Impact of an International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortium multidimensional approach on central line-associated bloodstream infection rates in adult intensive care units in eight cities in India

SummaryObjectiveTo evaluate the impact of the International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortium (INICC) multidimensional infection control approach on central line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI) rates in eight cities of India.MethodsThis was a prospective, before-and-after cohort study of 35650 patients hospitalized in 16 adult intensive care units of 11 hospitals. During the baseline period, outcome surveillance of CLABSI was performed, applying the definitions of the CDC/NHSN (US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/National Healthcare Safety Network). During the intervention, the INICC approach was implemented, which included a bundle of interventions, education, outcome surveillance, process surveillance, feedback on CLABSI rates and consequences, and performance feedback. Random effects Poisson regression was used for clustering of CLABSI rates across time periods.ResultsDuring the baseline period, 9472 central line (CL)-days and 61 CLABSIs were recorded; during the intervention period, 80898 CL-days and 404 CLABSIs were recorded. The baseline rate was 6.4 CLABSIs per 1000 CL-days, which was reduced to 3.9 CLABSIs per 1000 CL-days in the second year and maintained for 36 months of follow-up, accounting for a 53% CLABSI rate reduction (incidence rate ratio 0.47, 95% confidence interval 0.31–0.70; p=0.0001).ConclusionsImplementing the six components of the INICC approach simultaneously was associated with a significant reduction in the CLABSI rate in India, which remained stable during 36 months of follow-up

Search for R-parity Violating Decays of Supersymmetric Particles in e+e- Collisions at LEP

A search, in e^+e^- collisions, for chargino, neutralino, scalar lepton and scalar quark pair-production is performed, without assuming R-parity conservation in decays, in the case that only one of the coupling constants lambda_ijk or lambda''_ijk is non-negligible. No signal is found in data up to a centre-of-mass energy of 208GeV. Limits on the production cross sections and on the masses of supersymmetric particles are derived

Mapping development and health effects of cooking with solid fuels in low-income and middle-income countries, 2000–18: a geospatial modelling study

Background More than 3 billion people do not have access to clean energy and primarily use solid fuels to cook. Use of solid fuels generates household air pollution, which was associated with more than 2 million deaths in 2019. Although local patterns in cooking vary systematically, subnational trends in use of solid fuels have yet to be comprehensively analysed. We estimated the prevalence of solid-fuel use with high spatial resolution to explore subnational inequalities, assess local progress, and assess the effects on health in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) without universal access to clean fuels. Methods We did a geospatial modelling study to map the prevalence of solid-fuel use for cooking at a 5 km × 5 km resolution in 98 LMICs based on 2·1 million household observations of the primary cooking fuel used from 663 population-based household surveys over the years 2000 to 2018. We use observed temporal patterns to forecast household air pollution in 2030 and to assess the probability of attaining the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target indicator for clean cooking. We aligned our estimates of household air pollution to geospatial estimates of ambient air pollution to establish the risk transition occurring in LMICs. Finally, we quantified the effect of residual primary solid-fuel use for cooking on child health by doing a counterfactual risk assessment to estimate the proportion of deaths from lower respiratory tract infections in children younger than 5 years that could be associated with household air pollution. Findings Although primary reliance on solid-fuel use for cooking has declined globally, it remains widespread. 593 million people live in districts where the prevalence of solid-fuel use for cooking exceeds 95%. 66% of people in LMICs live in districts that are not on track to meet the SDG target for universal access to clean energy by 2030. Household air pollution continues to be a major contributor to particulate exposure in LMICs, and rising ambient air pollution is undermining potential gains from reductions in the prevalence of solid-fuel use for cooking in many countries. We estimated that, in 2018, 205 000 (95% uncertainty interval 147 000–257 000) children younger than 5 years died from lower respiratory tract infections that could be attributed to household air pollution. Interpretation Efforts to accelerate the adoption of clean cooking fuels need to be substantially increased and recalibrated to account for subnational inequalities, because there are substantial opportunities to improve air quality and avert child mortality associated with household air pollution

