Study of adaptability and efficacy of menstrual cup in managing menstrual health and hygiene

Background: Menstrual cups have been available for decades, but their use is limited by bulky design and the need for multiple sizes. However, some benefits have been reported like improvement in managing health and hygiene during menstruation, better information on the average menstrual fluid discharged by women during menstruation and attainment of more knowledge bridging the lacuna in knowledge about the adaptability and efficacy of menstrual cup as a better alternative to conventional options. The study is aimed towards assessing the adaptability and the effectiveness of menstrual cup by naïve users who have been using sanitary pads/tampons/cloth as conventional menstrual sanitary protection.Methods: The study was conducted at conducted Gujarat Medical Education and Research Society, Medical College and Hospital, Dharpur, Patan, Gujarat, India. Total 158 participants aged between ages of 20 to 50 years with regular menstrual cycle were enrolled in the study. Participants were provided menstrual cups to be used for three consecutive menstrual cycles. They were given detailed explanation/information about its usage. Feedback was obtained after every cycle for three cycles using a structured questionnaire.Results: The cup was preferred for comfort, dryness, and less odor. Insertion was easy for 80% participants and 90% participants found removal easy. Problem of leakage was encountered in 3-6%. There were few side effects like rashes, dryness or infection.Conclusions: These results demonstrate that this reusable vaginal device has no significant health risks and is acceptable to many women without the need for fitting or other medical services

Placental laterality and uterine artery resistance as predictor of preeclampsia: a prospective study at GMERS Medical College, Dharpur-Patan, North Gujarat, India

Background: Placental abnormality is one of the initial events seen in patients who are destined to develop preeclampsia. The objective was to study whether ultrasonically identified; placental laterality and uterine artery resistance can be used as a predictor for development of preeclampsia.Methods:This prospective observational study was conducted at GMERS Medical College, Dharpur-Patan tertiary care teaching institute in North Gujarat from January 2013 to December 2014. A total 400 non high risk primigravida with singleton pregnancy were included, all patients with diabetes, hypertension, renal disease, and history of smoking were excluded. In all these patients, location of placenta was determined by ultrasonography at 18 to 22 weeks of gestation. Patients who had lateral placenta were subjected for colour Doppler study for determining uterine artery resistance index. All 400 patients were followed till delivery for occurrence of preeclampsia as per ACOG guidelines. All data was analyzed and statistical significance was determined by x2 test and value of p<0.05 is considered significant.Results:Out of 400 cases, 80 (20%) cases had laterally located placenta on ultra sound examination done at 18-24 weeks of gestation. Out of the 80 women with laterally located placenta, 28 (35%) developed preeclampsia. This relationship was statistically significant. All 80 patients who had lateral placenta, 26 patients had raised uterine artery resistance and out of those 26 patients, 22 developed preeclampsia and 54 had no change in uterine artery resistance. Out of those 54 only 6 had preeclampsia (p<0. 001). The sensitivity of determining uterine artery resistance as a predictive test was 84.6%, the specificity 88.8 %, positive predictive value 78.5 % and negative predictive value 92.3%.Conclusion: A chance of preeclampsia is more in patients with lateral placenta but its sensitivity and specificity increases significantly when it is combined with uterine artery velocimetric waveform study, and we can predict preeclampsia in patient who is having lateral placenta and raised uterine artery resistance.

Clinical profile and management of ectopic pregnancy in patients with ectopic pregnancy at GMERS medical college and hospital Dharpur-Patan, North Gujarat region, India

