Climatic forcing before, during, and after the 8.2 Kyr B.P. global cooling event

This paper attempts at full characterization of the unique global 8.2 Kyr B.P. cooling event. Significant atmospheric cooling started during 9.5-8.5 Kyr B.P. when the Sun was extremely quiet during three periods of ~ 50-100 years. The flood of melt water in the N. Atlantic from glacial lakes during the demise of the Laurentide ice sheet, starting at ~ 8.5 Kyr B.P., adds to the atmospheric cooling. Climatic forcing events occurred at 8.5 Kyr B.P., at 8.2 Kyr B.P. and finally at 8.06 Kyr B.P., leading to concurrent increases or decreases in the atmospheric Δ 14C levels, completely consistent with the climatic forcing proposed here

Study of prevalence of secondary hyperparathyroidism in chronic renal failure in hadoti region

Background: Secondary hyperparathyroidism is known and early complication of chronic renal failure patients. Aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of secondary hyperparathyroidism and correlation between serum parathyroid hormone level with biochemical parameters in renal failure patients in tertiary care hospital in Kota, Rajasthan.Methods: A cross sectional observational study was carried out in 50 patients who had creatinine clearance of 30ml/min/1.73m2 or less for greater than 6 weeks attended the OPD of department of General Medicine, New Medical College hospital, Kota, Rajasthan from May 2018 to November 2018. Investigations like complete blood count, renal function test, urine routine microscopy and USG abdomen with serum parathyroid hormone, serum phosphorus, serum calcium levels were done. Serum parathyroid hormone level was done by calorimetric method.Results: The prevalence of secondary hyperparathyroidism in our study was 72%.In hyperparathyroidism patient’s serum calcium level was low and the difference was highly significant (p<0.001). There is negative correlation between S.PTH and S. calcium level (r=-0.536). Mean serum calcium level in our study is 1.6mmol/l. In hyperparathyroidism patient’s serum phosphate level was high and the difference was highly significant (p<0.001). There was positive correlation between S.PTH and S.PO4 level (r=0.402). Mean serum phosphorus level in our study is 5.7 mg/dl. Prevalence of hyperparathyroidism was high among CRF patients with normal BP than hypertensive patients and with normal sugar than diabetics but the difference in proportion was not significant (p=0.87, p=0.98 respectively). 90% patients were on haemodialysis while 10% patients were on conservative management.Conclusions: Early detection of secondary hyperparathyroidism in chronic renal failure patients can reduce its complications like bone fracture and cardiovascular complications

Wireless Controlled Door-Bell

Now-a- day\u27s wireless control of appliance is in practice, because of its advantage like no wire is needed, multiple controlling is less complicated. The controlling range of wireless doorbell is 100M. As the wireless doorbell is wireless based project, it is divided into two major section i.e. transmitter and receiver. Transmitter: This transmitter section is designed around oscillator transistor (BF194B) T2 followed by two transistor (BC148) T1 and T3. Transistor T2 generate special radio frequency determined by trimmer (variable capacitor) and coil. Transistor T1 is used as pulse generator. The output from transistor T3 is given to emitter of transistor T2 in order to get radio frequency from its collector. Trimmer VC1 is used to adjust the transmitter frequency. Receiver: The receiver section is further divided into two main sections i.e. RF amplifier section and bell trigger section. An aerial is used to receive the transmitted frequency from remote which is further amplified by amplifier and trigger circuit. The whole receiver circuit utilizes seven transistors

Determinants of Exports in a Small and Vulnerable Economy: Fiji Islands—A Disaggregated Analysis

The previous studies of exports performance in Fiji were carried out at the aggregate level. We conduct a disaggregated analysis of exports of three major products, namely, sugar, tourism, and gold. This analysis is useful for developing sector-based export promotion policies. The long run as well as dynamic export demand functions are estimated at the aggregate and disaggregate levels. The results identify a number of factors such as trading partner income, relative prices, productivity shocks, natural disasters, political disturbances, and the exchange rate that affect the export demand for sugar, tourism, and gold, though not in the same way. For instance, tourism and sugar enjoy the highest income elasticity. Sugar export is adversely affected by natural calamities and political upheavals. The political upheavals also affect tourism adversely in Fiji. The exchange rate affects the export of sugar more than others. The idea that devaluation will promote exports in Fiji needs careful investigation because results show that this will happen with a high cost, i.e. 5% nominal devaluation will be required to increase real exports by 1%

