5,867 research outputs found

    Water productivity of irrigted agriculture in India: potential areas for improvement

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    Water productivityIrrigated farmingWater use efficiencyWheatCottonRiver basinsWater conservation

    Metabolic effects of pamidronate in patients with metastatic bone disease

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    We have evaluated the value of specific bone resorption markers in monitoring metastatic bone disease to define the duration of action of a single high-dose pamidronate infusion. Twenty patients received a single infusion of pamidronate 120 mg for painful bone metastases. Ten out of these 20 patients also received a second infusion. They were evaluated at baseline, 2, 4 and 8 weeks after each infusion. A composite pain questionnaire, serum and urine tests were carried out at these time points. Bone resorption markers measured included urinary calcium, hydroxyproline and two new markers: pyridinoline and deoxypyridinoline. Reference values were defined by 20 healthy controls matched by age and sex. Pamidronate induced a profound fall in bone resorption with a maximal effect within the first month after therapy. Changes in urinary calcium levels were confounded by a rise of 100% in the parathyroid hormone levels. Before treatment, pyridinoline and deoxypyridinoline were increased in 70% of patients, while urinary calcium was increased in only 40% of them. Thirteen patients had a > or = 50% fall in deoxypyridinoline levels and were considered as biochemical responders. These patients had a mean reduction in pain score of about 30% of baseline levels, which was significantly higher than the seven non-biochemical responders. In conclusion, urinary calcium is not a precise marker of bone resorption. Deoxypyridinoline seems to be the most specific bone resorption marker in cancer patients. Biochemical responders have the most benefit from pamidronate in terms of pain relief. This suggests that patients may benefit from more potent or repeated infusions of bisphosphonates

    High-dose intravenous pamidronate for metastatic bone pain.

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    The bisphosphonates are able to relieve pain from metastatic bone disease and, when given intravenously, may promote bone healing of lytic metastases. In this study, the aim was to assess the acute effects of a single 'high-dose' intravenous treatment with pamidronate on pain, mobility, analgesic consumption and quality of life (QOL). Thirty-four normocalcaemic patients with painful progressing bone metastases (22 from breast, five prostate and seven others) received a single intravenous infusion of 120 mg of pamidronate as palliative therapy. No other systemic therapy or drugs known to influence bone metabolism were administered during the study. Patients' subjective response to treatment was assessed weekly with a pain questionnaire recording a composite of pain intensity, mobility, performance status and analgesic consumption. In addition, patients completed the Rotterdam Symptom Check List (RSCL) for measurement of QOL and a mobility questionnaire. The mean reduction in the pain questionnaire score (recorded on at least two occasions) was 25% [standard error (s.e.) 3%, range 0-75%]. Twenty patients (59%) showed a > or = 20% improvement and were classified as responders. The median duration of symptomatic response was 12 (range 4-24 +) weeks. The responding patients showed a reduction in RSCL score (improvement in QOL) from 35% before treatment to 27% at 6 weeks, but no significant improvement was noted in non-responders. Twenty-one patients were retreated with pamidronate when their symptoms deteriorated again. Eight out of 15 responders showed a second reduction in pain score of > or = 20%, but this was not seen in any of the six non-responders. Five patients have remained well with no additional treatment for their disease other than repeat infusions of pamidronate every 3-6 months. Treatment was well tolerated. Eight (24%) experienced fever after the first treatment only, and four had asymptomatic, biochemical evidence of hypocalcaemia. The acute inhibition of osteoclastic bone resorption induced by a single high-dose treatment with pamidronate can provide useful palliation for patients with bone metastases. Responding patients may be retreated as symptoms dictate to good effect. We are currently running a phase III double-blind trial with high-dose pamidronate for progressive painful metastatic bone disease to exclude any placebo effect and observer bias

    Mitigation of non-CO2 greenhouse gases from Indian agriculture sector

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    The Indian agriculture sector is driven by small and marginal farmers and employs two-thirds of the Indian work force. Agriculture also accounts for around a quarter of the total greenhouse gas emissions, mainly in the form of methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O). Hence, agriculture is an important sector for India's transition to net-zero emissions and for the achievement of the sustainable development goals. So far, very few studies have assessed the future trajectories for CH4 and N2O emissions from the agriculture sector. Moreover, assessment of CH4 and N2O mitigation potential at a subnational (state) level is missing but is important owing to the regional diversity in India. To fill this gap, we focus on methane and nitrous oxide emissions from the agricultural activities using 23 sub-regions in India. We use the GAINS modelling framework which has been widely applied for assessing the mitigation strategies for non-CO2 emissions and multiple air pollutants at regional and global scales. We analyze a current policy and a sustainable agriculture scenario using different combinations of structural interventions and technological control measures to inform the Indian and global climate policy debates. Our results suggest that a combination of sustainable agricultural practices and maximum feasible control measures could reduce the CH4 and N2O emissions by about 6% and 19% by 2030 and 27% and 40% by 2050 when compared to the current policies scenario with limited technological interventions. At a sub-national level, highest mitigation potential is observed in Uttar Pradesh, followed by, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana. The mitigation of agricultural CH4 and N2O also has co-benefits in terms of reduced local pollution, improved health, and livelihood opportunities for the local communities

    Mitigation scenarios for methane and nitrous oxide emissions from Indian agriculture sector

