Impact of sowing dates and nutrient levels on growth attributes of toria (Brassica campestris var. toria) in trans-gangetic region of Punjab

The present investigation was carried out at the experimental farm, School of Agriculture, Lovely Professional University, Jalandhar, Punjab during 2021-22. The experiment was laid out in a Factorial Randomized Block Design (FRBD) with 3 dates of sowing i.e. D1 (1st October), D2 (15th October) and D3 (30th October) and 4 different levels of fertilizer i.e.75 % RDF, 100 % RDF, 125 % RDF and 150 % RDF altogether 12 treatment combinations of dates of sowing and fertilizer levels replicated thrice. Among different temporal dynamics (sowing dates), D1 (1st October) recorded maximum values for plant height (151.20 cm), primary branches (10.33) and Secondary branches (8.91), Leaf area (64.28 cm2), Fresh weight (242.7 g), Dry weight (28.45 g), CGR (0.558 g m-2day-1), RGR (1.39 g-1 g-1day-1). Regarding the effect of various nutrient levels, the maximum plant height (128.05cm), the number of primary and secondary branches (10.44, 8.44), Leaf area (64.67 cm2), Fresh and dry weight (253.16 g, 29.55 g), CGR (0.581 g m-2day-1), RGR (1.42 g-1 g-1day-1) were recorded in the application of 100% RDF. The interaction of 1st DOS (1st October) × 100% RDF recorded maximum values in terms of most of the growth parameters of commercial importance. So it can be concluded that for better growth and development the toria plants should be sown on 1st October with the application of 100% RDF

Real-time recommendations for energy-efficient appliance usage in households

According to several studies, the most influencing factor in a household\u27s energy consumption is user behavior. Changing user behavior to improve energy usage leads to efficient energy consumption, saving money for the consumer and being more friendly for the environment. In this work we propose a framework that aims at assisting households in improving their energy usage by providing real-time recommendations for efficient appliance use. The framework allows for the creation of household-specific and appliance-specific energy consumption profiles by analyzing appliance usage patterns. Based on the household profile and the actual electricity use, real-time recommendations notify users on the appliances that can be switched off in order to reduce consumption. For instance, if a consumer forgets their A/C on at a time that it is usually off (e.g., when there is no one at home), the system will detect this as an outlier and notify the consumer. In the ideal scenario, a household has a smart meter monitoring system installed, that records energy consumption at the appliance level. This is also reflected in the datasets available for evaluating such systems. However, in the general case, the household may only have one main meter reading. In this case, non-intrusive load monitoring (NILM) techniques, which monitor a house\u27s energy consumption using only one meter, and data mining algorithms that disaggregate the consumption into appliance level, can be employed. In this paper, we propose an end-to-end solution to this problem, starting with the energy disaggregation process, and the creation of user profiles that are then fed to the pattern mining and recommendation process, that through an intuitive UI allows users to further refine their energy consumption preferences and set goals. We employ the UK-DALE (UK Domestic Appliance-Level Electricity) dataset for our experimental evaluations and the proof-of-concept implementation. The results show that the proposed framework accurately captures the energy consumption profiles of each household and thus the generated recommendations are matching the actual household energy habits and can help reduce their energy consumption by 2–17%

Taxi Automation Using Real Time Adaptive Scheduling

the taxi dispatch problem involves assigning taxis to requester waiting at different locations. A dispatch system currently in use by a major cab service provider divides the city (in which the system operate s) into regional dispatch areas. Each area has fixed assigned adjacent areas hand - coded by human experts. When a local area does not have bare cabs, the system chooses an adjacent area to search. However, such fixed, hand - coded adjacency of areas cannot be a prudent indicator because it does not take into consideration frequent changes in traffic patterns and road structure. This causes dispatch officials to limit the system by manually enforcing movement on taxis. The proposed system dynamically modifies t he adjacency of dispatch areas . The proposed technique will decrease the total waiting time, is less in comparison with the present system and increases taxi utilization in comparison with results of the simulation without self - organization. Interestingly, research work also discovers that human intervention (by either the taxi - dispatch officials or the taxi drivers), to manually overcome the drawbacks of the existing dispatch system can be counterproductive when used with a self - organizing system

