The effects of traffic management systems on the yield and economics of crops grown in deep, shallow and zero tilled sandy loam soil over eight years.

This paper reports on a 3 × 3 factorial study to consider the effects of controlled traffic (CTF), low tyre inflation pressure (high flexion) tyres (LTP) and standard tyre inflation pressure (STP) farming systems for deep, shallow and zero tillage practices on the yield of wheat, barley, oats and field beans grown in a sandy loam soil in the UK. The main effect of tillage showed that the zero tillage option significantly (***P < 0.001) reduced crop yields in four out of the five of the first crop years, with no significant effect in years two, six and eight and exceeded the yield of the other tillage treatments in year seven. The specific costs of the alternative tillage systems were estimated, from which the cost saving for zero tillage compared to deep tillage was c. £ 60 ha−1 (US$80 ha−1), which compensated for the overall loss in yield. There were no significant differences between the crop yields from the deep and shallow tillage treatments, with shallow tillage offering savings in operational costs of c. £ 30 ha−1 (US$ 40 ha−1). Overall, the controlled traffic farming system, where 30% of the field was trafficked, produced 4% greater crop yields (*P < 0.05), worth £ 39 ha−1 (US$53 ha−1) than standard tyre inflation pressures (STP). The estimated effect of reducing the trafficked area to 15$ 100 ha−1) compared to the STP system. The beneficial effect of low inflation pressure tyres (70 kPa and 80 kPa) on crop yields, for the deep tillage treatment, was significantly greater (*P < 0.05) than those of the standard tyre pressure system (100 kPa to 150 kPa) returning an average 3.9% additional crop yield over the period of the experiment worth £ 39 ha−1 (US$ 53 ha−1)

A Review of 2011 for PLoS Computational Biology

A Review of 2011 for <em>PLoS Computational Biology</em

current evidence and programmatic considerations

Funding Information: We are thankful to Ann Prentice for her critical review of the section ?Concerns in populations with low calcium intake.? The convenings of the Calcium Task Force and the development of this paper and its open access were supported by funding from The Children's Investment Fund Foundation to the Nutrition Science Program of the New York Academy of Sciences. Publisher Copyright: © 2022 The Authors. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of New York Academy of Sciences.Most low- and middle-income countries present suboptimal intakes of calcium during pregnancy and high rates of mortality due to maternal hypertensive disorders. Calcium supplementation during pregnancy is known to reduce the risk of these disorders and associated complications, including preeclampsia, maternal morbidity, and preterm birth, and is, therefore, a recommended intervention for pregnant women in populations with low dietary calcium intake (e.g., where ≥25% of individuals in the population have intakes less than 800 mg calcium/day). However, this intervention is not widely implemented in part due to cost and logistical issues related to the large dose and burdensome dosing schedule (three to four 500-mg doses/day). WHO recommends 1.5–2 g/day but limited evidence suggests that less than 1 g/day may be sufficient and ongoing trials with low-dose calcium supplementation (500 mg/day) may point a path toward simplifying supplementation regimens. Calcium carbonate is likely to be the most cost-effective choice, and it is not necessary to counsel women to take calcium supplements separately from iron-containing supplements. In populations at highest risk for preeclampsia, a combination of calcium supplementation and food-based approaches, such as food fortification with calcium, may be required to improve calcium intakes before pregnancy and in early gestation.publishersversionpublishe

Genomic epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 in Esteio, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

Background: Brazil is the third country most affected by Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19), but viral evolution in municipality resolution is still poorly understood in Brazil and it is crucial to understand the epidemiology of viral spread. We aimed to track molecular evolution and spread of Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in Esteio (Southern Brazil) using phylogenetics and phylodynamics inferences from 21 new genomes in global and regional context. Importantly, the case fatality rate (CFR) in Esteio (3.26%) is slightly higher compared to the Rio Grande do Sul (RS) state (2.56%) and the entire Brazil (2.74%). Results: We provided a comprehensive view of mutations from a representative sampling from May to October 2020, highlighting two frequent mutations in spike glycoprotein (D614G and V1176F), an emergent mutation (E484K) in spike Receptor Binding Domain (RBD) characteristic of the B.1.351 and P.1 lineages, and the adjacent replacement of 2 amino acids in Nucleocapsid phosphoprotein (R203K and G204R). E484K was found in two genomes from mid-October, which is the earliest description of this mutation in Southern Brazil. Lineages containing this substitution must be subject of intense surveillance due to its association with immune evasion. We also found two epidemiologicallyrelated clusters, including one from patients of the same neighborhood. Phylogenetics and phylodynamics analysis demonstrates multiple introductions of the Brazilian most prevalent lineages (B.1.1.33 and B.1.1.248) and the establishment of Brazilian lineages ignited from the Southeast to other Brazilian regions. Conclusions: Our data show the value of correlating clinical, epidemiological and genomic information for the understanding of viral evolution and its spatial distribution over time. This is of paramount importance to better inform policy making strategies to fight COVID-19

Assessing mutual accountability to strengthen national WASH systems and achieve the SDG targets for water and sanitation

Abstract Multi-stakeholder engagement is critical for making progress towards Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6 ‘Ensure access to water and sanitation for all’, which is currently off track to be achieved by 2030. The aim of this paper was to investigate mutual accountability and multi-stakeholder platforms in the WASH sector in a diverse range of countries. Data were collected by Sanitation and Water for All (SWA) Research and Learning Constituency partners and collaborators in five SWA member countries: Bangladesh, Indonesia, Kenya, Peru and Somalia. Data collection involved document review, key informant interviews and workshops, and an online questionnaire. Across all the case study countries, there were no clear examples of mutual accountability mechanisms being widely used in the WASH sector. However, the findings indicate that some of the case study countries have active WASH multi-stakeholder platforms involving a range of actors from government, civil society and the private sector; however, these typically function as coordination and communication platforms rather than supporting mutual accountability. Other case study countries did not have multi-stakeholder platforms involving a diverse range of actors, and instead had platforms established for single stakeholder groups such as the private sector or civil society, leaving certain groups out of activities. Overall, the study highlights the importance of establishing strong multi-stakeholder processes and platforms that bring together a range of actors including government, civil society, private sector, research actors, and WASH external support organizations. Such platforms could provide a foundation to enable mutual accountability between these actors by providing a space to set commitments and monitor progress and have potential to strengthen WASH systems both nationally and globally.</jats:p