Mid-upper arm circumference in pregnant women and birth weight in newborns as substitute for skinfold thickness: findings from the MAASTHI cohort study, India.

BACKGROUND: Estimating total body fat in public hospitals using gold-standard measurements such as air displacement plethysmography (ADP), deuterium oxide dilution, or dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) is unaffordable, and it is challenging to use skinfold thickness. We aimed to identify the appropriate substitute marker for skinfold thickness to estimate total body fat in pregnant women and infants. METHODS: The study is part of a prospective cohort study titled MAASTHI in Bengaluru, from 2016 to 19. Anthropometric measurements such as body weight, head circumference, mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC), and skinfold thickness were measured in pregnant women between 14 and 36 weeks of gestational age; while measurements such as birth weight, head, chest, waist, hip, mid-upper arm circumference, and skinfold thickness were recorded for newborns. We calculated Kappa statistics to assess agreement between these anthropometric markers with skinfold thickness. RESULTS: We found the highest amount of agreement between total skinfold thickness and MUAC (Kappa statistic, 0.42; 95 % CI 0.38-0.46) in pregnant women. For newborns, the highest agreement with total skinfold thickness was with birth weight (0.57; 95 % CI 0.52-0.60). Our results indicate that MUAC higher than 29.2 cm can serve as a suitable alternative to total skinfolds-based assessments for obesity screening in pregnancy in public facilities. Similarly, a birth weight cut-off of 3.45 kg can be considered for classifying obesity among newborns. CONCLUSION: Mid-upper arm circumference and birth weight can be used as markers of skinfold thickness, reflecting total body fat in pregnant women and the infant, respectively. These two anthropometric measurements could substitute for skinfold thickness in low- and middle-income urban India settings

Evidence of improvement in thermoelectric parameters of n-type Bi2Te3/graphite nanocomposite

Improvement of thermoelectric parameters is reported with graphite incorporation in n-type Bi2Te3/graphite nanocomposite system. In-depth thermoelectric properties of nanostructured Bi2Te3/graphite composites are probed both microscopically and macroscopically using X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, inelastic neutron scattering and measurement of the temperature dependence of thermal conductivity , Seebeck coefficient S, resistivity ρ, and carrier concentration nH. Raman spectroscopic analysis confirms that graphite introduces defects and disorder in the system. Graphite addition induces a large (17%) decrease of , originating from a strong phonon scattering effect. A low lattice thermal conductivities L, value of 0.77 Wm-1K-1, approaching the min value, estimated using the Cahill-Pohl model, is reported for Bi2Te3+1 wt% graphite sample. Graphite dispersion alters the low energy inelastic neutron scattering spectrum providing evidence for modification of the Bi2Te3 Phonon Density of States (PDOS). Improvement of the other thermoelectric parameters, viz., Seebeck Coefficient and resistivity, is also reported. Theoretical modeling of electrical and thermal transport parameters is carried out and a plausible explanation of the underlying transport mechanism is provided assuming a simple model of ballistic electron transport in 1D contact channels with two different energies

Elimination of visceral leishmaniasis in the Indian subcontinent: a comparison of predictions from three transmission models.

We present three transmission models of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) in the Indian subcontinent (ISC) with structural differences regarding the disease stage that provides the main contribution to transmission, including models with a prominent role of asymptomatic infection, and fit them to recent case data from 8 endemic districts in Bihar, India. Following a geographical cross-validation of the models, we compare their predictions for achieving the WHO VL elimination targets with ongoing treatment and vector control strategies. All the transmission models suggest that the WHO elimination target (<1 new VL case per 10,000 capita per year at sub-district level) is likely to be met in Bihar, India, before or close to 2020 in sub-districts with a pre-control incidence of 10 VL cases per 10,000 people per year or less, when current intervention levels (60% coverage of indoor residual spraying (IRS) of insecticide and a delay of 40days from onset of symptoms to treatment (OT)) are maintained, given the accuracy and generalizability of the existing data regarding incidence and IRS coverage. In settings with a pre-control endemicity level of 5/10,000, increasing the effective IRS coverage from 60 to 80% is predicted to lead to elimination of VL 1-3 years earlier (depending on the particular model), and decreasing OT from 40 to 20days to bring elimination forward by approximately 1year. However, in all instances the models suggest that L. donovani transmission will continue after 2020 and thus that surveillance and control measures need to remain in place until the longer-term aim of breaking transmission is achieved

The discrete Voronoi game in a simple polygon

In this paper we consider a competitive facility location problem played between two players P1 and P2. Let P be a simple polygon with m vertices. Consider a set of users, U modeled as points in the interior (excluding the boundary) of P. Initially P1 chooses a point inside P (including the boundary) to place a facility. Following this P2 chooses another point inside P and places a facility. Given these facilities a user u∈U is served by its nearest facility, where distances are measured by the geodesic distance in P. The objective of each player is to maximize the number of users they serve. We show that for any given placement of a facility by P1, an optimal placement for P2 can be computed in O(m+n(log⁡n+log⁡m)) time. We also provide a polynomial-time algorithm for computing an optimal placement for P1

Highly correlated structural, local structural, Raman spectroscopic and magnetic properties of Mn-substituted Cu2_2V2_2O7_7

Low-dimensional quantum spin 1/2 system Cu$_2$V$_2$O$_7$ has been investigated in the framework of Mn-substitution at the Cu site, which is really un-investigated. The studied compounds Cu$_{2−x}$Mn$_x$V$_2$O$_7$ (x = 0, 0.05, 0.1 and 0.15) have been synthesized and characterized structurally, spectroscopically, local structurally and magnetically via x-ray diffraction, Raman, x-ray absorption and temperature, field dependent magnetization measurements respectively. Although Cu$_2$V$_2$O$_7$ canbefoundin $α$, $β$ and $γ$-phase,howeverallofthestudiedcompoundsare found in single orthorhombic α-phase which has crucial magneto-electric application potential. Temperature dependent Raman spectra indicated anharmonic phonon–phonon scattering but there is no spin–phonon coupling for VO$_4$ vibrational modes. The local structure probed via x-ray absorption near edge structure and extended x-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy at 15 K, 300 K indicates Cu$^{2+}$, V$^{5+}$ and mixed valent Mn$^{2+}$ and Mn$^{3+}$ ionic states and justified local structure for the probed ions. Magnetic measurements indicate long-range antiferromagnetic ordering with doping independent Neel temperature (32.5 K). Further observations are strong magnetic hysteresis at 5 K (due to canted spin structure), zero field exchange-bias and their noteworthy enhancement upon Mn-substitution. Interesting correlation between structural parameters and magnetic exchanges has been developed