Changes in method specific suicide following a national pesticide ban in India (2011-2014)

Background: This paper investigates whether declines in suicide by insecticide poisoning in India following a national ban on endosulfan in 2011 were associated with changes in other methods of suicide and total suicide rates. Method: Method-specific suicide rates between 2001–2014 were calculated using National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data by sex, age group and region, with observed rates compared to expected rates for the period post-2011. Results: There were an estimated 20,146 fewer male and 8,418 fewer female suicides by insecticide poisoning and 5542 fewer male and 2679 fewer female suicides by all other methods following the national endosulfan ban. Contemporaneously, an estimated 92% (23,812) of male and 60% (6,735) of female suicides prevented by insecticide poisoning and all other methods were offset to increases in suicides by hanging and other poisoning. Joinpoint regression indicated a decrease in suicide by insecticide poisoning following the endosulfan ban (annual percentage change (APC) of -12.18 among males and -11.89 among females between 2010–2014) while an increase in male suicide by hanging was noted between 2009–2014 (APC of 7.05). Limitation: Suicide rates based on the NCRB data might be an underestimation of the true suicide rates. Conclusion: Declines in suicide by insecticide poisoning were largely offset by an increase in hanging suicides among males, however, this phenomenon was much less prominent in females and contributed to declines in total female suicide rates. Prevention strategies must continue to focus on pesticide bans with simultaneous attention on hanging prevention policies to reduce overall suicide rates in India

Rapid screening and distribution of bioactive compounds in different parts of Berberis petiolaris using direct analysis in real time mass spectrometry

AbstractBerberis petiolaris Wall. ex G. Don, an unexplored medicinal plant belonging to the family Berberidaceae, is a large deciduous shrub found in Western Himalaya between 1800–3000m. Chemical profiling of fruit, leaf, root and stem was done by direct analysis in real time mass spectrometry followed by multivariate analysis for discrimination among the plant parts. The bioactive compounds, including magnoflorine, berberine, jatrorrhizine, thalifendine/berberrubine, demethyleneberberine, reticuline, 8-oxoberberine, N-methyltetrahydroberberine, tetrahydropalmatine, tetrahydroberberine and palmatine, were identified by their exact mass measurement and the corresponding molecular formula of each compound. A comparative study of distribution pattern for all these bioactive alkaloids showed qualitative and quantitative variations in different parts of B. petiolaris. Principal component analysis clearly discriminated each part of B. petiolaris plant

Employment transitions and mental health in a cohort of 45 years and older Australians

Background: This study investigated the associations between employment transitions and psychological distress among a cohort of 45 years and older Australians. Methods: This study was based on the 45 and Up Study, a large prospective cohort of participants aged 45 years and older (N = 267,153), followed up over the period 2006–2015. The risk of psychological distress was compared between various employment transitions categories by specifying an ordered logistic regression model adjusting for confounders. Results: Compared to participants who remained employed at baseline and follow-up, higher psychological distress was found among those who transitioned from being employed to unemployed (OR = 2.68, 95%CI 2.13–3.33) and to not being in the labour force or retired (OR = 2.21, 95%CI 1.85–2.62). Higher psychological distress was also evident among those who remained unemployed from baseline to follow-up (OR = 2.00, 95%CI 1.10–3.43), and those who transitioned from being retired to being unemployed (OR = 1.55, 95%CI 1.03–2.27). Conversely, lower psychological distress was found among those who transitioned from being unemployed to being employed (OR = 0.35, 95%CI 0.25–0.51). In general, lower psychological distress was found among ‘positive’ employment transitions (transitioning to being employed or retired). Conclusions: Policies focussing on re-employment in older age, as well as unemployment schemes, might be helpful in reducing psychological distress among middle-and old-age Australians

A study to assess the perceptions of first year medical students for choosing medical school as a career