A rare nexus: G6PD deficiency's uncommon affiliation with rapidly progressive renal failure through the prism of pigment nephropathy

Acute kidney injury (AKI) with evidence of hemolysis is associated with tropical infections. However, pigment-induced AKI can happen with relatively uncommon genetic causes of hemolytic anemia, i.e., glucose 6-phosphate deficiency (G6PD). We share our experience of one such patients whose clinical presentation was rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis. On evaluation, she had a history of usage of some drugs and with G6PD estimation revealing deficient status even during the episode while other tests such as Coomb's test and bone marrow biopsy was normal. The kidney biopsy revealed diffuse tubular injury with presence of several coarse granular/pigmented casts in tubular lamina. She was managed with hemodialysis and showed complete recovery. Thus, in tropical countries G6PD deficiency although is not common, should be considered among patients who presented as rapidly progressive renal failure (RPRF) and having history of precipitating factors for G6PD deficiency and a detailed hemolytic work-up needs to be carried out as an important cause of preventable recurrent AKI in tropical countries

Molecular Epidemiology and Sequence Analysis of Rabies Virus Isolates from North and North East India

In the present study phylogenetic analysis of 30 rabies virus (RV) isolates collected from North and North East India between 2013 and 2016 was carried out. Analysis of two sets of sequence of non-coding G-L intergenic region, based upon a 132-nucleotide region of the cytoplasmic domain (CD) of the G gene (G-CD) and a 549-nucleotide (Psi-L) was done. The phylogenetic tree constructed using 549 nucleotide sequence of hyper variable region (Psi-L) showed the same topology as that obtained on the basis of 132 nucleotide sequence of G-CD region. Four different genetic clusters (GCs) distributed among three geographical regions were identified. Comparison of deduced amino acid (aa) sequences showed four amino acid changes - aa462G, aa465H/R and aa468K in G-CD region. The change observed at position aa465R indicated the spillover of Indian wild strain (mongoose) to domestic animals in Delhi region. The homology among the Indian RV isolates shared >97% nucleotide similarity irrespective of their geographical regions and hosts. The study revealed that the RV isolates are region specific, not host specific and all belonged to genotype 1

Necrotizing fasciitis caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa: a rare case report and recent concepts in diagnosis and management

Necrotizing fasciitis caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an extremely rare and life threatening bacterial soft tissue infection. Here we report a case study of fully established necrotizing fasciitis associated with monomicrobial pseudomonas infection in a 34 years old male. The patient presented with painful, necrosed areas of skin and soft tissue over right gluteal region which rapidly progressed to right upper back. Aggressive supportive measures and early debridement lead to a full recovery with no functional deficits

The global burden of cancer attributable to risk factors, 2010-19 : a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

