Infant feeding practices in Bhaktapur, Nepal: a cross-sectional, health facility based survey

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Promotion of proper breastfeeding practices for the first six months of life is the most cost-effective intervention for reducing childhood morbidity and mortality. However, the adherence to breastfeeding recommendations in many developing countries is not satisfactory. The aims of the study were to determine breastfeeding and infant feeding patterns at nine months of age and to assess factors influencing exclusive breastfeeding practices.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>In Bhaktapur, Nepal, we carried out a cross-sectional survey of 325 infants who came for measles vaccination at the age of nine months. Mothers were interviewed on details regarding feeding of their child and health since birth.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Three quarters of all mothers reported that they did not receive any information on breastfeeding during the antenatal visit. Two hundred and ninety five (91%) mothers gave colostrum and 185 (57%) initiated breastfeeding within one hour of delivery. The prevalence of exclusively breastfeeding at 1, 3 and 6 months were 240 (74%), 78 (24%) and 29 (9%), and partial feeding was initiated in 49 (15%), 124 (38%) and 257 (79%) babies, respectively. The main reason, according to the mother, for introducing other foods before six months of age was insufficient breast milk. In logistic regression analyses, mother's knowledge on how long child should be given only breast milk and not living in joint families were associated positively with exclusive or predominant breastfeeding for four months or beyond.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Despite the high proportion of mothers who initiated breastfeeding immediately after birth, continuation of exclusive breastfeeding for up to six months was not common. Very few mothers received any information on breastfeeding during the antenatal visit, indicating a need for counseling on exclusive breastfeeding. Possible options for this counseling could be during antenatal visits and at regular clinic visits for vaccination.</p

Quantifying MCPA load pathways at catchment scale using high temporal resolution data

Publication history: Accepted - 21 May 2022; Published online - 24 May 2022.Detection of the agricultural acid herbicide MCPA (2-methyl-4-chlorophenoxyacetic acid) in drinking water source catchments is of growing concern, with economic and environmental implications for water utilities and wider ecosystem services. MCPA is poorly adsorbed to soil and highly mobile in water, but hydrological pathway processes are relatively unknown at the catchment scale and limited by coarse resolution data. This understanding is required to target mitigation measures and to provide a framework to monitor their effectiveness. To address this knowledge gap, this study reports findings from river discharge and synchronous MCPA concentration datasets (continuous 7 hour and with additional hourly sampling during storm events) collected over a 7 month herbicide spraying season. The study was undertaken in a surface (source) water catchment (384 km2—of which 154 km2 is agricultural land use) in the cross-border area of Ireland. Combined into loads, and using two pathway separation techniques, the MCPA data were apportioned into event and baseload components and the former was further separated to quantify a quickflow (QF) and other event pathways. Based on the 7 hourly dataset, 85.2 kg (0.22 kg km 2 by catchment area, or 0.55 kg km 2 by agricultural area) of MCPA was exported from the catchment in 7 months. Of this load, 87.7 % was transported via event flow pathways with 72.0 % transported via surface dominated (QF) pathways. Approximately 12 % of the MCPA load was transported via deep baseflows, indicating a persistence in this delayed pathway, and this was the primary pathway condition monitored in a weekly regulatory sampling programme. However, overall, the data indicated a dominant acute, storm dependent process of incidental MCPA loss during the spraying season. Reducing use and/or implementing extensive surface pathway disconnection measures are the mitigation options with greatest potential, the success of which can only be assessed using high temporal resolution monitoring techniques.This work was carried out as part of Source to Tap (IVA5018), a project supported by the European Union’s INTERREG VA Programme, managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB)

Cholesterol Alters the Dynamics of Release in Protein Independent Cell Models for Exocytosis

Neurons communicate via an essential process called exocytosis. Cholesterol, an abundant lipid in both secretory vesicles and cell plasma membrane can affect this process. In this study, amperometric recordings of vesicular dopamine release from two different artificial cell models created from a giant unilamellar liposome and a bleb cell plasma membrane, show that with higher membrane cholesterol the kinetics for vesicular release are decelerated in a concentration dependent manner. This reduction in exocytotic speed was consistent for two observed modes of exocytosis, full and partial release. Partial release events, which only occurred in the bleb cell model due to the higher tension in the system, exhibited amperometric spikes with three distinct shapes. In addition to the classic transient, some spikes displayed a current ramp or plateau following the maximum peak current. These post spike features represent neurotransmitter release from a dilated pore before constriction and show that enhancing membrane rigidity via cholesterol adds resistance to a dilated pore to re-close. This implies that the cholesterol dependent biophysical properties of the membrane directly affect the exocytosis kinetics and that membrane tension along with membrane rigidity can influence the fusion pore dynamics and stabilization which is central to regulation of neurochemical release