Background: There are more than 44000 seats in over 350 medical colleges in India for pursuing the MBBS course. Yet medicine is not among the top vocation in most career advisories and the best school students do not aspire to be doctors.Methods: The present study was a cross sectional study done on 150 students of first semester of GR Medical College, Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, India on a predesigned or pre validated questionnaire. Only 104 students participated in the study.Results: A total of 104 students participated in the study. Among them, 68 (65.39%) were males and 36 (34.61%) females. The maximum percentage of students was of the age group of 20 years i.e. 26 (25%). The choice of a career in the medical field is a complex personal decision influenced by a multitude of factors. Career choices are influenced by both graduates inclination before starting medical school as well as any exposure during training in medical school.Conclusions: These data showed that the maximum percentages of the Medical Students were satisfied with the medical school as 95 (91.34%) but still some of them have regrets. In choosing medical school they wants to help poor, earn money and personal development, and influenced by some doctor relative. These were important factors for decision making in medical school.

Midlife suicide:A systematic review and meta-analysis of socioeconomic, psychiatric and physical health risk factors

Suicide is an increasing contributing cause of mortality in middle-aged adults; however, knowledge to guide prevention is limited. This first systematic review and meta-analysis of studies on midlife suicide has provided an overview of published research on this issue and synthesized the evidence on socioeconomic and physical and mental health factors associated with this mortality. Using PRISMA guidelines MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, Scopus and Web of Science were searched for English-language publications that involved persons aged 35 to 65, used individual-level data, and reported prevalence of exposure(s) or relative risks. The search identified 62 studies on midlife suicides and associated factors (28 for SES, 22 for psychiatric disorder and 23 for physical illness). All studies were from high income countries, and most (80.6%) used data from population registries. Meta-analyses showed that the pooled prevalence of exposure in suicide decedents was 57.8% for psychiatric disorder, 56.3% for low income, 43.2% for unemployment, and 27.3% for physical illness. The associated pooled risk ratio was 11.68 (95% confidence intervals: 5.82–23.47) for psychiatric illness of any type, 12.59 (8.29–19.12) for mood disorders, 3.91 (2.72–5.59) for unemployment, 3.18 (2.72–3.72) for being separated or divorced, 2.64 (2.26–3.10) for cancer, 2.50 (0.96–6.38) for central nervous system illness, and 2.26 (1.16–4.41) for low income. In conclusion, midlife suicide is strongly associated with socioeconomic difficulties and physical and psychiatric illnesses that are common in this age population. Future investigations should consider the interactions between risk factors, the intersectionality of sex and ethnicity, and include data from low- and middle-income countries

Suicide by hanging is a priority for suicide prevention:method specific suicide in India (2001-2014)

Background: India accounts for over a quarter of the global burden of suicide. One of the most effective population level suicide prevention strategies has been restricting access to suicide means. Method: Trends in method specific suicide rates (2001-2014) were calculated using National Crime Records Bureau data stratified by sex, age-group, and geographical region. Multilevel negative binomial regression models stratified by sex and suicide method were specified to investigate associations between state-level indicators of economic development, education, agricultural pesticide use and religious factors. Results: Suicide by hanging increased by 56% (from 3.9 to 6.1 per 100,000) among males and by 24% (from 2.1 to 2.6 per 100,000) among females over the study period while incidence of insecticide poisoning decreased by 44% (from 2.7 to 1.5 per 100,000) among males and by 52% (from 1.7 to 0.8 per 100,000) among females. In general, states with higher levels of development, higher agricultural employment and higher literacy had higher rates of suicide for each suicide method. States with higher levels of agricultural pesticide use had higher rates of insecticide poisoning suicides. Limitation: Reported rates might be an underestimation of the true rates as the official data used for the analysis likely underestimates the actual number of suicide deaths in India. Conclusion: Responsible reporting of suicide by hanging in the media, and limiting fictional portrayals of this method may be useful areas for prevention. Further restrictions on production and sales of highly hazardous pesticides may also help with further reductions in suicide by pesticide poisoning

Diversity and status of migratory and resident wetland birds in Haridwar, Uttarakhand, India

