Efficient Refuge policies for Bt cotton in India

This study examined the efficient refuge policies for Bt cotton for three cotton growing regions in India. This was accomplished by developing a single-pest, dual-toxin biological model simulating bollworm resistance to the Bt toxin and synthetic pyrethroids, followed by formulating profit functions for Bt and non-Bt cotton for a representative producer in each region. Profits received in subsequent periods were considered in the regulatory model in order to choose a refuge constraint (static problem) or a sequence of refuge policies (dynamic problem) for each region that maximize discounted profits received over 15 years, subject to various economic and biological constraints. Dynamic solutions for the regulatory problem were derived for each region using the Bellman equation. Results suggested that South Indian farmers do not need to grow a refuge, but farmers in the North and Central regions do. Results also suggested that planting sprayed refugia might be more profitable than planting unsprayed refugia. Sensitivity analysis revealed that the refuge requirements were sensitive to the initial Bt resistance level, relative proportion of CBWs in natural refuges, and proportions of heterozygous and homozygous fitnesses in all of the three regions. Moreover, static refugia were found more profitable as compared to dynamic refugia in the North and Central regions.Food Security and Poverty,

Missed Opportunities: The Vaccine Act of 1813

This Paper simply exposes discontinuities between the theories and the history of the Vaccine Act, suggesting lines of further study. The focus throughout this Paper is on "getting the facts right," i.e., thoroughly recounting the history of the Vaccine Act. Part II of the paper provides some necessary historical background regarding the horrors of smallpox, the breakthrough of vaccination, and the difficulties encountered in implementing vaccination in early 19th century America. In particular, the problem of maintaining a steady supply of vaccine is described. Part III analyzes the very limited role assumed by state and local governments in the opening decades of the 19th century. Part IV deals at length with the legislative history of the 1813 Act itself including historical explanations for the Act and public opposition to Dr. Smith. Part V discusses Congressional efforts between 1816 and 1820 to expand the scope of the Vaccine Act. Part VI details the facts of the Tarboro Tragedy and the analyzes the causes of the ensuing repeal of the Vaccine Act in 1822. Part VII very briefly recounts two later 19th century efforts to revive the idea of a "National Vaccine Institution." Part VIII contains a brief conclusion

Diffuse small bowel thickening in aids patient - a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Diarrhea is common in HIV/AIDS patients, caused by both classic enteric pathogens and different opportunistic agents. <it>Infection with these different pathogens may lead to similar radiological findings, thus causing diagnostic confusion</it>.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>A 30-yr-old female with AIDS presented with chronic diarrhea of 4 months duration. She had diffuse small bowel thickening present on CT scan of her abdomen, with stool examination showing no parasites. She was erroneously diagnosed as abdominal tuberculosis and given antituberculosis drugs with which she showed no improvement. Repeat stool examination later at a specialized laboratory revealed <it>Cryptosporidium parvum </it>infection.</p> <p>The patient was given an extended course of nitazoxanide treatment, as her stool examination was positive for <it>Cryptosporidium parvum </it>even after 2 weeks of drug consumption. Parasite clearance was documented after 10 weeks of treatment. Interestingly, the bowel thickening reversed with parasitological clearance.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p><it>Cryptosporidium parvum </it>may lead to small bowel thickening in AIDS patients. This small bowel thickening may reverse following parasitological clearance.</p

The International Natural Product Sciences Taskforce (INPST) and the power of Twitter networking exemplified through #INPST hashtag analysis

