Land Use Effects on Soil Erosion in the Lowland Humid Tropics of Papua New Guinea

A comparative study of the effect of 3 main types of land use (systems) on soil erosion levels was carried out in a traditionally farmed lowland forested region of Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea.  Nine erosion plots werebuilt at 3 sites at almost the same altitudinal level, area corrections were done to eliminate the effect of varyingslopes. Volumes of runoff, sediments concentration, and soil main nutrients collected within the plots were measured on a weekly basis. The parameters measured were closely depended on rainfall amounts along  the time.  Significant differences were found among them, explained mainly by land cover types and their soil particularities such as infiltration rates, bulk density, and texture.  Even though forest and grassland systems proved to be more effective in controlling soil losses, their areas were rapidly been converted into croplands, raising concerns for the sustainability and improvement of land use planning in the region. &nbsp

Land Use Effects on Soil Erosion in the Lowland Humid Tropics of Papua New Guinea

A comparative study of the effect of 3 main types of land use (systems) on soil erosion levels was carried out in a traditionally farmed lowland forested region of Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea.  Nine erosion plots werebuilt at 3 sites at almost the same altitudinal level, area corrections were done to eliminate the effect of varyingslopes. Volumes of runoff, sediments concentration, and soil main nutrients collected within the plots were measured on a weekly basis. The parameters measured were closely depended on rainfall amounts along  the time.  Significant differences were found among them, explained mainly by land cover types and their soil particularities such as infiltration rates, bulk density, and texture.  Even though forest and grassland systems proved to be more effective in controlling soil losses, their areas were rapidly been converted into croplands, raising concerns for the sustainability and improvement of land use planning in the region. &nbsp

Crystal and molecular structure of the discogen bis[1,3-di(p-n- Decylphenyl)propane-1,3-dionato]paliadium(ll)

The transition metal containing discogen, bis[1,3-di(p-n-decylphenyl)propane-1 ,3-dionato ]paliadium(II)crystallizes in the triclinic space group pI with one molecule in a unit cell of dimensions a = 10.260(2), b = 12.961(2), c = 13.403(2)A., ex= 110.54(1), f3= 101.75(1) and 'I = 98.44(lt. The crystal structure was solved by direct methods and refined using full matrix least squares procedure. The palladium atom is lying on an inversion center. The decyl chains are fully extended in an all trans conformation. In the crystal structure, the molecules form a tilted columnar arrangement. The angle between the normal to the core and the column axis is 68xB0;. Each column is surrounded by six others. Along the13; column axis, adjacent palladium atoms are separated by 10.26A

Analytical study of modified Manashiladi Lepa into Ointment

Lepa Kalpana is one amongst the external application used in Ayurveda. Manashiladi Lepa is a formulation explained in ‘Rasa Tantra Sara Va Siddha Prayoga Sangraha’ for the prevention of scar in the skin surface. The formulation contains Ghrita and Madhu which is to be mixed with the powder of the herbs told in the formulation. In the present scenario, the Lepa Kalpana is not liked by the patients themselves as it leaves behind residual marks on the skin surface and stains the cloth if it comes in contact with it. Hence a modified Lepa in the form of ointment which contains reduced amount of oiliness and good packing is accepted by all. Literary review done through various sources like books, journals and internet revealed that, no modification studies have been carried out on this formulation yet. The Lepa is modified into an ointment for its easy acceptability and usage. The formulation is tested for its analytical values and discussed in the article

Interventions to promote cost-effectiveness in adult Intensive care units: consensus statement and considerations for best practice from a multidisciplinary and multinational eDelphi study