Background: Ectopic pregnancy is assuming greater importance because of its increasing incidence and its impact on woman’s fertility. Objective: To study the clinical profile and management of ectopic pregnancies.  Methods: This prospective  study was conducted over one year from 1st January 2013 to 31st December 2013 for risk factors, mode of presentation, status at admission, diagnostic and treatment modalities and management of patients with ectopic pregnancy.Results: Over all mean rate of ectopic pregnancy has been found 11.41/1000 births. Out of total 52 cases 32 (64%) were referred while 20 (36%) were emergency cases. Out of 52 patients, 23 (44.23%) were from urban areas and 29 (55.77%) were from rural areas. Majority of the patients (51.97%) were in 26-30 years age groups. Gravida 3 had highest incidence (30.76%) of ectopic pregnancy. Maximum (50%) ectopic pregnancies were found in women with active married life of 5-10yrs. Out of total 52 cases, 44 (84.62%) were ruptured ectopic pregnancy cases. Ampulla was the most common site for tubal ectopic pregnancy (51.92%). Abdominal pain was the most common presenting symptoms (92.30%) followed by amenorrhoea in 84.61% cases. Majority of patients had history of infertility (42.30%) as a major risk factor. Laparoscopic management was done in 13 (25%) patients out of them lap. salpingectomy was done 9 (17.31% of total) and lap. Salpingostomy was done in 4 (7.69% of total) patients.Conclusion: Although ectopic pregnancy will never be completely prevented, but incidence can be reduced and much of the morbidity and mortalities can be minimised by prevention and efficacious diagnostic and interventional strategies aimed primarily at those women who are at high risk for the condition and taking precaution that woman who likely to become high risk are handled in such a way that the number of these high risk women are reduced.

Economic feasibility of weed management practices in cumin (Cuminum cyminum L.)

Field experiments conducted at Ajmer (Rajasthan), to find out the economic feasibility ofweed management practices in terms of weed control efficiency and performance of cumin(Cuminum cyminum) indicated that weed-free treatments resulted in maximum vegetativegrowth and seed yield (6.03 q ha-1) followed by pre-emergence application of &nbsp; oxadiargyl @75 g ha-1&nbsp;+ hand weeding at 45 days after sowing (DAS). Maximum net returns (Rs. 46,365ha-1) and highest cost : benefit ratio (1:3.48) was also obtained in pre-emergence applicationof &nbsp; oxadiargyl @ 75 g ha-1&nbsp;+ hand weeding at 45 DAS. &nbsp

Genetic variability studies in ajwain (Trachyspermum ammi L.)

In Ajwain (Trachyspermum ammi L.) extent of variability was assessed in eighty four genotypes using augmented design. The analysis of variance indicated presence of considerable amount of variability. Genetic coefficient of variation (GCV) was high for plant height, seed yield plant-1, length of internodes, and number of secondary branches, test weight, number of umbels plant-1 and number of seeds umbel-1. High heritability and genetic advance was found for number of seed umbel-1, number of secondary branches and seed yield plant-1. Hence, in ajwain ample amount of variability exists for the important component traits like number of secondary branches, harvest index, number of seed umbel-1 and number of umbellate umbel-1 thus the scope of improving the crop by selection in the available variability is high. &nbsp

Effect of water stress on seed quality of coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.)

Twelve coriander (Coriandrum sativum) accessions comprising of released varieties, advancedbreeding material, regional and exotic collections were evaluated at Ajmer (Rajasthan) foreffect of water stress on seed quality parameters including total oil, essential oil, test weightand seed size. All the recorded parameters showed significant genotypic variation as well assignificant interaction of genotype with environment. Mid-term water stress did not haveadverse effect on the studied quality parameters while terminal water stress resulted inreduction in quality parameters in most of the accessions. &nbsp

Impacts of management practices on bioenergy feedstock yield and economic feasibility on Conservation Reserve Program grasslands

Citation: Anderson, E. K., Aberle, E., Chen, C., Egenolf, J., Harmoney, K., Kakani, V. G., . . . Lee, D. (2016). Impacts of management practices on bioenergy feedstock yield and economic feasibility on Conservation Reserve Program grasslands. GCB Bioenergy. doi:10.1111/gcbb.12328Perennial grass mixtures planted on Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) land are a potential source of dedicated bioenergy feedstock. Long-term nitrogen (N) and harvest management are critical factors for maximizing biomass yield while maintaining the longevity of grass stands. A six-year farm-scale study was conducted to understand the impact of weather variability on biomass yield, determine optimal N fertilization and harvest timing management practices for sustainable biomass production, and estimate economic viability at six CRP sites in the United States. Precipitation during the growing season was a critical factor for annual biomass production across all regions, and annual biomass production was severely reduced when growing season precipitation was below 50% of average. The N rate of 112 kg ha-1 produced the highest biomass yield at each location. Harvest timing resulting in the highest biomass yield was site-specific and was a factor of predominant grass type, seasonal precipitation, and the number of harvests taken per year. The use of N fertilizer for yield enhancement unambiguously increased the cost of biomass regardless of the harvest timing for all six sites. The breakeven price of biomass at the farmgate ranged from $37 to$311 Mg-1 depending on the rate of N application, timing of harvesting, and location when foregone opportunity costs were not considered. Breakeven prices ranged from $69 to$526 Mg-1 when the loss of CRP land rental payments was included as an opportunity cost. Annual cost of the CRP to the federal government could be reduced by over 8% in the states included in this study; however, this would require the biomass price to be much higher than in the case where the landowner receives the CRP land rent. This field research demonstrated the importance of long-term, farm-scale research for accurate estimation of biomass feedstock production and economic viability from perennial grasslands. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd

