Iodine adsorption characteristics of activated carbon obtained from Spinacia Oleracea (spinach) leaves

Spinach leaves powder was modified by activation with conc. H2SO4 and was characterized by using FTIR, optical microscopy, XRD analysis and methylene blue adsorption method. The maximum specific surface area measured by the Methylene blue adsorption method was 499 m2/g. The adsorption of iodine was investigated by varying parameters as pH, adsorbent dose, contact time and I2 concentration. The adsorption process was fitted to the Langmuir model controlled by pseudo - second –  order kinetics with a constant rate value of 0.00305 g/(mg·min). The maximum adsorption was at pH 10. The maximum adsorption capacity was 909.091 mg/g. The ∆G value was -25 kJ/mole, which confirmed the physico - chemcal adsorption process

Responses of Soybean to Water Stress and Supplemental Irrigation in Upper Indo-Gangetic Plain: Field Experiment and Modeling Approach

Understanding better the impacts of extreme dry spell regimes is essential for optimizing water management under a changing and variable climate. Using field experiments and modeling studies, we examined the impacts of dry spells in soybean and identified better management of water resources under varying water-scarce conditions. Field experimental data from soybean (PUSA-2614) experiments (July-Oct 2014; IARI, New Delhi, India) were used to calibrate and validate InfoCrop-Soybean model. This model was used to simulate optimal timing of irrigation under different dry spell scenarios. Results showed that plants subjected to water stress during flowering and vegetative growth stages had significantly lower yields and total dry matter (TDM). Supplemental irrigation significantly increased TDM and yields. InfoCrop-Soybean could simulate plant responses to water stress, at various stages of crop growth, and to supplemental irrigation, with acceptable accuracy. The crop model was further used to simulate impacts of dry spells at different intensities and durations on soybean growth and yields by creating drought scenarios for the New Delhi region using 36 years of weather data (1978–2014). Simulations showed that a 20% reduction in rainfall during any fortnight (every 15th day) of the cropping season does not affect crop yield significantly. However, dry spells (50% reduction in rainfall or more) in August and early September led to reduced yields, while supplemental irrigation during those dry spells could reduce yield losses. We envisage that the results of this study can help better manage water in soybean cultivation under dryland condition

Impacts of climate change on rice production and strategies for adaptation in Chitwan, Nepal

This study was conducted to understand perception of farmers about climate change; how it affects rice production and what are the local adaptation strategies adopted by farmers to maintain rice yield in Chitwan district of Nepal. A total of 90 rainy season rice farming household were surveyed with semi-structured interview schedule. The data obtained were analyzed using SPSS and MS Excel. Majority of the respondents (91.20%) perceived deviation in weather parameters in last 10 years. Most of the farmers had perceived drought as the major impact of climate change and nursery stage of rice to be highly prone to climate impact. Higher proportion of farmers had experienced delay in transplanting and harvesting time of paddy in last 10 years. Many farmers had already replaced local varieties by either improved or hybrid rice variety resilient to climate change. Increased insects infestation and weed menace along with outbreak of new types were found to be major production problem perceived by farmers at study area. Most of the respondents (50%) were expecting technical supports followed by infrastructure development (20.6%) from different organizations. Climate resilient projects and programs designed in bottom up approach to enhance understanding of impacts of climate change will help farmers to cope climate risk on rice production

Cracking of enigma of Evans: a rare association with Sjogren and systemic lupus erythematosus

Evans syndrome (ES) is characterized by the simultaneous or consecutive occurrence of warm autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) along with immune thrombocytopenia (ITP), and less commonly, autoimmune neutropenia. It may manifest spontaneously or as a result of autoimmune, malignancy or lymphoproliferative disease. Clinical manifestations may be associated with hemolysis and thrombocytopenia, potentially leading to life-threatening outcomes. ES is a rare diagnosis of exclusion. Due to its infrequency, the treatment is typically empirical, relying largely on intravenous corticosteroids or immunoglobulins. We are presenting case of a 46-year-old- female with bleeding from the mouth and gums and rashes all over the body with no prior diagnosis of rheumatological disorder. This case is pivotal as it highlights a key factor contributing to ES and presents a pragmatic method for addressing the condition

