This research aimed to assess the agronomic performance of the progeny (F3 and F4 generations) of 48 newly developed Aus rice lines, using a randomized-complete-block-design under rainfed conditions. We found a wide range of variations in yield and yield-contributing traits among the studied genotypes. High board sense heritability percentages were found for sterility percentage (99.50 and 97.20), thousand-grain-weight (88.10 and 90.20 g), plant-height (84.90 and 86.90 cm) and day-to-maturity (84.50 and 97.60 d) in both F3 and F4 generations, respectively. However, the highest genetic advance as mean percentage was observed for sterility (48.00 and 50.60), effective tillers number per hill (ET) (44.70 and 47.10), total tillers number per hill (TT) (43.00 and 45.40) and filled-grains per panicle (41.00 and 43.20) respectively. Notably, the correlation study also identified the traits, TT (r = 0.31 and 0.45), ET (r = 0.30 and 0.44), straw yield (r = 0.57 and 0.39) and harvest index (r = 0.63 and 0.67) as effective for improving grain yield in both F3 and F4 generations, respectively. We identified higher grain yield per hill (g) and shorter to moderate crop growth duration (days) in several distinct accessions, including R1-49-7-1-1, R3-26-4-3-1, R1-6-2-3-1, R1-13-1-1-1, R1-50-1-1-1, R3-49-4-3-1, R1-47-7-3-1, R2-26-6-2-2, R3-30-1-2-1 and R1-44-1-2-1, among the 48 genotypes in both the F3 and F4 generations. A further location-specific agronomic study is recommended to assess the drought tolerance of these promising genotypes. This will further assess their suitability as potential breeding materials when developing rice varieties adapted to grow under fluctuating rainfalls conditions.

On the western part of the eastern Indian shield, Archaean basement (Bonai granite) is overlain by radioactive conglomerate. The conglomerate contains well-rounded, fractured Mg-poor (<0.18 wt.% MgO), Al-rich (up to 21.14 wt.% Al2O3) Zn-rich chromite (>35.0 wt.% Cr2O3) containing up to 15.5 wt.% ZnO. This is the first reported occurrence of detrital zinc-rich chromite having such unusually high ZnO from India, and to our knowledge, the third reported occurrence in radioactive quartz-pebble conglomerate after Witwatersrand, South Africa and Tarkwa, Ghana. Zinc-rich chromite grains are either clean or contain exsolution blebs/lamella of rutile. The conglomerates show evidence for post-depositional hydrothermal fluid influx and fluid-induced mineral alteration. The strong negative correlation between Zn and Fe2+, Al and Cr, and Al and Fe3+, and strong positive correlation between Zn and Al suggest secondary incorporation of Zn and Al by substitution of Fe2+ and Cr (and Fe3+), respectively, leading to partial transformation of (Fe)(Cr,Al,Fe3+)2O4 towards ZnAl2O4 composition. The chromite grains were possibly derived from komatiite. The timing of Zn enrichment, either at the provenance prior to sedimentation, or at the depositional site post-dating sedimentation, remains unresolved.

Camber morphing is an effective way to control the lift generated by any aerofoil and potentially improve the range (as measured by the lift-to-drag ratio) and endurance (as measured by $C_l^{3/2}/C_d$ ). This can be especially useful for fixed-wing Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) undergoing different flying manoeuvres and flight phases. This work investigates the aerodynamic characteristics of the NACA0012 aerofoil morphed using a Single Corrugated Variable-Camber (SCVC) morphing approach. Structural analysis and morphed shapes are obtained based on small-deformation beam theory using chain calculations and validated using finite-element software. The aerofoil is then reconstructed from the camber line using a Radial Basis Function (RBF)-based interpolation method (J.H.S. Fincham and M.I. Friswell, “Aerodynamic optimisation of a camber morphing aerofoil,” Aerosp. Sci. Technol., 2015). The aerodynamic analysis is done by employing two different finite-volume solvers (OpenFOAM and ANSYS-Fluent) and a panel method code (XFoil). Results reveal that the aerodynamic coefficients predicted by the two finite-volume solvers using a fully turbulent flow assumption are similar but differ from those predicted by XFoil. The aerodynamic efficiency and endurance factor of morphed aerofoils indicate that morphing is beneficial at moderate to high lift requirements. Further, the optimal morphing angle increases with an increase in the required lift. Finally, it is observed for a fixed angle-of-attack that an optimum morphing angle exists for which the aerodynamic efficiency becomes maximum.