Migration is the seasonal habitual movement, exhibited by many avian species along a flyway from breeding to wintering grounds and vice versa all over the world. Migratory birds are very sensitive to even small changes in water level which may be affected by flood or drought on their breeding and wintering grounds. High rains during monsoon season can cause flood conditions in the lower hills and Gangetic plains including Haridwar district. In our study, conducted during last ten years (2009-2018), we covered Bheemgoda Barrage and Missarpur Ganga Ghat of Haridwar, Uttarakhand, where 46 species of Migratory (M) and Resident Migratory (RM) wetland birds were observed. Bird survey indicated that there was a significant increase (p = 0.064, t-test) in the population of certain species such as Bhraminy Shelduck (67%), Black Headed Gull (31%), Gadwall (7%), Northern Pintail (59%), Red Crested Pochard (10%) and Tufted Pochard (47%) in Missarpur Ganga Ghat as compared to Bheemgoda Barrage (based on the average abundance of the species observed during study period). It may be pointed out that after flood and loss of vegetated island, there was significant decrease (p= 0.023, t-test) in the population of species such as Black necked stork (76%), Great crested grebe (56), Pallas gull (47%) at Bheemgoda barrage, while some species such as Bar headed goose, Common pochard did not arrive in Bheemgoda barrage after the flood. The study would help to understand the effect of climatic change on water birds species distribution in natural and man-made wetlands

In vitro rapid and mass multiplication of highly valuable medicinal plant Bacopa monnieri (L.) Wettst.

A protocol has been developed for micropropagation of Bacopa monnieri (L) Wettst, a medicinal plant of high commercial potential with legendary reputation as a memory vitalizer. Nodal segments containing axillary buds were surface sterilized with 0.1% solution of mercuric chloride for 5 min and were inoculated aseptically on culture medium, axillary bud break was achieved in 100% of cultures in semisolid MS medium supplemented with 0.2 mg/l BAP. These proliferated in vitro axillary shoots were excised and cut into groups of shoot clusters and subcultured on MS medium supplemented with 0.2 mg/l BAP for shoot multiplication. 100% in vitro rooting was obtained when shoot clusters were cultured on MS medium supplemented with 0.15 mg/l IBA. The rooted plantlets were hardened, acclimatized and successfully established in field.Key words: Bacopa monnieri, nodal segments, micropropagation, plant growth regulators

An Insight into Application of Land Use Land Cover Analysis towards Sustainable Agriculture within Jhajjar District, Haryana

The increasing population, depletion of natural resources, semi-arid climatic and poor soil health conditions in Jhajjar district of Haryana have drawn major attention towards the changes in Land Use/Land Cover (LULC). The region's increasing population is mainly dependent upon the agrarian economy; thus, sustainable agricultural production is a major thrust area of research. The present study analyses the LULC changes in the area during two decades 2000 – 2020, using remote sensing and Geographic Information System (GIS). Landsat satellite images (Landsat-7 and Landsat-8 satellites) for 2000 and 2020 were analyzed for mixed classification based on unsupervised classification followed by supervised classification. The study area has experienced an increase in agricultural land, surface water bodies and built-up land by 16.89%, 79.73% and 56.41%, respectively. There is a decrease in barren land and fallow land by 48.53% and 36.97%, respectively, as per the five major LULC classes. The LULC analysis indicates an increase in built-up land, which is responsible for controlling agricultural productivity and unsustainable agricultural activities. The study provides a comprehensive understanding of the land use trajectory in a specific region in two decades and associated unsustainable changes in the agrarian economy through pressure on the increase in agricultural production and conversion of land mass into croplands. It also signifies climate-resilient agriculture and the management of sustainable agriculture

Public Displays in Smart Cities: A User Interaction and Content Impact Analysis with the Public Display Interaction Test

An examination of the data in this extensive research on "Public Displays in Smart Cities" showed that the participant demography was varied, with differing educational backgrounds and city homes. A variety of display kinds and screen sizes, including interactive touch screens and digital billboards up to 120 inches in size, were found in the public display sites that were examined. The statistics on user involvement revealed a range of engagement ratings, with a mean rating of 3.8, and interaction times, with an average of 16 minutes. The content impact research showed that while "Ads" had a lower click-through rate of 2.2%, content kinds including "Weather" and "Local Events" had high rates of 5% and 4%, respectively. These results highlight the dynamic character of public displays in smart cities, highlighting the need of customized content strategies and the possibility to maximize user interaction and information sharing