Whole genome analysis of a schistosomiasis-transmitting freshwater snail

Biomphalaria snails are instrumental in transmission of the human blood fluke Schistosoma mansoni. With the World Health Organization's goal to eliminate schistosomiasis as a global health problem by 2025, there is now renewed emphasis on snail control. Here, we characterize the genome of Biomphalaria glabrata, a lophotrochozoan protostome, and provide timely and important information on snail biology. We describe aspects of phero-perception, stress responses, immune function and regulation of gene expression that support the persistence of B. glabrata in the field and may define this species as a suitable snail host for S. mansoni. We identify several potential targets for developing novel control measures aimed at reducing snail-mediated transmission of schistosomiasis

The global burden of cancer attributable to risk factors, 2010–19: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

BACKGROUND: Understanding the magnitude of cancer burden attributable to potentially modifiable risk factors is crucial for development of effective prevention and mitigation strategies. We analysed results from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019 to inform cancer control planning efforts globally. METHODS: The GBD 2019 comparative risk assessment framework was used to estimate cancer burden attributable to behavioural, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risk factors. A total of 82 risk–outcome pairs were included on the basis of the World Cancer Research Fund criteria. Estimated cancer deaths and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) in 2019 and change in these measures between 2010 and 2019 are presented. FINDINGS: Globally, in 2019, the risk factors included in this analysis accounted for 4·45 million (95% uncertainty interval 4·01–4·94) deaths and 105 million (95·0–116) DALYs for both sexes combined, representing 44·4% (41·3–48·4) of all cancer deaths and 42·0% (39·1–45·6) of all DALYs. There were 2·88 million (2·60–3·18) risk-attributable cancer deaths in males (50·6% [47·8–54·1] of all male cancer deaths) and 1·58 million (1·36–1·84) risk-attributable cancer deaths in females (36·3% [32·5–41·3] of all female cancer deaths). The leading risk factors at the most detailed level globally for risk-attributable cancer deaths and DALYs in 2019 for both sexes combined were smoking, followed by alcohol use and high BMI. Risk-attributable cancer burden varied by world region and Socio-demographic Index (SDI), with smoking, unsafe sex, and alcohol use being the three leading risk factors for risk-attributable cancer DALYs in low SDI locations in 2019, whereas DALYs in high SDI locations mirrored the top three global risk factor rankings. From 2010 to 2019, global risk-attributable cancer deaths increased by 20·4% (12·6–28·4) and DALYs by 16·8% (8·8–25·0), with the greatest percentage increase in metabolic risks (34·7% [27·9–42·8] and 33·3% [25·8–42·0]). INTERPRETATION: The leading risk factors contributing to global cancer burden in 2019 were behavioural, whereas metabolic risk factors saw the largest increases between 2010 and 2019. Reducing exposure to these modifiable risk factors would decrease cancer mortality and DALY rates worldwide, and policies should be tailored appropriately to local cancer risk factor burden

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Not AvailableWith the increasing popularity of open source software, the changes in source code are inevitable. These changes in code are due to feature enhancement, new feature introduction and bug repair or fixed. It is important to note that these changes can be quantified by using entropy based measures. The pattern of bug fixing scenario with complexity of code change is responsible for the next release as these changes will cover the number of requirements and fixes. In this paper, we are proposing a method to predict the next release problem based on the complexity of code change and bugs fixed. We applied multiple linear regression to predict the time of the next release of the product and measured the performance using different residual statistics, goodness of fit curve and R2. We observed from the results of multiple linear regression that the predicted value of release time is fitting well with the observed value of number of months for the next release.Not Availabl

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Not AvailableVertisols occur extensively in central India and have high production potentials. Because of the high clay content (40-60% or more), high bulk density (1.5-1.8 Mg m-3) and related properties, these soils have high moisture storage capacity. Conversely, these soils become very hard when dry and very sticky when wet. Since last two decades, scientists, farmers and also the policy makers have been striving to manage these soils through harnessing the beneficial attributes as well as overcoming the production constraints. Some of the potential options are efficient surface land configuration and crop diversification. Field experiments were conducted at the Research Farm at Bhopal to evaluate the land surface configuration and crop diversification. Results of our experiment on vertisols showed a considerable reduction in run off of water and also soil loss from broadbed and furrow (BBF) compared to flat-on-grade (FOG) during rainy season and at the same time crop productivity was significantly improved in BBF. It enhanced yield of soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.), maize (Zea mays L.), pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp.) as sole and as well as intercropping and sole chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) by about 12.7-20.0% over FOG. The yield of crops (soybean, maize and pigeonpea), expressed as soybean equivalent yield, was compared and it showed an improvement in yield from different intercropping systems on BBF. The residual effect of rainy season crops on succeeding chickpea was not significant; however, its yield in two irrigation (one pre-sowing plus one post-sowing) was significantly greater than pre-sowing irrigation only in both land configurations. Water use efficiency (WUE) of chickpea was more under BBF than FOG. The study elucidates the constraints and potentials of vertisol for crop production especially with reference to central India and effective ways to improve crop productivity through land surface modification and crop diversification.Not Availabl