Sol-gel synthesis, characterization of ZnO thin films on different substrates, and bandgap calculation by the Tauc plot method

The sol-gel spin coating method was used for the preparation of the Zinc Oxide which was coated over polymer, transparent, and glass translucent substrates and characterized with the help of a UV-Vis Spectroscope. The wavelength bandgap of those samples was found to be 296nm, 310.5nm, and 330nm respectively. The actual band gap of ZnO is 388nm. Similarly, their optical bandgap energy calculated by the Tauc Plot method were 3.641eV, 3.385eV, and 3.495 eV respectively. The transparent polymer slide has the lowest wavelength bandgap and the translucent glass slide has the highest. Further, the bandgap’s value differs from its actual value to the difference in the absorption process due to the presence of the substrate. These results suggest that the choice of substrate can significantly impact the optical properties and performance of the zinc oxide thin film. This result can be applied in developing and optimizing zinc oxide thin films for various purposes, such as in solar cells, sensors, and optoelectronics. By carefully selecting the substrate, it may be possible to tailor the bandgap energy and other optical properties of the thin film to better suit the specific application

Perceived fear of COVID-19 and its associated factors among Nepalese older adults in eastern Nepal : a cross-sectional study

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has affected all age groups worldwide, but older adults have been affected greatly with an increased risk of severe illness and mortality. Nepal is struggling with the COVID-19 pandemic. The normal life of older adults, one of the vulnerable populations to COVID-19 infection, has been primarily impacted. The current evidence shows that the COVID-19 virus strains are deadly, and non-compliance to standard protocols can have serious consequences, increasing fear among older adults. This study assessed the perceived fear of COVID-19 and associated factors among older adults in eastern Nepal. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted between July and September 2020 among 847 older adults (?60 years) residing in three districts of eastern Nepal. Perceived fear of COVID-19 was measured using the seven-item Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S). Multivariate logistic regression identified the factors associated with COVID-19 fear. Results The mean score of the FCV-19S was 18.1 (SD = 5.2), and a sizeable proportion of older adults, ranging between 12%-34%, agreed with the seven items of the fear scale. Increasing age, Dalit ethnicity, remoteness to the health facility, and being concerned or overwhelmed with the COVID-19 were associated with greater fear of COVID-19. In contrast, preexisting health conditions were inversely associated with fear. Conclusion Greater fear of the COVID-19 among the older adults in eastern Nepal suggests that during unprecedented times such as the current pandemic, the psychological needs of older adults should be prioritized. Establishing and integrating community-level mental health support as a part of the COVID-19 preparedness and response plan might help to combat COVID-19 fear among them

Phylogeography and Population Structure Analysis Reveal Diversity by Gene Flow and Mutation in Ustilago segetum (Pers.) Roussel tritici Causing Loose Smut of Wheat

Ustilago segetum (Pers.) Roussel tritici (UST) causes loose smut of wheat account for considerable grain yield losses globally. For effective management, knowledge of its genetic variability and population structure is a prerequisite. In this study, UST isolates sampled from four different wheat growing zones of India were analyzed using the second largest subunit of the RNA polymerase II (RPB2) and a set of sixteen neutral simple sequence repeats (SSRs) markers. Among the 112 UST isolates genotyped, 98 haplotypes were identified. All the isolates were categorized into two groups (K = 2), each consisting of isolates from different sampling sites, on the basis of unweighted paired-grouping method with arithmetic averages (UPGMA) and the Bayesian analysis of population structure. The positive and significant index of association (IA = 1.169) and standardized index of association (rBarD = 0.075) indicate population is of non-random mating type. Analysis of molecular variance showed that the highest variance component is among isolates (91%), with significantly low genetic differentiation variation among regions (8%) (Fst = 0.012). Recombination (Rm = 0) was not detected. The results showed that UST isolates have a clonal genetic structure with limited genetic differentiation and human arbitrated gene flow and mutations are the prime evolutionary processes determining its genetic structure. These findings will be helpful in devising management strategy especially for selection and breeding of resistant wheat cultivars