Background There is limited evidence to guide interventions that promote cost-effectiveness in adult intensive care units (ICU). The aim of this consensus statement is to identify globally applicable interventions for best ICU practice and provide guidance for judicious use of resources. Methods A three-round modified online Delphi process, using a web-based platform, sought consensus from 61 multidisciplinary ICU experts (physicians, nurses, allied health, administrators) from 21 countries. Round 1 was qualitative to ascertain opinions on cost-effectiveness criteria based on four key domains of high-value healthcare (foundational elements; infrastructure fundamentals; care delivery priorities; reliability and feedback). Round 2 was qualitative and quantitative, while round 3 was quantitative to reiterate and establish criteria. Both rounds 2 and 3 utilized a five-point Likert scale for voting. Consensus was considered when > 70% of the experts voted for a proposed intervention. Thereafter, the steering committee endorsed interventions that were identified as ‘critical’ by more than 50% of steering committee members. These interventions and experts’ comments were summarized as final considerations for best practice. Results At the conclusion of round 3, consensus was obtained on 50 best practice considerations for cost-effectiveness in adult ICU. Finally, the steering committee endorsed 9 ‘critical’ best practice considerations. This included adoption of a multidisciplinary ICU model of care, focus on staff training and competency assessment, ongoing quality audits, thus ensuring high quality of critical care services whether within or outside the four walls of ICUs, implementation of a dynamic staff roster, multidisciplinary approach to implementing end-of-life care, early mobilization and promoting international consensus efforts on the Green ICU concept. Conclusions This Delphi study with international experts resulted in 9 consensus statements and best practice considerations promoting cost-effectiveness in adult ICUs. Stakeholders (government bodies, professional societies) must lead the efforts to identify locally applicable specifics while working within these best practice considerations with the available resources

Time separation as a hidden variable to the Copenhagen school of quantum mechanics

The Bohr radius is a space-like separation between the proton and electron in the hydrogen atom. According to the Copenhagen school of quantum mechanics, the proton is sitting in the absolute Lorentz frame. If this hydrogen atom is observed from a different Lorentz frame, there is a time-like separation linearly mixed with the Bohr radius. Indeed, the time-separation is one of the essential variables in high-energy hadronic physics where the hadron is a bound state of the quarks, while thoroughly hidden in the present form of quantum mechanics. It will be concluded that this variable is hidden in Feynman's rest of the universe. It is noted first that Feynman's Lorentz-invariant differential equation for the bound-state quarks has a set of solutions which describe all essential features of hadronic physics. These solutions explicitly depend on the time separation between the quarks. This set also forms the mathematical basis for two-mode squeezed states in quantum optics, where both photons are observable, but one of them can be treated a variable hidden in the rest of the universe. The physics of this two-mode state can then be translated into the time-separation variable in the quark model. As in the case of the un-observed photon, the hidden time-separation variable manifests itself as an increase in entropy and uncertainty.Comment: LaTex 10 pages with 5 figure. Invited paper presented at the Conference on Advances in Quantum Theory (Vaxjo, Sweden, June 2010), to be published in one of the AIP Conference Proceedings serie

Anti pathogenic studies of new mixed ligand metal chelates

189-196Drug discovery aimed at the methodical extermination of life-threatening bacterial infection, especially considering the emergence of multi-drug resistance of pathogenic bacteria has remained a challenge for medicinal inorganic chemistry. In this article, the mixed ligand complexes of Cu (II), Co (II), and Ni (II) containing heterocyclic ligands were synthesized and characterized by IR, LC-MS, UV, and TG-DTA. Complexes are screened for Anti-microbial activity against human pathogenic bacteria

Using Whole Genome Sequences to Investigate Adenovirus Outbreaks in a Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant Unit

A recent surge in human mastadenovirus (HAdV) cases, including five deaths, amongst a haematopoietic stem cell transplant population led us to use whole genome sequencing (WGS) to investigate. We compared sequences from 37 patients collected over a 20-month period with sequences from GenBank and our own database of HAdVs. Maximum likelihood trees and pairwise differences were used to evaluate genotypic relationships, paired with the epidemiological data from routine infection prevention and control (IPC) records and hospital activity data. During this time period, two formal outbreaks had been declared by IPC, while WGS detected nine monophyletic clusters, seven were corroborated by epidemiological evidence and by comparison of single-nucleotide polymorphisms. One of the formal outbreaks was confirmed, and the other was not. Of the five HAdV-associated deaths, three were unlinked and the remaining two considered the source of transmission. Mixed infection was frequent (10%), providing a sentinel source of recombination and superinfection. Immunosuppressed patients harboring a high rate of HAdV positivity require comprehensive surveillance. As a consequence of these findings, HAdV WGS is being incorporated routinely into clinical practice to influence IPC policy contemporaneously

