Method validation and monitoring of emamectin benzoate in mature banana fruit with peel and pulp through Liquid chromatography-Mass spectrometry/ Mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS)

Emamectin benzoate has been frequently used in the banana ecosystem to combat the damage of pseudostem weevil. Therefore, the present study was conducted to validate the method, to assess harvest time residues and monitor emamectin benzoate residues in mature banana peel and pulp samples through LC-MS/MS. The validated method was used to determine emamectin benzoate residue in market banana samples. The study used Waters Alliance LC and Acquity TQD with an electrospray ionization interface in the positive ion mode. An isocratic flow of 0.1% formic acid (HCOOH) in water and 0.1% HCOOH in acetonitrile (CH3CN) was utilised for separation. CH3CN was utilised to extract emamectin benzoate residue from the samples, and a dispersive solid-phase extraction technique was used for subsequent cleanup. Linearity tests were performed with standard solutions containing 0.01 to 0.1 g mL-1, with three replicates for each concentration. For mature banana peel & pulp and mature banana pulp matrices, satisfactory recoveries of 79.85 to 95.09% and 89.20 to 100.94%, respectively and high precision relative standard deviations of 0.56 to 2.34% and 2.33 to 6.88%, respectively were obtained. For mature banana (peel and pulp, pulp alone) fruits, the lower detection and quantification limits were (0.003, 0.008), and (0.002, 0.007). The validated approach was utilised to analyse mature banana fruit samples obtained from emamectin benzoate treated fields and banana samples purchased from the local market.  Results showed satisfactory validation of parameters like linearity, the limit of detection and quantification, and recovery for determining emamectin benzoate residues in banana fruit

Anemia prevalence in women of reproductive age in low- and middle-income countries between 2000 and 2018

Anemia is a globally widespread condition in women and is associated with reduced economic productivity and increased mortality worldwide. Here we map annual 2000–2018 geospatial estimates of anemia prevalence in women of reproductive age (15–49 years) across 82 low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), stratify anemia by severity and aggregate results to policy-relevant administrative and national levels. Additionally, we provide subnational disparity analyses to provide a comprehensive overview of anemia prevalence inequalities within these countries and predict progress toward the World Health Organization’s Global Nutrition Target (WHO GNT) to reduce anemia by half by 2030. Our results demonstrate widespread moderate improvements in overall anemia prevalence but identify only three LMICs with a high probability of achieving the WHO GNT by 2030 at a national scale, and no LMIC is expected to achieve the target in all their subnational administrative units. Our maps show where large within-country disparities occur, as well as areas likely to fall short of the WHO GNT, offering precision public health tools so that adequate resource allocation and subsequent interventions can be targeted to the most vulnerable populations.Peer reviewe

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

A phase-field/Monte-Carlo model describing organic crystal growth from solution

68.35.Ct Interface structure and roughness, 68.43.Mn Adsorption kinetics, 68.55.Ac Nucleation and growth: microscopic aspects,