ABSTRACT IMPACT: Patients living in overcrowded zip codes were at increased risk of contracting severe COVID-19 after controlling for confounding disease and socioeconomic factors OBJECTIVES/GOALS: This study sought to examine whether residences in over-crowded zip codes with higher reported over-crowding represented an independent risk factor for severe COVID-19 infection, defined by presentation to an emergency department. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: In this zip code tabulated area (ZCTA)-level analysis, we used NYC Department of Health disease surveillance data in March 2020 merged with data from the CDC and ACS to model suspected COVID-19 case rates by zip code over-crowdedness (households with greater than 1 occupant per room, in quartiles). We defined suspected COVID-19 cases as emergency department reported cases of pneumonia and influenza-like illness. Our final model employed a multivariate Poisson regression models with controls for known COVID-19 clinical (prevalence of obesity, coronary artery disease, and smoking) and related socioeconomic risk factors (percentage below federal poverty line, median income by zip-code, percentage White, and proportion of multigenerational households) after accounting for multicollinearity. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: Our analysis examined 39,923 suspected COVID-19 cases across 173 ZCTAs in NYC between March 1 and March 30 2020. We found that, after adjusted analysis, for every quartile increase in defined over-crowdedness, case rates increased by 32.8% (95% CI: 22.7%% to 34.0%, P < 0.001). DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF FINDINGS: Over-crowdedness by zip code may be an independent risk factor for severe COVID-19. Social distancing measures such as school closures that increase house-bound populations may inadvertently worsen the risk of COVID-19 contraction in this setting.

IFRS 17 Insurance Contracts is a new accounting standard currently expected to come into force on 1 January 2023. It supersedes IFRS 4 Insurance Contracts. IFRS 17 establishes key principles that entities must apply in all aspects of the accounting of insurance contracts. In doing so, the Standard aims to increase the usefulness, comparability, transparency and quality of financial statements.

A fundamental concept introduced by IFRS 17 is the contractual service margin (CSM). This represents the unearned profit that an entity expects to earn as it provides services. However, as a principles-based standard, IFRS 17 results in entities having to apply significant judgement when determining the inputs, assumptions and techniques it uses to determine the CSM at each reporting period.

In general, the Standard resolves broad categories of mismatches which arise under IFRS 4. Notable examples include mismatches between assets recorded at current market value and liabilities calculated using fixed discount rates as well as inconsistencies in the timing of profit recognition over the duration of an insurance contract. However, there are requirements of IFRS 17 that may create economic or accounting mismatches of its own. For example, new mismatches could arise between the measurement of underlying contracts and the corresponding reinsurance held. Additionally, mismatches can still arise between the measurement of liabilities and the assets that support the liabilities.

This paper explores the technical, operational and commercial issues that arise across these and other areas focusing on the CSM. As a standard that is still very much in its infancy, and for which wider consensus on topics is yet to be achieved, this paper aims to provide readers with a deeper understanding of the issues and opportunities that accompany it.

We numerically investigated the phenomenon of non-Gaussian normal diffusion of a Brownian colloidal particle in a periodic array of planar counter-rotating convection rolls. At high Péclet numbers, normal diffusion is observed to occur at all times with non-Gaussian transient statistics. This effect vanishes with increasing the observation time. The displacement distributions decay either slower or faster than a Gaussian function, depending on the flow parameters. The sign of their excess kurtosis is related to the difference between two dynamical time scales, namely, the mean exit time of the particle out of a convection roll and its circulation period inside it.

The catostylid jellyfish, Crambionella annandalei was originally described by Rao (1932) based on a preserved specimen collected from the Andaman Sea. Since then, no detailed taxonomic studies have been conducted and the species is often misidentified. Here, we provide a detailed morphological re-description of C. annandalei from fresh material collected at a variety of locations along the east coast of India. The species can be distinguished from its congeners by a combination of morphological characters, the most important of which are the proportion of terminal club length to oral arm length (0.48 ± 0.031), the proportion of the distal portion of the oral arm to naked proximal portion (7.25 ± 0.268) and the body colour. The occurrence of intra-specific colour variation in fresh specimens was also observed in the present study.