Use of Whole-genome Sequencing of Adenovirus in Immunocompromised Paediatric Patients to Identify Nosocomial Transmission and Mixed-genotype Infection

Background: Adenoviruses are significant pathogens for the immunocompromised, arising from primary infection or reinfection. Serotyping is insufficient to support nosocomial transmission investigations. We investigate whether whole-genome sequencing (WGS) provides clinically relevant information on transmission among patients in a paediatric tertiary hospital. Methods: We developed a target-enriched adenovirus WGS technique for clinical samples and retrospectively sequenced 107 adenovirus-positive residual diagnostic samples, including viraemias (>5x104 copies/ml), from 37 patients collected January 2011 - March 2016. WGS was used to determine genotype and for phylogenetic analysis. Results: Adenovirus sequences were recovered from 105/107 samples. Full genome sequences were recovered from all 20 non-species C samples and from 36/85 species C viruses, with partial genome sequences recovered from the rest. Whole genome phylogenetic analysis suggested linkage of three genotype A31 cases and uncovered an unsuspected epidemiological link to an A31 infection first detected on the same ward four years earlier. In nine samples from one patient who died we identified a mixed genotype adenovirus infection. Conclusions: Adenovirus WGS from clinical samples is possible and useful for genotyping and molecular epidemiology. WGS identified likely nosocomial transmission with greater resolution than conventional genotyping, and distinguished between adenovirus disease due to single or multiple genotypes

Chronic renal insufficiency among Asian Indians with type 2 diabetes: I. Role of RAAS gene polymorphisms

BACKGROUND: Renal failure in diabetes is mediated by multiple pathways. Experimental and clinical evidences suggest that renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) has a crucial role in diabetic kidney disease. A relationship between the RAAS genotypes and chronic renal insufficiency (CRI) among type 2 diabetes subjects has therefore been speculated. We investigated the contribution of selected RAAS gene polymorphisms to CRI among type 2 diabetic Asian Indian subjects. METHODS: Twelve single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from six genes namely-renin (REN), angiotensinogen (ATG), angiotensin converting enzyme I (ACE), angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AT1) and aldosterone synthase (CYP11B2) gene from the RAAS pathway and one from chymase pathway were genotyped using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method and tested for their association with diabetic CRI using a case-control approach. Successive cases presenting to study centres with type 2 diabetes of ≥2 years duration and moderate CRI diagnosed by serum creatinine ≥3 mg/dl after exclusion of non-diabetic causes of CRI (n = 196) were compared with diabetes subjects with no evidence of renal disease (n = 225). Logistic regression analysis was carried out to correlate various clinical parameters with genotypes, and to study pair wise interactions between SNPs of different genes. RESULTS: Of the 12 SNPs genotyped, Glu53Stop in AGT and A>T (-777) in AT1 genes, were monomorphic and not included for further analysis. We observed a highly significant association of Met235Thr SNP in angiotensinogen gene with CRI (O.R. 2.68, 95%CI: 2.01–3.57 for Thr allele, O.R. 2.94, 95%CI: 1.88–4.59 for Thr/Thr genotype and O.R. 2.68, 95%CI: 1.97–3.64 for ACC haplotype). A significant allelic and genotypic association of T>C (-344) SNP in aldosterone synthase gene (O.R. 1.57, 95%CI: 1.16–2.14 and O.R. 1.81, 95%CI: 1.21–2.71 respectively), and genotypic association of GA genotype of G>A (-1903) in chymase gene (O.R. 2.06, 95%CI: 1.34–3.17) were also observed. CONCLUSION: SNPs Met235Thr in angiotensinogen, T>C (-344) in aldosterone synthase, and G>A (-1903) in chymase genes are significantly associated with diabetic chronic renal insufficiency in Indian patients and warrant replication in larger sample sets. Use of such markers for prediction of susceptibility to diabetes specific renal disease in the ethnically Indian population appears promising