Strengthening women in wheat farming in India: Old challenges, new realities, new opportunities

This resource provides guidance for scientists, researchers, and rural advisory services in wheat-based systems on how to better target women in all communities and how to improve inclusion for everyone. It builds on 12 case studies conducted across India’s wheat belt under CRP WHEAT. It discusses how norms are shifting in parts of rural India to accommodate open recognition of women as farmers and managers of wheat and as adopters of associated technologies, including zero tillers, combine harvesters, and improved varieties of wheat

Leaving no one behind: Supporting women, poor people, and indigenous people in wheat-maize innovations in Bangladesh

This guidance note for scientists and research teams acknowledges the complexity of marginalization processes and provides recommendations for making sure no one is left behind. It draws on GENNOVATE findings from a community in Bangladesh where the indigenous Santals, Bengali Muslims, and Hindus live and work together

Challenging gender myths: Promoting inclusive wheat and maize research for development in Nepal

This technical note provides research evidence debunking four gender myths: 1) men are the main decision makers; 2) women don’t do much in wheat and maize; 3) women don’t innovate; and 4) women lack resources for innovation. Data is drawn from six GENNOVATE Nepal case studies in the Myagdi, Chitwan, Rupandehi, and Jajarkot Districts. The resource posits that understanding and working with women in wheat- or maize-related innovation processes will help to improve the design and relevance of innovations

CRT-700.53 Risk of Heart Block Development in Surgical Management of Congenital Heart Disease

Background: There is a paucity of data regarding the risk for heart block during surgical repair of congenital heart disease (CHD). We sought to identify the prevalence and prognosis of heart block in patient’s requiring surgical intervention for CHD. Methods: National Inpatient Sample 2016-2019 was used to conduct a retrospective analysis by identifying a cohort of patients admitted for surgical management for atrial septal defect repair/replacement (ASDR), ventricular septal defect repair/replacement (VSDR) and patent ductus arteriosus closure (PDAC) using respective ICD-10 codes. Primary outcome was the risk of developing heart blocks including atrioventricular and bundle branch/fascicular blocks which was assessed with multivariate logistic regression model. Results: 7.6% patients with ASD underwent ASDR, 10.4% patients with VSD underwent VSDR and 8.8% patients with PDA underwent PDAC. Heart blocks were observed in 12% of ASD patients undergoing ASDR, 10% of VSD patients undergoing VSDR and 8.8% of PDA patients undergoing PDAC. Mean age was 38.9 years for patients undergoing ASDR developing heart blocks, 11.48 years for patients undergoing VSDR developing heart blocks and 10.3 months for patients undergoing PDAC developing heart blocks. On analysis of patients who developed heart blocks after undergoing surgery for CHD, we found that 51.5% were males, 48.4% were females, 57.8% were white, 12.7% were African-American and 17.6% were Hispanic. ASDR was associated with increased odds of developing heart blocks in patients with ASD (OR 3.89, CI 3.6-4.2, p\u3c0.001) and VSDR was associated with increased odds of developing heart blocks in VSD patients (OR 9.31, CI 8-10.7, p\u3c0.001). While, PDAC was associated with even higher odds of developing heart blocks in PDA patients (OR 12.75, CI 10.4-15.6, p\u3c0.001). ASDR was associated with decreased mortality in ASD patients (OR 0.85, CI 0.74-0.98, p=0.036), VSDR had no significant association with mortality in VSD patients (OR 0.99, p=0.9) and PDAC was associated with minimally increased mortality (OR 1.16, CI 1.001-1.36, p=0.04). Conclusion: Heart blocks are prevalent among the patients undergoing surgical treatment for CHD. Surgical repair of CHD is strongly associated with the risk of developing heart blocks, highest risk being with PDAC followed by VSDR and ASDR

From working in the wheat field to managing wheat: women innovators in Nepal

This article presents research conducted in Nepal’s Terai plains in 2014-15 showing that women are innovating in wheat to the extent that wheat farming is experiencing a shift from feminization of agricultural labor towards women taking control over decision making. Processes accounting for this include male out-migration, non-governmental organizations working on promoting women’s equality that has developed women’s confidence, individual support from extension agents, and strong cooperation between women to foster each other’s “innovation journeys.

