39416A has an ability to adopt to different types of flood tolerance in response to environmental stress. Unveiling physiological and molecular mechanisms for flood tolerance in AC39416A using advanced omics studies would help in precise genomic selections for sustained production in flood-prone areas.

Subduction-related kimberlite-borne eclogite xenoliths of the Precambrian age may provide significant information about the evolution and recycling of a subducting crust as exhumed/orogenic eclogites of the pre-Mesoproterozoic time-frame are globally rare. In this paper, we report a kimberlite-borne eclogite xenolith from the diamondiferous Kalyandurg kimberlite cluster of the Eastern Dharwar Craton, India, which contains a plethora of ultra-high-pressure minerals such as coesite, majoritic garnet, and supersilicic K-rich omphacite. The presence of these ultra-high-pressure minerals is confirmed by in situ X-ray diffractometry, laser Raman spectra and electron probe microanalysis. The presence of coesite undisputedly pinpoints a subduction origin for the eclogite at ∼2.8 GPa pressure, which corresponds to ∼100 km depth. The geothermobarometric estimations involving garnet–omphacite–kyanite–coesite reveal that such an eclogitic assemblage equilibrated at ∼5–8 GPa (∼175–280 km) pressure during ultra-deep subduction. The textural relationship between omphacite, coarse-grained garnet and majoritic garnet coupled with the laser Raman spectra and geobarometric estimations obtained from the majoritic garnet demonstrate that the majoritic garnet formed at ∼8–19 GPa (∼280–660 km) owing to disassociation of omphacite and coarse-grained garnet to majoritic garnet during increment of pressure up to the mantle transition zone. Thus, the mineralogical and geothermobarometric data suggest that the studied eclogite possibly travelled down to the mantle transition zone before it was rapidly carried up by a pre-Mesoproterozoic mantle plume, and subsequently entrained as a xenolith by the Mesoproterozoic (∼1.1 Ga) kimberlite.

Capacity development is critical to long-term conservation success, yet we lack a robust and rigorous understanding of how well its effects are being evaluated. A comprehensive summary of who is monitoring and evaluating capacity development interventions, what is being evaluated and how, would help in the development of evidence-based guidance to inform design and implementation decisions for future capacity development interventions and evaluations of their effectiveness. We built an evidence map by reviewing peer-reviewed and grey literature published since 2000, to identify case studies evaluating capacity development interventions in biodiversity conservation and natural resource management. We used inductive and deductive approaches to develop a coding strategy for studies that met our criteria, extracting data on the type of capacity development intervention, evaluation methods, data and analysis types, categories of outputs and outcomes assessed, and whether the study had a clear causal model and/or used a systems approach. We found that almost all studies assessed multiple outcome types: most frequent was change in knowledge, followed by behaviour, then attitude. Few studies evaluated conservation outcomes. Less than half included an explicit causal model linking interventions to expected outcomes. Half of the studies considered external factors that could influence the efficacy of the capacity development intervention, and few used an explicit systems approach. We used framework synthesis to situate our evidence map within the broader literature on capacity development evaluation. Our evidence map (including a visual heat map) highlights areas of low and high representation in investment in research on the evaluation of capacity development.

In this study, we define the cardinal temperatures and thermal time for germination and emergence of pigeonpea genotypes. Seeds of six genotypes were subjected to constant temperatures ranging between 5 and 50°C in petri dishes with filter paper (germination) and with media (emergence) were placed in a thermal gradient plate. A nonlinear bent-stick model fitted to the rate of development to germination and emergence resulted in parameters predicting cardinal temperatures including base (Tb), optimum (To), maximum (Tm), and thermal time. Estimated Tb for 50% germination and emergence were 8.4 and 10.8°C, respectively, with no significant differences between genotypes. Optimum temperatures were 33.8 and 37.9°C for germination and emergence, respectively, with genotypes differing significantly. Thermal time for 50% germination and emergence varied significantly among genotypes. The results suggest that genotypic responses to the temperature are typical for their tropical origin and hence their suitability for cropping in summer dominant rainfall regions insubtropical Australia.

This paper offers a framework for measuring global growth and inflation, built on standard index number theory, national accounts principles, and the concepts and methods for international macro-economic comparisons. Our approach provides a sound basis for purchasing power parity (PPP)- and exchange rate (XR)-based global growth and inflation measures. The Sato–Vartia index number system advocated here offers very similar results to a Fisher system but has the added advantage of allowing a complete decomposition with PPP or XR effects. For illustrative purposes, we present estimates of global growth and inflation for 141 countries over the years 2005 and 2011. The contribution of movements in XRs and PPPs to global inflation are presented. The aggregation properties of the method are also discussed.

The design of high energy Li-ion batteries (LIBs) by coupling high voltage LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 (LNMO) cathode and Li4Ti5O12 (LTO) anode ensures effective and safe energy-storage. LTO–LNMO full-cells (FCs) with difference in electrode grain sizes and presence of excess Mn3+ in cathode were studied using micron-sized commercial LTO, nanostructured LTO donuts (LTOd), P4332 LNMO nanopowders, and nanostructured Fd3m LNMO caterpillars (LNMOcplr). Among the studied FCs, LTOd–LNMOcplr was detected with a stable capacity of 69 mA h/g (1C rate), 99% coulombic efficiency, and 87% capacity retention under 200 cycles of continuous charge–discharge studies. The superior electrochemical performance observed in LTOd–LNMOcplr FC was due to the low charge transfer resistance, which is corroborated to the effect of grain sizes and the longer retention of Mn3+ in the electrodes. An effective and simple FC design incorporating both nanostructuring and in situ conductivity in electrode materials would aid in developing future high-performance LIBs.

While SrTiO3 exhibits promising electronic transport properties, its high thermal conductivity (κ) is detrimental for its use as a thermoelectric material. Here, we investigate the influence of oxygen non-stoichiometry on κ in bulk SrTiO3 ceramics. A significant reduction in κ was achieved in oxygen deficient SrTiO3−δ, owing to the presence of oxygen vacancies that act as phonon scattering centers. Upon oxidation of SrTiO3−δ, the κ of pristine SrTiO3 was recovered, suggesting that oxygen vacancies were indeed responsible for the reduction in κ. Raman spectroscopy was used as an independent tool to confirm the reduction of oxygen vacancies in SrTiO3−δ upon oxidation.