Foliar Micronutrient Application for High-Yield Maize

Nebraska soils are generally micronutrient sufficient. However, critical levels for current yields have not been validated. From 2013 to 2015, 26 on-farm paired comparison strip-trials were conducted across Nebraska to test the effect of foliar-applied micronutrients on maize (Zea mays L.) yield and foliar nutrient concentrations. Treatments were applied from V6 to V14 at sites with 10.9 to 16.4 Mg ha−1 yield. Soils ranged from silty clays to fine sands. Soil micronutrient availability and tissue concentrations were all above critical levels for deficiency. Significant grain yield increases were few. Micronutrient concentrations for leaf growth that occurred after foliar applications were increased 4 to 9 mg Zn kg−1 at 5 of 17 sites with application of 87 to 119 g Zn ha−1, 12 to 16 mg kg−1 Mn at 2 of 17 sites with application of 87 to 89 g Mn ha−1, and an average of 8.1 mg kg−1 Fe across 10 sites showing signs of Fe deficiency with application of 123 g foliar Fe ha-1. Foliar B concentration was not affected by B application. Increases in nutrient concentrations were not related to grain yield responses except for Mn (r = 0.54). The mean, significant grain yield response to 123 g foliar Fe ha−1 was 0.4 Mg ha−1 for the 10 sites with Fe deficiency symptoms. On average, maize yield response to foliar Fe application can be profitable if Fe deficiency symptoms are observed. Response to other foliar micronutrient applications is not likely to be profitable without solid evidence of a nutrient deficiency

Impact of farmer producer organization on organic chilli production in Telangana, India

33-43Input intensive modern agriculture is adversely affecting human health and environment. Farmers of Telangana state have taken up organic chilli production with the assistance of FPOs. Primary data was collected from 120 farmers comprising 60 members and 60 non-members of FPO from two districts of Telangana through semi-structured interviews. The study found that the shift to organic chilli cultivation led to decrease in input use by 9.06% and yield by 23.4%. However, the gross return from organic chilli farming was 13.85% higher over that realised by non-members due to the efforts of FPOs. DEA analysis revealed that a higher proportion of member farmers (48%) had technical efficiency of more than 60% as compared to non-members (18%). FPOs were instrumental in reduction of transaction cost and number of intermediaries leading to the realization of a higher proportion of producer’s share in consumer’s rupee (65%). Discriminant function analysis revealed that the FPO promoting institutions (44%), ease of doing business (16%) and infrastructure facilities like storage, irrigation, electricity and credit have high influence on performance of the states with respect to FPOs

Performance criteria for verbal autopsy-based systems to estimate national causes of death: development and application to the Indian Million Death Study.

BACKGROUND: Verbal autopsy (VA) has been proposed to determine the cause of death (COD) distributions in settings where most deaths occur without medical attention or certification. We develop performance criteria for VA-based COD systems and apply these to the Registrar General of India's ongoing, nationally-representative Indian Million Death Study (MDS). METHODS: Performance criteria include a low ill-defined proportion of deaths before old age; reproducibility, including consistency of COD distributions with independent resampling; differences in COD distribution of hospital, home, urban or rural deaths; age-, sex- and time-specific plausibility of specific diseases; stability and repeatability of dual physician coding; and the ability of the mortality classification system to capture a wide range of conditions. RESULTS: The introduction of the MDS in India reduced the proportion of ill-defined deaths before age 70 years from 13% to 4%. The cause-specific mortality fractions (CSMFs) at ages 5 to 69 years for independently resampled deaths and the MDS were very similar across 19 disease categories. By contrast, CSMFs at these ages differed between hospital and home deaths and between urban and rural deaths. Thus, reliance mostly on urban or hospital data can distort national estimates of CODs. Age-, sex- and time-specific patterns for various diseases were plausible. Initial physician agreement on COD occurred about two-thirds of the time. The MDS COD classification system was able to capture more eligible records than alternative classification systems. By these metrics, the Indian MDS performs well for deaths prior to age 70 years. The key implication for low- and middle-income countries where medical certification of death remains uncommon is to implement COD surveys that randomly sample all deaths, use simple but high-quality field work with built-in resampling, and use electronic rather than paper systems to expedite field work and coding. CONCLUSIONS: Simple criteria can evaluate the performance of VA-based COD systems. Despite the misclassification of VA, the MDS demonstrates that national surveys of CODs using VA are an order of magnitude better than the limited COD data previously available

Impact of farmer producer organization on organic chilli production in Telangana, India