Background: Since January 1, 2016 2358 people have died from opioid poisoning in Alberta. Buprenorphine/naloxone (bup/nal) is the recommended first line treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD) and this treatment can be initiated in emergency departments and urgent care centres (EDs). Aim Statement: This project aims to spread a quality improvement intervention to all 107 adult EDs in Alberta by March 31, 2020. The intervention supports clinicians to initiate bup/nal for eligible individuals and provide rapid referrals to OUD treatment clinics. Measures & Design: Local ED teams were identified (administrators, clinical nurse educators, physicians and, where available, pharmacists and social workers). Local teams were supported by a provincial project team (project manager, consultant, and five physician leads) through a multi-faceted implementation process using provincial order sets, clinician education products, and patient-facing information. We used administrative ED and pharmacy data to track the number of visits where bup/nal was given in ED, and whether discharged patients continued to fill any opioid agonist treatment (OAT) prescription 30 days after their index ED visit. OUD clinics reported the number of referrals received from EDs and the number attending their first appointment. Patient safety event reports were tracked to identify any unintended negative impacts. Evaluation/Results: We report data from May 15, 2018 (program start) to September 31, 2019. Forty-nine EDs (46% of 107) implemented the program and 22 (45% of 49) reported evaluation data. There were 5385 opioid-related visits to reporting ED sites after program adoption. Bup/nal was given during 832 ED visits (663 unique patients): 7 visits in the 1st quarter the program operated, 55 in the 2nd, 74 in the 3rd, 143 in the 4th, 294 in the 5th, and 255 in the 6th. Among 505 unique discharged patients with 30 day follow up data available 319 (63%) continued to fill any OAT prescription after receiving bup/nal in ED. 16 (70%) of 23 community clinics provided data. EDs referred patients to these clinics 440 times, and 236 referrals (54%) attended their first follow-up appointment. Available data may under-report program impact. 5 patient safety events have been reported, with no harm or minimal harm to the patient. Discussion/Impact: Results demonstrate effective spread and uptake of a standardized provincial ED based early medical intervention program for patients who live with OUD.

Field experiments were carried out in order to investigate if brown manuring (BM) using Sesbania plants can be used to control weeds in maize, especially Cyperus rotundus (Experiment I), and further to optimize the BM technology through appropriate Sesbania seed rate (S), 2,4-D application time (T) and dose (D) (Experiment II). Each BM treatment received a pre-emergence application of pendimethalin 1.0 kg a.i./ha. Experiment I showed that the BM practice using 15 kg/ha Sesbania seed and 2,4-D 0.50 kg a.i./ha applied at 25 DAS led to better control of weeds, especially C. rotundus and higher maize grain yield. Further optimization studies (Experiment II) indicated that among the factors S, T and D, the BM combination S~25 kg/ha, D~0.50 kg a.i./ha and T~25 DAS (i.e. S25T25D0.50) resulted in lowest weed density (3.1/m2) and dry weight (3.8 g/m2) and highest weed control index (89.2%) at 60 days after sowing (DAS) which was at par with another BM practice S15T25D0.50. However, the later BM combination led to significantly higher maize productivity (5.25 t/ha) and profitability (net returns (NR) $878/ha), which were 103 and 280% higher, respectively, than the weedy check (WC). The Sesbania seed rate S~15 kg/ha gave 7% higher maize grain yield and 12% higher NR than its corresponding level S~25 kg/ha. Therefore, Sesbania BM with 15 kg seeds/ha and 2,4-D at 0.50 kg a.i/ha applied at 25 DAS can be recommended for effective and eco-friendly weed management in maize, which would provide higher maize grain yield and enhance farmers' profitability.

Terminal heat stress leads to sizeable yield loss in late-sown wheat in tropical environments. Several synthetic compounds are known to counteract plant stress emanating from abiotic factors. A field experiment was conducted in Sabour (eastern India) during 2013–2016 to investigate the field efficacy of two synthetic compounds, calcium chloride (CaCl2) and arginine, for improving grain yield of two contrasting wheat cultivars (DBW 14 and K 307) facing terminal heat stress. For this, foliar spray of 18.0 mM CaCl2 at booting (CCB) or anthesis (CCA), 9.0 mM CaCl2 at both booting and anthesis (CCB+A), 2.5 mM arginine at booting (ARGB) or anthesis (ARGA) and 1.25 mM arginine at both booting and anthesis (ARGB+A) treatments along with no-spray and water-spray treatments were evaluated in late-sown wheat. The highest grain yield was recorded in treatment CCB+A, followed by CCA and ARGB+A. However, the effect of these compounds was marginal on grain yield when applied only at the booting stage. Grains/ear and thousand-grain weight were found to be the critical determinants for yield in late-sown wheat. During the anthesis to grain filling period, flag-leaf chlorophyll degradation and increase in relative permeability in no-spray treatment were 34–36% and 29–52%, respectively, but these values were reduced considerably in CCB+A treatment followed CCA. Thus, foliar spray of 9.0 mM CaCl2 both at booting and anthesis stages may be recommended for alleviating the negative impacts of terminal heat stress in late-sown wheat and improving its productivity (>13%).