Quantum fluctuations for drag free geodesic motion

The drag free technique is used to force a proof mass to follow a geodesic motion. The mass is protected from perturbations by a cage, and the motion of the latter is actively controlled to follow the motion of the proof mass. We present a theoretical analysis of the effects of quantum fluctuations for this technique. We show that a perfect drag free operation is in principle possible at the quantum level, in spite of the back action exerted on the mass by the position sensor.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure, RevTeX, minor change

Are wheat-based farming systems in South Asia feminizing?

This article pulls together the state of knowledge on the degree to which wheat-based systems in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Pakistan, are feminizing. It is not yet possible to make definitive statements. However, it is clear that wheat-based systems are undergoing far-reaching changes in relation to “who does what” and “who decides.” There are some commonalities across all four countries. Intersectionalities shape women’s identities and abilities to exert their agency. Purdah is a cultural norm in many locations. Nevertheless, each country displays different meta-trends. In Nepal managerial feminization is increasing unlike in Pakistan. Women in Bangladesh spend the least time in field work whereas in other countries they are often strongly engaged. There are strong local variations within countries as well which we explore. Establishing the extent of feminization is challenging because studies ask different questions, operate at different levels, and are rarely longitudinal. Researchers often construct men as primary farmers, leading to a failure to find out what men and women really do and decide. This diminishes the value of many studies. Cultural perceptions of honor can make men respondents reluctant to report on women’s agency and women can be reluctant to claim agency openly. We provide suggestions for better research, and urge support to women as workers and decision-makers.</p

DC Cancellation As a Method of Generating a t^2 Response and of Solving the Radial Nonobservability Problem in a Concentric Free-Falling Two-Sphere Equivalence-Principle Experiment in a Drag-Free Satellite

This paper solves two major problems which have blocked a free-fall Equivalence-Principle (EP) in a satellite for 25 years: a semimajor-axis error between the two proof masses cannot be distinguished from an EP violation and the response to an EP violation only grows as t not t^2. Using the cancellation method described in this paper, the nonobservability problem can be suppressed and a t^2 response can be generated which lasts between 10^4 and 10^6 seconds depending on the cancellation accuracy. t^2 response times between 10^5 and 10^6 seconds are equivalent to a very tall (0.1 to 10 AU) drop tower with a constant gravitational field of 3/7 ge.Comment: 40 pages, 7 figures, Revision 3.0: Reviewer's suggested corrections for journal submissio

Sensitivity of wide band detectors to quintessential gravitons

There are no reasons why the energy spectra of the relic gravitons, amplified by the pumping action of the background geometry, should not increase at high frequencies. A typical example of this behavior are quintessential inflationary models where the slopes of the energy spectra can be either blue or mildly violet. In comparing the predictions of scenarios leading to blue and violet graviton spectra we face the problem of correctly deriving the sensitivities of the interferometric detectors. Indeed, the expression of the signal-to-noise ratio not only depends upon the noise power spectra of the detectors but also upon the spectral form of the signal and, therefore, one can reasonably expect that models with different spectral behaviors will produce different signal-to-noise ratios. By assuming monotonic (blue) spectra of relic gravitons we will give general expressions for the signal-to-noise ratio in this class of models. As an example we studied the case of quintessential gravitons. The minimum achievable sensitivity to $h^2_{0} \Omega_{GW}$ of different pairs of detectors is computed, and compared with the theoretical expectations.Comment: 10 pages in Revtex style, 3 figure

Acceleration disturbances and requirements for ASTROD I

ASTRODynamical Space Test of Relativity using Optical Devices I (ASTROD I) mainly aims at testing relativistic gravity and measuring the solar-system parameters with high precision, by carrying out laser ranging between a spacecraft in a solar orbit and ground stations. In order to achieve these goals, the magnitude of the total acceleration disturbance of the proof mass has to be less than 10&#8722;13 m s&#8722;2 Hz&#8722;1/2 at 0.1 m Hz. In this paper, we give a preliminary overview of the sources and magnitude of acceleration disturbances that could arise in the ASTROD I proof mass. Based on the estimates of the acceleration disturbances and by assuming a simple controlloop model, we infer requirements for ASTROD I. Our estimates show that most of the requirements for ASTROD I can be relaxed in comparison with Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA).Comment: 19 pages, two figures, accepted for publication by Class. Quantum Grav. (at press