Carbon sequestration and relationship between carbon addition and storage under rainfed soybean–wheat rotation in a sandy loam soil of the Indian Himalayas

Metadata onlySoil organic matter (SOM) contributes to the productivity and physical properties of soils. Although crop productivity is sustained mainly through the application of organic manure in the Indian Himalayas, no information is available on the effects of long-term manure addition along with mineral fertilizers on C sequestration and the contribution of total C input towards soil organic C (SOC) storage. We analyzed results of a long-term experiment, initiated in 1973 on a sandy loam soil under rainfed conditions to determine the influence of different combinations of NPK fertilizer and fertilizer + farmyard manure (FYM) at 10 Mg ha−1 on SOC content and its changes in the 0–45 cm soil depth. Concentration of SOC increased 40 and 70% in the NPK + FYM-treated plots as compared to NPK (43.1 Mg C ha−1) and unfertilized control plots (35.5 Mg C ha−1), respectively. Average annual contribution of C input from soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) was 29% and that from wheat (Triticum aestivum L. Emend. Flori and Paol) was 24% of the harvestable above-ground biomass yield. Annual gross C input and annual rate of total SOC enrichment were 4852 and 900 kg C ha−1, respectively, for the plots under NPK + FYM. It was estimated that 19% of the gross C input contributed towards the increase in SOC content. C loss from native SOM during 30 years averaged 61 kg C ha−1 yr−1. The estimated quantity of biomass C required to maintain equilibrium SOM content was 321 kg ha−1 yr−1. The total annual C input by the soybean–wheat rotation in the plots under unfertilized control was 890 kg ha−1 yr−1. Thus, increase in SOC concentration under long-term (30 years) rainfed soybean–wheat cropping was due to the fact that annual C input by the system was higher than the required amount to maintaining equilibrium SOM content

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Not AvailableConservation agriculture (CA) is considered as a suitable technique for soil erosion control, productivity enhancement, and improved economic benefits. To investigate these issues, an experiment was conducted under rainfed conditions using grass vegetation strip (VS) with minimum tillage, organic amendments and weed mulch during June 2007–October 2011 at Dehradun, Uttarakhand in the Indian Himalayan region. Results showed that the mean wheat equivalent yield was _47% higher in the plots under with CA compared with conventional agriculture in a maize–wheat crop rotation. Mean runoff coefficients and soil loss with CA plots were _45% less and _54% less than conventional agriculture plots. On average, after the harvest of maize, soil moisture conservation up to 90 cm soil depth for wheat crop was 108% higher under CA than conventional agriculture plots. The net return from the plots with CA was 85% higher, and when expressed net return per tonne of soil loss, it was four and half times higher than conventional practice. Results demonstrate that the suitable CA practice (a grass strip of Palmarosa with applied organic amendments (farmyard manure, vermicompost and poultry manure) along with weed mulching under conservation tillage) enhances system productivity, reduces runoff, soil loss and conserve soil moisture. &2015 International Research and Training Center on Erosion and Sedimentation and China Water and Power Press. Production and Hosting by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND licenseNot Availabl

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Conservation agriculture impact for soil conservation in maize–wheat cropping system in the Indian sub-Himalayas

AbstractConservation agriculture (CA) is considered as a suitable technique for soil erosion control, productivity enhancement, and improved economic benefits. To investigate these issues, an experiment was conducted under rainfed conditions using grass vegetation strip (VS) with minimum tillage, organic amendments and weed mulch during June 2007–October 2011 at Dehradun, Uttarakhand in the Indian Himalayan region. Results showed that the mean wheat equivalent yield was ~47% higher in the plots under with CA compared with conventional agriculture in a maize–wheat crop rotation. Mean runoff coefficients and soil loss with CA plots were ~45% less and ~54% less than conventional agriculture plots. On average, after the harvest of maize, soil moisture conservation up to 90cm soil depth for wheat crop was 108% higher under CA than conventional agriculture plots. The net return from the plots with CA was 85% higher, and when expressed net return per tonne of soil loss, it was four and half times higher than conventional practice. Results demonstrate that the suitable CA practice (a grass strip of Palmarosa with applied organic amendments (farmyard manure, vermicompost and poultry manure) along with weed mulching under conservation tillage) enhances system productivity, reduces runoff, soil loss and conserve soil moisture