In this paper, longitudinal and lateral-directional aerodynamic characterisation of the Cropped Delta Reflex Wing (CDRW) configuration–based unmanned aerial vehicle is carried out by means of full-scale static wind-tunnel tests followed by full-scale flight testing. A predecided set of longitudinal and lateral/directional manoeuvres is performed to acquire the respective flight data, using a dedicated onboard flight data acquisition system. The compatibility of the acquired dynamics is quantified, in terms of scale factors and biases of the measured variables, using Kinematic consistency check. Maximum likelihood (ML), least squares and newly emerging neural Gauss–Newton (NGN) methods were implemented for a wing-alone delta configuration, mainly to capture the dynamic derivatives for both longitudinal and lateral directional cases. Estimated damping and weak dynamic derivatives, which are in general challenging to capture for a wing alone configuration, are consistent using ML and NGN methods. Validation of the estimated parameters with aerodynamic model is performed by proof-of-match exercise and are presented therein.

Background: Buprenorphine/naloxone (bup/nal) is a partial opioid agonist/antagonist and recommended first line treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD). Emergency departments (EDs) are a key point of contact with the healthcare system for patients living with OUD. Aim Statement: We implemented a multi-disciplinary quality improvement project to screen patients for OUD, initiate bup/nal for eligible individuals, and provide rapid next business day walk-in referrals to addiction clinics in the community. Measures & Design: From May to September 2018, our team worked with three ED sites and three addiction clinics to pilot the program. Implementation involved alignment with regulatory requirements, physician education, coordination with pharmacy to ensure in-ED medication access, and nurse education. The project is supported by a full-time project manager, data analyst, operations leaders, physician champions, provincial pharmacy, and the Emergency Strategic Clinical Network leadership team. For our pilot, our evaluation objective was to determine the degree to which our initiation and referral pathway was being utilized. We used administrative data to track the number of patients given bup/nal in ED, their demographics and whether they continued to fill bup/nal prescriptions 30 days after their ED visit. Addiction clinics reported both the number of patients referred to them and the number of patients attending their referral. Evaluation/Results: Administrative data shows 568 opioid-related visits to ED pilot sites during the pilot phase. Bup/nal was given to 60 unique patients in the ED during 66 unique visits. There were 32 (53%) male patients and 28 (47%) female patients. Median patient age was 34 (range: 21 to 79). ED visits where bup/nal was given had a median length of stay of 6 hours 57 minutes (IQR: 6 hours 20 minutes) and Canadian Triage Acuity Scores as follows: Level 1 – 1 (2%), Level 2 – 21 (32%), Level 3 – 32 (48%), Level 4 – 11 (17%), Level 5 – 1 (2%). 51 (77%) of these visits led to discharge. 24 (47%) discharged patients given bup/nal in ED continued to fill bup/nal prescriptions 30 days after their index ED visit. EDs also referred 37 patients with OUD to the 3 community clinics, and 16 of those individuals (43%) attended their first follow-up appointment. Discussion/Impact: Our pilot project demonstrates that with dedicated resources and broad institutional support, ED patients with OUD can be appropriately initiated on bup/nal and referred to community care.

The detection of a neutron star merger by the Advanced Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory and Advanced Virgo gravitational wave detectors, and the subsequent detection of an electromagnetic counterpart have opened a new era of transient astronomy. With upgrades to the Advanced Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory and Advanced Virgo detectors and new detectors coming online in Japan and India, neutron star mergers will be detected at a higher rate in the future, starting with the O3 observing run which will begin in early 2019. The detection of electromagnetic emission from these mergers provides vital information about merger parameters and allows independent measurement of the Hubble constant. The Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder is expected to become fully operational in early 2019, and its 30 deg2 field of view will enable us to rapidly survey large areas of sky. In this work we explore prospects for detecting both prompt and long-term radio emission from neutron star mergers with Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder and determine an observing strategy that optimises the use of telescope time. We investigate different strategies to tile the sky with telescope pointings in order to detect radio counterparts with limited observing time, using 475 simulated gravitational wave events. Our results show a significant improvement in observing efficiency when compared with a naïve strategy of covering the entire localisation above some confidence threshold, even when achieving the same total probability covered.