Insights into salt tolerance of mustard (Brassica juncea L. Czern & Coss): A metabolomics perspective

Salt stress is one of the key abiotic factor which leads to reduced global agricultural productions through negatively impacting the growth and development of crops. Indian mustard (Brassica juncea), the most important cruciferous crop with significant nutritional and medicinal values, is majorly affected by salt stress. In this study, we explored the global metabolomic response of two Indian mustard genotypes, CS 60 and CS 245–2–80–7 grown under salt stress for different time periods to unleash the role of differentially accumulated metabolites and relevant metabolic pathways involved in the salt tolerance mechanism. A total of 608 known compounds were detected from 4119 metabolites using DionexUltiMate® 3000 Ultra High-Performance Liquid Chromatographic System combined with “Q Exactive™ Plus Orbitrap™ Mass Spectrometer (UHPLC-MS/MS) analysis, from which 111 significantly altered metabolites in both genotypes were selected based on t-test and VIP score values. Using MetPa from MetaboAnalyst 5.0 platform, metabolic pathways with significant impact values were considered to be involved in the salt tolerance mechanism. Increased accumulation of metabolites and detected relevant pathways majorly regulating the anti-oxidant defense system gives CS 60, a high yielding variety, an edge against the genotype CS 245–2–80–7, which might be the chief tolerance mechanism to withstand salt stress

Nepal paediatric society clinical guidance for management of sepsis and septic shock in the paediatric intensive care units in Nepal

Justification: Sepsis is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in Nepal. There is a lack of standardisation in the management of severe sepsis and septic shock. Additionally, international guidelines may not be completely applicable to resource limited countries like Nepal. Objective: Create a collaborative standardised protocol for management of severe sepsis and septic shock for Nepal based on evidence and local resources. Process / Methods: Paediatricians representing various paediatric intensive care units all over Nepal gathered to discuss clinical practice and delivery of care of sepsis and septic shock under the aegis of Nepal Paediatric Society. After three meetings and several iterations a standardised protocol and algorithm was developed by modifying the existing Surviving Sepsis Guidelines to suit local experience and resources. Recommendations: Paediatric sepsis and septic shock definitions and management in the early hours of presentation are outlined in text and flow diagram format to simplify and standardise delivery of care to children in the paediatric intensive care setting. These are guidelines and may need to be modified as necessary depending on the resources availability and lack thereof. It is recommended to analyse data moving forward and revise every few years in the advent of additional data

The COVID‐19 Pandemic Not Only Poses Challenges, but Also Opens Opportunities for Sustainable Transformation

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted social, economic, and environmental systems worldwide, slowing down and reversing the progress made in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). SDGs belong to the 2030 Agenda to transform our world by tackling humankind's challenges to ensure well-being, economic prosperity, and environmental protection. We explore the potential impacts of the pandemic on SDGs for Nepal. We followed a knowledge co-creation process with experts from various professional backgrounds, involving five steps: online survey, online workshop, assessment of expert's opinions, review and validation, and revision and synthesis. The pandemic has negatively impacted most SDGs in the short term. Particularly, the targets of SDG 1, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 13 have and will continue to have weakly to moderately restricting impacts. However, a few targets of SDG 2, 3, 6, and 11 could also have weakly promoting impacts. The negative impacts have resulted from impeding factors linked to the pandemic. Many of the negative impacts may subside in the medium and long terms. The key five impeding factors are lockdowns, underemployment and unemployment, closure of institutions and facilities, diluted focus and funds for non-COVID-19-related issues, and anticipated reduction in support from development partners. The pandemic has also opened a window of opportunity for sustainable transformation, which is short-lived and narrow. These opportunities are lessons learned for planning and action, socio-economic recovery plan, use of information and communication technologies and the digital economy, reverse migration and “brain gain,” and local governments' exercising authorities