Use of plant growth regulators for yield improvement in coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.)

Two genotypes of coriander viz., ACr 1 and RCr 41 were sown during rabi season in three consecutive years (2009–10, 2010–11 and 2011–12) and plant growth regulators (PGRs) viz., abscisic acid (ABA), betaine, acetyl salicylic acid (ASA) (1, 3, 5 and 7 μM) and proline (200, 400, 600 and 800 μM) were sprayed at flowering stage. Morphological parameters in terms of fresh: dry weight, shoot: root weight, shoot root length and seed yield was significantly increased by application of proline, betain and ASA from 1 to 7 μM. Effective concentration of PGRs was influenced by climatic conditions during growth period. In genotype ACr 1, yield was maximum (6.29 and 5.92 g plant-1) in the treatments involving betain at 1 and 5 μM while ASA at 3 and 5 μM resulted in seed yield of 4.96 and 4.97 g plant-1, respectively. Maximum seed yield (5.41 and 5.17 g plant-1) of genotype RCr 41 was recorded in the treatment involving proline at 200 and 400 μM, respectively. It is suggested that exogenous application of proline (200-800 μM), betain and ASA (1-5 μM) at flowering stage in both the genotypes will be useful to enhance the yield. &nbsp

Effect of temperature on pollen germination for several Rosaceae species: influence of freezing conservation time on germination patterns