Input intensive modern agriculture is adversely affecting human health and environment. Farmers of Telangana state have taken up organic chilli production with the assistance of FPOs. Primary data was collected from 120 farmers comprising 60 members and 60 non-members of FPO from two districts of Telangana through semi-structured interviews. The study found that the shift to organic chilli cultivation led to decrease in input use by 9.06% and yield by 23.4%. However, the gross return from organic chilli farming was 13.85% higher over that realised by non-members due to the efforts of FPOs. DEA analysis revealed that a higher proportion of member farmers (48%) had technical efficiency of more than 60% as compared to non-members (18%). FPOs were instrumental in reduction of transaction cost and number of intermediaries leading to the realization of a higher proportion of producer’s share in consumer’s rupee (65%). Discriminant function analysis revealed that the FPO promoting institutions (44%), ease of doing business (16%) and infrastructure facilities like storage, irrigation, electricity and credit have high influence on performance of the states with respect to FPOs

Targeting Apoptotic Pathway of Cancer Cells with Phytochemicals and Plant-Based Nanomaterials

Apoptosis is the elimination of functionally non-essential, neoplastic, and infected cells via the mitochondrial pathway or death receptor pathway. The process of apoptosis is highly regulated through membrane channels and apoptogenic proteins. Apoptosis maintains cellular balance within the human body through cell cycle progression. Loss of apoptosis control prolongs cancer cell survival and allows the accumulation of mutations that can promote angiogenesis, promote cell proliferation, disrupt differentiation, and increase invasiveness during tumor progression. The apoptotic pathway has been extensively studied as a potential drug target in cancer treatment. However, the off-target activities of drugs and negative implications have been a matter of concern over the years. Phytochemicals (PCs) have been studied for their efficacy in various cancer cell lines individually and synergistically. The development of nanoparticles (NPs) through green synthesis has added a new dimension to the advancement of plant-based nanomaterials for effective cancer treatment. This review provides a detailed insight into the fundamental molecular pathways of programmed cell death and highlights the role of PCs along with the existing drugs and plant-based NPs in treating cancer by targeting its programmed cell death (PCD) network

Age-specifi c and sex-specifi c adult mortality risk in India in 2014: analysis of 0·27 million nationally surveyed deaths and demographic estimates from 597 districts

Background As child mortality decreases rapidly worldwide, premature adult mortality is becoming an increasingly important contributor to global mortality. Any possible worldwide reduction of premature adult mortality before the age of 70 years will depend on progress in India. Indian districts increasingly have responsibility for implementing public health programmes. We aimed to assess age-specifi c and sex-specifi c adult mortality risks in India at the district level. Methods We analysed data from fi ve national surveys of 0∙27 million adult deaths at an age of 15–69 years together with 2014 demographic data to estimate age-specifi c and sex-specifi c adult mortality risks for 597 districts. Cause of death data were drawn from the verbal autopsies in the Registrar General of India’s ongoing Million Death Study. Findings In 2014, about two-fi fths of India’s men aged 15–69 years lived in the 253 districts where the conditional probability of a man dying at these ages exceeded 50%, and more than a third of India’s women aged 15–69 years lived in the 222 districts where the conditional probability of a woman dying exceeded 40%. The probabilities of a man or woman dying by the age of 70 years in high-mortality districts was 62% and 54%, respectively, whereas the probability of a man or woman dying by the age of 70 years in low-mortality districts was 40% and 30%, respectively. The roughly 10-year survival gap between high-mortality and low-mortality districts was nearly as extreme as the survival gap between the entire Indian population and people living in high-income countries. Adult mortality risks at ages 15–69 years was highest in east India and lowest in west India, by contrast with the north–south divide for child mortality. Vascular disease, tuberculosis, malaria and other infections, and respiratory diseases accounted for about 60% of the absolute gap in adult mortality risk at ages 15–69 years between high-mortality and low-mortality districts. Most of the variation in adult mortality could not be explained by known determinants or risk factors for premature mortality. Interpretation India’s large variation in adult mortality by district, notably the higher death rates in eastern India, requires further aetiological research, particularly to explore whether high levels of adult mortality risks from infections and non-communicable diseases are a result of historical childhood malnutrition and infection. Such research can be complemented by an expanded coverage of known eff ective interventions to reduce adult mortality, especially in high-mortality district