Background Understanding the magnitude of cancer burden attributable to potentially modifiable risk factors is crucial for development of effective prevention and mitigation strategies. We analysed results from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019 to inform cancer control planning efforts globally. Methods The GBD 2019 comparative risk assessment framework was used to estimate cancer burden attributable to behavioural, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risk factors. A total of 82 risk-outcome pairs were included on the basis of the World Cancer Research Fund criteria. Estimated cancer deaths and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) in 2019 and change in these measures between 2010 and 2019 are presented. Findings Globally, in 2019, the risk factors included in this analysis accounted for 4.45 million (95% uncertainty interval 4.01-4.94) deaths and 105 million (95.0-116) DALYs for both sexes combined, representing 44.4% (41.3-48.4) of all cancer deaths and 42.0% (39.1-45.6) of all DALYs. There were 2.88 million (2.60-3.18) risk-attributable cancer deaths in males (50.6% [47.8-54.1] of all male cancer deaths) and 1.58 million (1.36-1.84) risk-attributable cancer deaths in females (36.3% [32.5-41.3] of all female cancer deaths). The leading risk factors at the most detailed level globally for risk-attributable cancer deaths and DALYs in 2019 for both sexes combined were smoking, followed by alcohol use and high BMI. Risk-attributable cancer burden varied by world region and Socio-demographic Index (SDI), with smoking, unsafe sex, and alcohol use being the three leading risk factors for risk-attributable cancer DALYs in low SDI locations in 2019, whereas DALYs in high SDI locations mirrored the top three global risk factor rankings. From 2010 to 2019, global risk-attributable cancer deaths increased by 20.4% (12.6-28.4) and DALYs by 16.8% (8.8-25.0), with the greatest percentage increase in metabolic risks (34.7% [27.9-42.8] and 33.3% [25.8-42.0]). Interpretation The leading risk factors contributing to global cancer burden in 2019 were behavioural, whereas metabolic risk factors saw the largest increases between 2010 and 2019. Reducing exposure to these modifiable risk factors would decrease cancer mortality and DALY rates worldwide, and policies should be tailored appropriately to local cancer risk factor burden. Copyright (C) 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY 4.0 license.Peer reviewe

Global burden of 288 causes of death and life expectancy decomposition in 204 countries and territories and 811 subnational locations, 1990–2021: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

BACKGROUND Regular, detailed reporting on population health by underlying cause of death is fundamental for public health decision making. Cause-specific estimates of mortality and the subsequent effects on life expectancy worldwide are valuable metrics to gauge progress in reducing mortality rates. These estimates are particularly important following large-scale mortality spikes, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. When systematically analysed, mortality rates and life expectancy allow comparisons of the consequences of causes of death globally and over time, providing a nuanced understanding of the effect of these causes on global populations. METHODS The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2021 cause-of-death analysis estimated mortality and years of life lost (YLLs) from 288 causes of death by age-sex-location-year in 204 countries and territories and 811 subnational locations for each year from 1990 until 2021. The analysis used 56 604 data sources, including data from vital registration and verbal autopsy as well as surveys, censuses, surveillance systems, and cancer registries, among others. As with previous GBD rounds, cause-specific death rates for most causes were estimated using the Cause of Death Ensemble model-a modelling tool developed for GBD to assess the out-of-sample predictive validity of different statistical models and covariate permutations and combine those results to produce cause-specific mortality estimates-with alternative strategies adapted to model causes with insufficient data, substantial changes in reporting over the study period, or unusual epidemiology. YLLs were computed as the product of the number of deaths for each cause-age-sex-location-year and the standard life expectancy at each age. As part of the modelling process, uncertainty intervals (UIs) were generated using the 2·5th and 97·5th percentiles from a 1000-draw distribution for each metric. We decomposed life expectancy by cause of death, location, and year to show cause-specific effects on life expectancy from 1990 to 2021. We also used the coefficient of variation and the fraction of population affected by 90% of deaths to highlight concentrations of mortality. Findings are reported in counts and age-standardised rates. Methodological improvements for cause-of-death estimates in GBD 2021 include the expansion of under-5-years age group to include four new age groups, enhanced methods to account for stochastic variation of sparse data, and the inclusion of COVID-19 and other pandemic-related mortality-which includes excess mortality associated with the pandemic, excluding COVID-19, lower respiratory infections, measles, malaria, and pertussis. For this analysis, 199 new country-years of vital registration cause-of-death data, 5 country-years of surveillance data, 21 country-years of verbal autopsy data, and 94 country-years of other data types were added to those used in previous GBD rounds. FINDINGS The leading causes of age-standardised deaths globally were the same in 2019 as they were in 1990; in descending order, these were, ischaemic heart disease, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and lower respiratory infections. In 2021, however, COVID-19 replaced stroke as the second-leading age-standardised cause of death, with 94·0 deaths (95% UI 89·2-100·0) per 100 000 population. The COVID-19 pandemic shifted the rankings of the leading five causes, lowering stroke to the third-leading and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease to the fourth-leading position. In 2021, the highest age-standardised death rates from COVID-19 occurred in sub-Saharan Africa (271·0 deaths [250·1-290·7] per 100 000 population) and Latin America and the Caribbean (195·4 deaths [182·1-211·4] per 100 000 population). The lowest age-standardised death rates from COVID-19 were in the high-income super-region (48·1 deaths [47·4-48·8] per 100 000 population) and southeast Asia, east Asia, and Oceania (23·2 deaths [16·3-37·2] per 100 000 population). Globally, life expectancy steadily improved between 1990 and 2019 for 18 of the 22 investigated causes. Decomposition of global and regional life expectancy showed the positive effect that reductions in deaths from enteric infections, lower respiratory infections, stroke, and neonatal deaths, among others have contributed to improved survival over the study period. However, a net reduction of 1·6 years occurred in global life expectancy between 2019 and 2021, primarily due to increased death rates from COVID-19 and other pandemic-related mortality. Life expectancy was highly variable between super-regions over the study period, with southeast Asia, east Asia, and Oceania gaining 8·3 years (6·7-9·9) overall, while having the smallest reduction in life expectancy due to COVID-19 (0·4 years). The largest reduction in life expectancy due to COVID-19 occurred in Latin America and the Caribbean (3·6 years). Additionally, 53 of the 288 causes of death were highly concentrated in locations with less than 50% of the global population as of 2021, and these causes of death became progressively more concentrated since 1990, when only 44 causes showed this pattern. The concentration phenomenon is discussed heuristically with respect to enteric and lower respiratory infections, malaria, HIV/AIDS, neonatal disorders, tuberculosis, and measles. INTERPRETATION Long-standing gains in life expectancy and reductions in many of the leading causes of death have been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the adverse effects of which were spread unevenly among populations. Despite the pandemic, there has been continued progress in combatting several notable causes of death, leading to improved global life expectancy over the study period. Each of the seven GBD super-regions showed an overall improvement from 1990 and 2021, obscuring the negative effect in the years of the pandemic. Additionally, our findings regarding regional variation in causes of death driving increases in life expectancy hold clear policy utility. Analyses of shifting mortality trends reveal that several causes, once widespread globally, are now increasingly concentrated geographically. These changes in mortality concentration, alongside further investigation of changing risks, interventions, and relevant policy, present an important opportunity to deepen our understanding of mortality-reduction strategies. Examining patterns in mortality concentration might reveal areas where successful public health interventions have been implemented. Translating these successes to locations where certain causes of death remain entrenched can inform policies that work to improve life expectancy for people everywhere. FUNDING Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Free anteromedial thigh perforator flap: Complementing and completing the anterolateral thigh flap