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    India is now the fourth largest emitter of greenhouse gases (GHG) in the world with one of the highest growth-rate of emissions. As a fast-growing major economy, its future emissions trajectory is important for the long-term global goal of restricting the temperature rise to “well below 2 ℃”, compared to pre-industrial levels. In India, emissions from methane (CH4 ) and nitrous oxide (N2O) account for about a quarter of all greenhouse gas emissions. The agriculture sector contributes to over 70% of these non-CO2 emissions through activities like rice cultivation, livestock rearing (enteric fermentation and manure management) and application of nitrogen fertilizers. On the other hand, the agriculture sector employs two-third of Indian work force. Around 86% farmers fall in the marginal and small (less than 2 hectares) land-holding category and collectively own about 45% of the total agricultural area and around 80% of total cattle. Considering the socio-economic context, reducing emissions from Indian agricultural sector would be a challenge. The subsistence farming, fragmented production and political economy constraints make it difficult to implement the technological and structural interventions to mitigate the non-CO2 emissions. If India is to achieve net-zero GHG emissions in the latter half of the century, mitigation strategies for the agriculture sector need to balance the climate and sustainable development goals. In this research, we focus on methane and nitrous oxide emissions from the Indian agricultural activities. Our analysis uses the GAINS model which has been widely applied for assessing the mitigation strategies for non-CO2 emissions and multiple air pollutants at regional and global scales. We analyse four mitigation scenarios using different combinations of activities and control measures. For the reference and sustainable policy scenarios, we compare the current policies (often lacking any controls) versus maximum feasible reductions through technological and management control measures to inform the Indian and global climate policy debates. The preliminary results suggest that a combination of sustainable agricultural practices and control measures could reduce the CH4 and N2O emissions by about 30% by 2050 as compared to the reference scenario. This would also contribute to the reduction of ammonia emissions with considerable co-benefits for local air quality and health

    Integrated assessment of resource-energy-environment nexus in China's iron and steel industry

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    MESSAGEix model are widely used for forecasting long-term energy consumption and emissions, as well as modelling the possible GHGs mitigations. However, because of the complexity of manufacturing sectors, the MESSAGEix model aggregate detailed technology options and thereby miss linkages across sub-sectors, which leads to energy saving potentials are often not very realistic and cannot be used to design specific policies. Here, we integrate Material/Energy/water Flow Analysis (MEWFA) and nexus approach into the MESSAGEix to estimate resource-energy-environment nexus in China's iron and steel industry. Results show that between 2010 and 2050 energy efficiency measures and route shifting of China's steel industry will decrease raw material input by 14%, energy use by 7%, water consumption by 8%, CO2 emissions by 7%, NOx emissions by 9%, and SO2 emissions by 14%, respectively. However, water withdrawal and PM2.5 emissions will increase by 14% and 20%, respectively. The main reason is that water withdrawal and PM2.5 emissions in the process of BF-BOF are over 4 times lower than the process scrap-EAF. Therefore, policy makers should consider nexus effects when design integrated policy to achieve multiple targets. Finally, future directions on enhancing the representation of manufacturing sectors in IAMs are given

    Understanding The Correlation Of Libs And Acoustic Measurements Of Rocks And Soils Found In The Traverse Of The Perseverance Rover Across The Jezero Crater, Mars

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    The SuperCam instrument of the NASA MARS 2020 Perseverance rover combines a suite of atomic and molecular spectroscopies intended for an extensive description of rocks, soils and minerals in the surroundings of the landing site of the mission – the Jezero crater. The microphone installed on the SuperCam instrument allows the acquisition of acoustic signals resulting from the expansion of laser-induced plasmas towards the atmosphere. Apart from being affected by the propagation characteristics of the Mars atmosphere, the acoustic signal has an additional component related to the properties of the target including surface morphology, hardness, deformation parameters, and elasticity, among others. This information is currently being investigated as a complementary resource for characterization of the ablated material and may well supplement the LIBS data gathered from coincident laser shots. This talk will present SuperCam acoustic data of rocks and minerals found in the traverse of the Perseverance rover and will discuss its correlation with LIBS spectra.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tec

    LIBS and Acoustic Measurements of Rocks and Regolith Found in the Traverse of the Perseverance Rover Across the Jezero Crater, Mars

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    The SuperCam instrument of the NASA MARS 2020 Perseverance rover combines a suite of atomic and molecular spectroscopies intended for an extensive description of rocks, soils and minerals in the surroundings of the landing site of the mission – the Jezero crater. The microphone installed on the SuperCam instrument allows the acquisition of acoustic signals resulting from the expansion of laser-induced plasmas towards the atmosphere. Apart from being affected by the propagation characteristics of the Mars atmosphere, the acoustic signal has an additional component related to the properties of the target including surface morphology, hardness, deformation parameters, and elasticity, among others. This information is currently being investigated as a complementary resource for characterization of the ablated material and may well supplement the LIBS data gathered from coincident laser shots. This talk will present SuperCam acoustic data of rocks and minerals found in the traverse of the Perseverance rover and will discuss its correlation with LIBS spectra.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tec

    Search for a massive invisible particle X0X^0 in B+→e+X0B^{+}\to e^{+}X^{0} and B+→Ό+X0B^{+}\to \mu^{+}X^{0} decays

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    We present a search for a non-Standard-Model invisible particle X0X^0 in the mass range 0.1-1.8 GeV/c20.1\textrm{-}1.8 \,{\rm GeV}/{c^2} in B+→e+X0B^{+}\to e^{+} X^{0} and B+→Ό+X0B^{+}\to \mu^{+} X^{0} decays. The results are obtained from a 711 fb−1711~{\rm fb}^{-1} data sample that corresponds to 772×106BBˉ772 \times 10^{6} B\bar{B} pairs, collected at the ΄(4S)\Upsilon(4S) resonance with the Belle detector at the KEKB e+e−e^+ e^- collider. One BB meson is fully reconstructed in a hadronic mode to determine the momentum of the lepton of the signal decay in the rest frame of the recoiling partner BB meson. We find no evidence of a signal and set upper limits on the order of 10−610^{-6}.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures, 3 table
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