Background: The development of digital technologies and the evolution of open innovation approaches have enabled the creation of diverse virtual organizations and enterprises coordinating their activities primarily online. The open innovation platform titled "International Natural Product Sciences Taskforce" (INPST) was established in 2018, to bring together in collaborative environment individuals and organizations interested in natural product scientific research, and to empower their interactions by using digital communication tools. Methods: In this work, we present a general overview of INPST activities and showcase the specific use of Twitter as a powerful networking tool that was used to host a one-week "2021 INPST Twitter Networking Event" (spanning from 31st May 2021 to 6th June 2021) based on the application of the Twitter hashtag #INPST. Results and Conclusion: The use of this hashtag during the networking event period was analyzed with Symplur Signals (https://www.symplur.com/), revealing a total of 6,036 tweets, shared by 686 users, which generated a total of 65,004,773 impressions (views of the respective tweets). This networking event's achieved high visibility and participation rate showcases a convincing example of how this social media platform can be used as a highly effective tool to host virtual Twitter-based international biomedical research events

Drug Discovery, Diagnostic, and therapeutic trends on Mpox: A patent landscape

As of early 2022, Mpox has resurged and expanded globally, posing a new threat to global health. In close to 110 countries, 87,000 confirmed cases and 112 deaths have been reported as on April 18, 2023. Considering the current pandemic crisis and future developments, it is imperative to understand and characterize the global patent scenario of Mpox. In biological sciences, patents are often promising indicators of technological knowledge production. This patent landscape analysis is the first to provide a solid intellectual foundation for the ongoing development of diagnostic measures, therapeutic drug agents, and vaccines for Mpox. Our search encompassed several patent databases to identify patents related to Mpox, including PatSeer, Google patents, lens.org, Espacenet, and Patentscope. Patenting trends are discussed, and a Whitespace analysis is carried out in this paper, suggesting the knowledge gaps and promising areas for future research on Mpox. This study could serve as an epicentre for provoking ideas and mitigation strategies

Efficient Refuge policies for Bt cotton in India

This study examined the efficient refuge policies for Bt cotton for three cotton growing regions in India. This was accomplished by developing a single-pest, dual-toxin biological model simulating bollworm resistance to the Bt toxin and synthetic pyrethroids, followed by formulating profit functions for Bt and non-Bt cotton for a representative producer in each region. Profits received in subsequent periods were considered in the regulatory model in order to choose a refuge constraint (static problem) or a sequence of refuge policies (dynamic problem) for each region that maximize discounted profits received over 15 years, subject to various economic and biological constraints. Dynamic solutions for the regulatory problem were derived for each region using the Bellman equation. Results suggested that South Indian farmers do not need to grow a refuge, but farmers in the North and Central regions do. Results also suggested that planting sprayed refugia might be more profitable than planting unsprayed refugia. Sensitivity analysis revealed that the refuge requirements were sensitive to the initial Bt resistance level, relative proportion of CBWs in natural refuges, and proportions of heterozygous and homozygous fitnesses in all of the three regions. Moreover, static refugia were found more profitable as compared to dynamic refugia in the North and Central regions