Objective: Theobjective of this study was to determine the indications, utility, advantages and surgical approach for the anteromedial thigh (AMT) flap. Materials and Methods: We reviewed the records of the patients in whom the AMT flap was used for head and neck reconstruction. We use an anterior approach to harvest the anterolateral thigh (ALT) flap with a non-committal straight line incision. This preserves both ALT and AMT flap territories intact, and further decision is based on the intraoperative anatomy of perforator and pedicle. The ALT flap was usually used as the first choice when available and suitable. Results: Free AMT skin flaps were harvested in 24 patients. All flaps were used for the head and neck reconstruction. Two flaps had marginal flap necrosis. One flap was lost due to venous thrombosis. Discussion: The thigh is an excellent donor site as it has large available skin territory, expendable lateral circumflex femoral artery system and low donorsite morbidity. The ALT flap is the most commonly used flap for reconstruction of soft-tissue defects. However, it is characterised by variable vascular pedicle and perforator anatomy. The AMT flap is an excellent alternative when the ALT flap is not available due to variable perforator anatomy, injury to perforator, when an intermediate thickness is needed between distal and proximal thigh or a chimeric flap is needed. Conclusion: The AMT flap offers all the advantages of the ALT flap without increasing donor-site morbidity. The anterior non-committal approach keeps both the ALT and the AMT flap options viable