Field scale phosphorus balances and legacy soil pressures in mixed-land use catchments

peer-reviewedReducing legacy soil phosphorus (P) is recognised as an effective measure to mitigate diffuse P losses from agricultural landscapes and alleviate trophic pressure to freshwaters systems. Accounting for the distribution of P within farms is critical in identifying fields of agronomic underperformance and/or environmental risk to water as a consequence of inadequately managed re-cycling of P. There is also a need to understand how P use and legacy soil P evolves under the Nitrates Action Programme (NAP) regulations from the European Union (EU) Nitrates Directive. In an Irish case study the aim was to provide a systematic and detailed audit of P balance and soil P responses and trends in two mixed land use agricultural catchments (Arable A and B) across a four year study period. Driven by increased mineral P inputs the field balances in the Arable A catchment had an average surplus P, ranging from 1.9 to 7.5 kg ha−1 yr−1. However, between the study period 2010 to 2013, the average soil test P (STP) levels declined, with the area of excessive soil P concentrations decreasing by 8%. Similarly, in the Arable B catchment the average annual P inputs increased the surplus field P from -0.42 to 25.5 kg ha−1 yr−1, but the area of excessive soil P concentrations increased by 4%. In part, this increase is attributed to some fields receiving excess applications of organic nutrient forms above crop requirements. Whilst, the legacy soil P declined in the Arable A catchment indicating a response to NAP, for both catchments it is evident that the distribution of P sources within farms was poor and P inputs often did not match crop and soil P requirements at the field scale. This study highlights the need for improved support to knowledge transfer mechanisms that can deliver better farm and soil specific nutrient management planning strategies. Without this consideration, achieving the dual benefits of improvement to water quality and increased crop output from agricultural landscapes will be restricted.Department of Agricultural, Food and the Marine in Irelan

Phthaloylchitosan-Based Gel Polymer Electrolytes for Efficient Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

Phthaloylchitosan-based gel polymer electrolytes were prepared with tetrapropylammonium iodide, Pr 4 NI, as the salt and optimized for conductivity. The electrolyte with the composition of 15.7 wt.% phthaloylchitosan, 31.7 wt.% ethylene carbonate (EC), 3.17wt.% propylene carbonate (PC), 19.0 wt.% of Pr 4 NI, and 1.9wt.% iodine exhibits the highest room temperature ionic conductivity of 5.27 x 10 -3 S cm -1. The dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) fabricated with this electrolyte exhibits an efficiency of 3.5% with.. SC of 7.38mAcm -2,.. OC of 0.72V, and fill factor of 0.66. When various amounts of lithium iodide (LiI) were added to the optimized gel electrolyte, the overall conductivity is observed to decrease. However, the efficiency of the DSSC increases to a maximum value of 3.71% when salt ratio of Pr 4 NI : LiI is 2 : 1. This cell has.. SC,.. OC and fill factor of 7.25mAcm -2, 0.77V and 0.67, respectively

The Beast from the East: impact of an atypical cold weather event on hydrology and nutrient dynamics in two Irish catchments

peer-reviewedA historic lack of continuous stream nutrient monitoring at the catchment scale limits understanding of the effects of snowstorms. The most significant snowstorm since 1985, nicknamed “the Beast from the East”, occurred in February–March 2018. High-frequency stream outlet monitoring in two close but hydrologically and agriculturally contrasting catchments (<1,200 ha) captured phosphorus (total and reactive), total oxygenated nitrogen (TON), temperature and discharge dynamics during and after the event. The grassland catchment consists of poorly drained gley soils and exhibits overland flow pathways, while the arable catchment consists of well-drained brown earths and is dominated by subsurface pathways. Nitrate (NO3-N) concentrations were initially elevated (3.50 and 7.89 mg/L for poorly drained grassland and well-drained arable catchments, respectively) before becoming diluted by meltwater. Total reactive phosphorus (TRP) displayed a distal (anti-clockwise) concentration-discharge hysteresis in the poorly drained grassland catchment suggesting low mobilisation from the soil. Conversely, the well-drained arable catchment displayed proximal (clockwise) hysteresis, indicative of the mobilisation from stream and bank sediment. These relatively infrequent snow events behave similarly to heavy rainfall as regards nutrient losses, albeit subject to a time-lag induced by the speed of snowmelt and the soil moisture deficit (SMD) prior to snowfall. Antecedent land management is crucial to mitigate risk. The current absence of records and analyses of catchment response, particularly nutrient dynamics, to atypical cold weather events in Ireland limits understanding of their effects on water quality. The present study provides the first such baseline information from which land management strategies and the implications for attaining environmental targets can be explored

Predicting microbial water quality with models: Over-arching questions for managing risk in agricultural catchments

The application of models to predict concentrations of faecal indicator organisms (FIOs) in environmental systems plays an important role for guiding decision-making associated with the management of microbial water quality. In recent years there has been an increasing demand by policy-makers for models to help inform FIO dynamics in order to prioritise efforts for environmental and human-health protection. However, given the limited evidence-base on which FIO models are built relative to other agricultural pollutants (e.g. nutrients) it is imperative that the end-user expectations of FIO models are appropriately managed. In response, this commentary highlights four over-arching questions associated with: (i) model purpose; (ii) modelling approach; (iii) data availability; and (iv) model application, that must be considered as part of good practice prior to the deployment of any modelling approach to predict FIO behaviour in catchment systems. A series of short and longer-term research priorities are proposed in response to these questions in order to promote better model deployment in the field of catchment microbial dynamics