Impact of efficient refuge policies for Bt cotton in India on world cotton trade

India is a major cotton producing country in the world along with the U.S. and China. A change in the supply of and demand for cotton in the Indian market has the potential to have an impact on world cotton trade. This study evaluates the implications of efficient Bt cotton refuge policies in India on world and U.S. cotton markets. It can be hypothesized that increased refuge requirements for Bt cotton varieties in India could decrease the world supply of cotton because of the lower yield potential of non-Bt cotton varieties planted in refuges. A decrease in world cotton supply could potentially raise world cotton prices, ceteris paribus. This study conceptualizes the impact of efficient refuges in India on world cotton markets by using a partial equilibrium model. The hypothesized cotton trade scenario includes India, U.S., China, and rest of the world; where India and the U.S. are assumed to be net cotton-exporting countries and China is assumed to be a net cotton-importing country. The Chinese Tariff Rate Quota (TRQ) and the U.S. marketing loan program are explicitly included in the model. Impacts of increased adoption of Bt cotton varieties and increased domestic demand for textiles in India (because of the higher standard of living of the Indian population in recent years and increased exports of cotton-based textiles associated with the elimination of import quotas under the Multi-Fiber Arrangement (MFA)) are also considered in the model. The conceptual model hypothesizes that an increase in the supply of raw cotton in India due to increased adoption of Bt cotton would shift the excess supply curve upward in the world cotton market, resulting in a decrease in world price and an increase in the quantity traded. An increase in the world supply of cotton does not, however, translate into sustained higher revenues/profits for adopters of Bt cotton as prices for cotton could fall worldwide. As indicated, the rising domestic demand for textiles in India could increase demand for domestic and imported cotton in India, which would result in a decrease in the excess supply in the world market and an increase in price and a decrease in the quantity traded. If Indian cotton farmers comply with efficient refuge requirements, the supply of cotton would be expected to decrease, which would further shift the excess supply curve downward resulting in higher world prices. So, it is conceptualized that the expected impact of refuge compliance would be to alter cotton trade flows and increase world prices of cotton. However, the net change in world price and the trade of cotton is determined by the elasticities of demand and supply for the various countries. A partial equilibrium structural econometric model of Indian fiber markets was developed to measure the impact of change in refuge requirements in India on world price and trade of cotton. The model includes supply, demand and price relations for cotton and man-made fibers along with the proportion of the area under Bt cotton. Acreages under Bt and non-Bt cotton, and yield levels of cotton in three regions in India contribute to cotton production, which builds up total domestic supply after incorporating beginning stocks and imports. The model takes into account inter-fiber competition among cotton, wool and man-made fibers based on their relative prices. Fiber demand is derived by estimating textile consumption and mill demand for cotton and man-made fibers. Cotton ending stocks and cotton trade are also taken into account in order to close the model. Finally, world cotton price (A-Index) enters into the model through cotton trade equations. The estimated model was used to build baseline projections for supply, demand and prices of cotton and man-made fibers in the Indian fiber market. The baseline projections for the world fiber market were developed by linking Indian fiber model with the world fiber model developed and maintained by the Cotton Economics Research Institute (CERI), Texas Tech University. The baseline projections assumed that the area under Bt cotton in India would remain fixed at 2007-08 growing season levels. After developing baseline, two alternative scenarios were evaluated: Scenario 1 assumes that cotton producers comply with efficient refuges; and Scenario2 assumes that cotton producers grow 100% Bt cotton acreage and no refuge. Indian fiber model was shocked under each of the scenarios and the impacts on world cotton markets were observed. The policy effects are measured by comparing the differences between the scenarios and the baseline projections. The results revealed that the world the U.S. prices were higher when efficient refuges are mandatory as compared to the scenario when all the areas are under Bt cotton. The net trade decreased under refuge restrictions as compare to the scenario when 100% of cotton area is under Bt cotton. However, the U.S. cotton exports were projected to decrease whether the farmers in India comply with efficient refuges or they grow all of their cotton area under Bt cotton. Finally, it was concluded that farmers’ compliance with optimal refugia in India could increase world and U.S. cotton prices and decrease the world net trade of cotton. Therefore, the proportion of Bt cotton according to the optimal refugia has the potential to impact world cotton markets because India is a large cotton producing country having 25% of world cotton area

Application of artificial bee colony algorithm for inverse modelling of a solar collector

This paper deals with the inverse analysis of a double-glazed flat-plate solar collector using the artificial bee colony (ABC) optimization algorithm. In domestic water heating, both low and high heat output from the solar collector is undesirable, so the solar collector is required to supply the hot water at a particular temperature only, which in turn requires a given distribution of heat loss factor. With this criterion, the present analysis is aimed at predicting feasible dimensions and configurations of a solar collector satisfying a prescribed distribution of heat loss factor using ABC algorithm. It is observed that many feasible alternatives of unknowns exist which satisfy a prescribed requirement, and using the ABC algorithm, the size of the solar collector can be minimised by 6-32% with reference to the existing records. The effects of changing ambient conditions are also studied. Furthermore, a comparative study of the ABC algorithm against other heuristic algorithms reveals its suitability and efficacy for the present estimation problem