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Not AvailableDespite investigations suggesting that agro-geo-textiles (AGT) could be an effective and inexpensive soil conservation method, limited quantitative data are available on erosion-reducing effects of AGT under field conditions and effects on crop productivity. Field experiments (probably first of its kind) were conducted on two crop rotations during 2015-16 and 2016-17 at Dehradun on a 4% land slope in the Indian Himalayan Region (IHR). Seven treatments were executed to evaluate the conservation effects of AGT prepared from giant-cane (Arundo donax) and maize (Zea mays L.) straw; and comparisons were made with coir-geo-textile, cowpea (Vigna unguiculata), and grass weed vegetative filters (all placed at 1m vertical intervals, within 100m length plots in the rainy season maize crop) on crop productivity, profitability, runoff and soil loss reduction, and moisture conservation. During two years of experimentation, a total of 35 runoff events were observed in maize crops in rainy months (June to September). Results revealed that the highest (p < 0.05) maize grain yield (2.8 Mg ha−1) was recorded in Arundo donax AGT treatment (conservation agriculture plus), which was 36% higher than maize crops raised without AGT (conservation agriculture only). This treatment also reduced runoff (24%) and conserved soil losses (8.22 t ha-1 year -1) across 18 runoff events, resulting in more soil moisture conserved in the soil profile than without AGT (35 runoff events). Productivities of succeeding pea (Pisum sativum var. hortense) and wheat (Triticum aestivum L. emend Fiori & Paol.) crops were enhanced by 122 and 36%, respectively, which resulted the higher net return (736 US$ha−1) than in a maize-pea-wheat system in conservation agriculture only (128 US$ ha−1). In summary, conservation tillage practices along with AGT (conservation agriculture plus) are more profitable than conservation tillage practices alone on 4% land slopes of IHR.Not Availabl

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Not AvailableDespite investigations suggesting that agro-geo-textiles (AGT) could be an effective and inexpensive soil conservation method, limited quantitative data are available on erosion-reducing effects of AGT under field conditions and effects on crop productivity. Field experiments (probably first of its kind) were conducted on two crop rotations during 2015-16 and 2016-17 at Dehradun on a 4% land slope in the Indian Himalayan Region (IHR). Seven treatments were executed to evaluate the conservation effects of AGT prepared from giant-cane (Arundo donax) and maize (Zea mays L.) straw; and comparisons were made with coir-geo-textile, cowpea (Vigna unguiculata), and grass weed vegetative filters (all placed at 1 m vertical intervals, within 100 m length plots in the rainy season maize crop) on crop productivity, profitability, runoff and soil loss reduction, and moisture conservation. During two years of experimentation, a total of 35 runoff events were observed in maize crops in rainy months (June to September). Results revealed that the highest (p < 0.05) maize grain yield (2.8 Mg ha−1) was recorded in Arundo donax AGT treatment (conservation agriculture plus), which was 36% higher than maize crops raised without AGT (conservation agriculture only). This treatment also reduced runoff (24%) and conserved soil losses (8.22 t ha-1  year -1) across 18 runoff events, resulting in more soil moisture conserved in the soil profile than without AGT (35 runoff events). Productivities of succeeding pea (Pisum sativum var. hortense) and wheat (Triticum aestivum L. emend Fiori & Paol.) crops were enhanced by 122 and 36%, respectively, which resulted the higher net return (736 US$ha−1) than in a maize-pea-wheat system in conservation agriculture only (128 US$ ha−1). In summary, conservation tillage practices along with AGT (conservation agriculture plus) are more profitable than conservation tillage practices alone on 4% land slopes of IHR.Not Availabl