[EN] Between February 2018 and April 2018, flowers were collected from eight Rosaceae species. Flowers were kept in a freezer at -20 degrees C for three freezing times (Treatment 1, two months; Treatment 2, four months; Treatment 3, six months). After extracting pollen, in vitro germination was induced in a culture medium and incubated at six different temperatures for 72 h. The percentage of pollen germination, average pollen tube length and maximum pollen tube length were measured. Pollen germination was maximum for all species between 15 degrees C and 30 degrees C. Cydonia oblonga, Malus sylvestris, Prunus avium, Prunus domestica, Prunus dulcis, Prunus persica and Pyrus communis obtained 30-52% pollen germination between 15 degrees C and 20 degrees C. Prunus cerasifera had 40% pollen germination at 30 degrees C. All species studied reached the maximum pollen tube length between 10 degrees C and 25 degrees C. Germination did not change significantly for any of the species with freezing time, but we found significant differences in the three parameters measured between treatments. The highest germination percentages were obtained in Treatment 2 (four months frozen at -20 degrees C), while the maximum pollen tube length was reached in Treatment 1 (two months frozen at -20 degrees C). According to our results, freezing time affected the germination-temperature patterns. This could indicate that studies on the effect of temperature on pollen germination should always be carried out with fresh pollen to obtain more conclusive data.This work was supported by the Asociacion Club de Variedades Vegetales Protegidas as a part of a project with the Universitat Politecnica de Valencia (UPV 20170673). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.Beltrán, R.; Valls, A.; Cebrián, N.; Zornoza, C.; García-Breijo, F.; Reig Armiñana, J.; Garmendia, A.... (2019). Effect of temperature on pollen germination for several Rosaceae species: influence of freezing conservation time on germination patterns. PeerJ. 7:1-18. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.8195S1187Acar, I., & Kakani, V. G. (2010). The effects of temperature on in vitro pollen germination and pollen tube growth of Pistacia spp. Scientia Horticulturae, 125(4), 569-572. doi:10.1016/j.scienta.2010.04.040Boavida, L. C., & McCormick, S. (2007). TECHNICAL ADVANCE: Temperature as a determinant factor for increased and reproducible in vitro pollen germination in Arabidopsis thaliana. The Plant Journal, 52(3), 570-582. doi:10.1111/j.1365-313x.2007.03248.xBrewbaker, J. L., & Kwack, B. H. (1963). 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Journal of Horticultural Science, 67(2), 247-250. doi:10.1080/00221589.1992.11516244Fan, L.-M. (2001). In vitro Arabidopsis pollen germination and characterization of the inward potassium currents in Arabidopsis pollen grain protoplasts. Journal of Experimental Botany, 52(361), 1603-1614. doi:10.1093/jexbot/52.361.1603Feij�, J. A., Malh�, R., & Obermeyer, G. (1995). Ion dynamics and its possible role during in vitro pollen germination and tube growth. Protoplasma, 187(1-4), 155-167. doi:10.1007/bf01280244Goldwin, G. K., & Webster, A. D. (1983). The cumulative effects of hormone mixtures containing GA3, DPU plus NOXA, NAA or 2,4,5-TP on the cropping and flowering of sweet cherry cultivars,Prunus aviumL. Journal of Horticultural Science, 58(4), 505-516. doi:10.1080/00221589.1983.11515149Hebbar, K. B., Rose, H. M., Nair, A. R., Kannan, S., Niral, V., Arivalagan, M., … Vara Prasad, P. V. (2018). Differences in in vitro pollen germination and pollen tube growth of coconut (Cocos nucifera L.) cultivars in response to high temperature stress. Environmental and Experimental Botany, 153, 35-44. doi:10.1016/j.envexpbot.2018.04.014Hedhly, A., Hormaza, J. I., & Herrero, M. (2004). Effect of temperature on pollen tube kinetics and dynamics in sweet cherry,Prunus avium(Rosaceae). American Journal of Botany, 91(4), 558-564. doi:10.3732/ajb.91.4.558Hedhly, A., Hormaza, J. I., & Herrero, M. (2005). The Effect of Temperature on Pollen Germination, Pollen Tube Growth, and Stigmatic Receptivity in Peach. Plant Biology, 7(5), 476-483. doi:10.1055/s-2005-865850Hegedűs, A., & Halász, J. (2006). Self-incompatibility in plums (Prunus salicina Lindl., Prunus cerasifera Ehrh. and Prunus domestica L.). A minireview. International Journal of Horticultural Science, 12(2). doi:10.31421/ijhs/12/2/646Hegedűs, A., Lénárt, J., & Halász, J. (2012). Sexual incompatibility in Rosaceae fruit tree species: molecular interactions and evolutionary dynamics. Biologia plantarum, 56(2), 201-209. doi:10.1007/s10535-012-0077-3Heide, O. M., & Prestrud, A. K. (2005). Low temperature, but not photoperiod, controls growth cessation and dormancy induction and release in apple and pear. Tree Physiology, 25(1), 109-114. doi:10.1093/treephys/25.1.109Iglesias, A., Garrote, L., Quiroga, S., & Moneo, M. (2011). A regional comparison of the effects of climate change on agricultural crops in Europe. Climatic Change, 112(1), 29-46. doi:10.1007/s10584-011-0338-8KAKANI, V. G., PRASAD, P. V. V., CRAUFURD, P. Q., & WHEELER, T. R. (2002). Response of in vitro pollen germination and pollen tube growth of groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) genotypes to temperature. Plant, Cell & Environment, 25(12), 1651-1661. doi:10.1046/j.1365-3040.2002.00943.xKAKANI, V. G., REDDY, K. R., KOTI, S., WALLACE, T. P., PRASAD, P. V. V., REDDY, V. R., & ZHAO, D. (2005). 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Mesobot : An Autonomous Underwater Vehicle for Tracking and Sampling Midwater Targets

Mesobot, a new class of autonomous underwater vehicle, will address specific unmet needs for observing slow-moving targets in the midwater ocean. Mesobot will track targets such as zooplankton, fish, and descending particle aggregates using a control system based on stereo cameras and a combination of thrusters and a variable buoyancy system. The vehicle will also be able to collect biogeochemical and environmental DNA (eDNA) samples using a pumped filter sampler