Enhancing productivity, economics and energy efficiency through precision nitrogen and water management in conservation agriculture-based maize (Zea mays) in the Indo-Gangetic Plains

Present study focuses on improving maize productivity, economics, and energy efficiency in the Indo-Gangetic Plains through the integration of CA, precision nitrogen and water management. Maize grain yield significantly differed among treatments, with CA outperforming CT by 13.3%, recording the highest yield with optimal N application (N3) and irrigation at 25% DASM. The CA incurred 23.7% lower cultivation costs (₹30,421/ha) compared to CT. Gross returns and net returns were higher under CA (₹1,16,007/ha and ₹85,586/ha) with a net benefit ratio of 2.78, showcasing its economic viability. Energy efficiency was a crucial aspect considered, with CA proving to be 33.1% more energy-efficient than CT. In different irrigation regimes, CA with W2 treatment exhibited superior energy parameters. The study also highlighted the significance of optimal N scheduling (N3) in achieving higher economic returns (₹97,927/ha) compared to conventional N splits (N1) and its integration. The most effective integration involved combining CA with precision N management (75% basal, GreenSeekerTM-guided top dressing) and irrigation at 25% DASM, resulting in higher grain yield (7.21 t/ ha), gross returns (₹132,497/ha), and impressive energy output (230,831 MJ/ha). In conclusion, CA, especially when combined with optimal irrigation and nitrogen management, not only enhances maize yield and economic returns but also proves to be more energy-efficient, promoting sustainable and resource-efficient agricultural practices. The study recommends this integrated approach for enhancing maize productivity, energy efficiency and economic returns

Luminomagnetic bifunctionality of Mn2+-bonded graphene oxide/reduced graphene oxide two dimensional nanosheets

Herein, we report the luminomagnetic bifunctional properties of two-dimensional (2D) Mn2+ bonded graphene oxide (GO)/reduced graphene oxide (RGO) nanosheets synthesized using a facile route of oxidation followed by a solvothermal reduction method. Photoluminescence (PL) studies (excited by different wavelengths) revealed that the resonant energy transfer between Mn2+ and sp(3)/sp(2) clusters of GO/RGO is responsible for the enhancement of emissions. Moreover, pH-sensitive PL behaviors have also been investigated in detail. The ferromagnetic behavior is believed to arise due to defects in Mn2+ bonded GO composites. Thus, present reduction method provides a direct route to tune and enhance the optical properties of GO and RGO nanosheets bonded with Mn2+ ions, which creates an opportunity for various technological applications

Role of B-scan in Blunt Ocular Trauma: A Cross-sectional Study

Introduction: Ocular trauma is a significant cause of unilateral vision loss, especially in developing countries. Proper assessment of ocular damage and prompt treatment initiation after the injury have a crucial impact on the final outcome. B-scan Ultrasonography (USG) plays an important role in detecting findings that may not be evident during clinical examination. Aim: To assess the role of B-scan in blunt ocular trauma and to determine if B-scan provides any additional advantages over clinical examination. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from May 1, 2021 to April 30, 2022, at Hind Institute of Medical Sciences, Sitapur, Uttar Pradesh, India. Fifty consecutive patients with blunt ocular trauma, presenting with hazy or opaque ocular media or unexplained visual loss during clinical examination, were evaluated in the casualty and ophthalmology Out Patient Department (OPD). The frequency of lesions such as traumatic cataract, vitreous degeneration, and retinal detachment was assessed clinically and using B-scan USG. Anterior and posterior segment manifestations of blunt trauma, including traumatic cataract, vitreous haemorrhage, and retinal detachment, were evaluated clinically and with B-scan imaging. Statistical analysis was performed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22.0, including frequency counts, percentage calculations, and Kappa’s statistical analysis to correlate B-scan USG and clinical findings. Results: Majority of patients (28%) were in the age group of 21-30 years. Workplace-related injuries, particularly agricultural injuries, were the most common cause of blunt ocular trauma (30%). Traumatic cataract (44%), vitreous degeneration (8%), vitreous haemorrhage (6%), and retinal detachment (4%) were the common clinical posterior segment findings. On B-scan USG, the most frequent findings were retinal detachment (30%) and vitreous haemorrhage (28%). Choroidal detachment was noted in 2% of cases. B-scan USG was more helpful in accurately diagnosing vitreous lesions and retinal lesions (52%, 30%) compared to clinical examination (16%, 6%). Conclusion: B-scan USG emerged as a superior diagnostic tool for identifying posterior segment lesions, including vitreous, retinal, and choroidal lesions. Lesions such as retinal detachment and vitreous haemorrhage were more easily identified using USG, especially in the presence of hazy or opaque media. Therefore, B-scan USG should be considered an integral part of all ophthalmic set-ups dealing with trauma to avoid missing significant posterior segment pathologies

Optic nerve sheath diameter in glaucoma patients and its correlation with intraocular pressure

Aim: To compare Optic Nerve Sheath Diameter (ONSD) in Primary Open Angle Glaucoma (POAG), Primary Angle Closure Glaucoma (PACG) and Normal Tension Glaucoma (NTG).Material and method: Patients with POAG (n=38), PACG (n=32), NTG (n=18) and Controls (n=48) underwent B-scan ultrasound and Computed Tomography Scan (CT scan) measurement of ONSD. Intraocular pressure (IOP) was measured in all groups and was correlated with ONSD.RESULT: ONSD was significantly (p=<0.001) increased in NTG patients (mean=5.0mm ±0.48SD) compared with POAG (mean=4.20mm±0.32), PACG (mean=4.33mm±0.27) and control (mean=4.21mm±0.31). ONSD showed correlation with IOP in PACG group (r=0.392, p=0.02) while it did not in other groups.Conclusion: ONSD in a group of NTG patients were significantly increased compared with POAG, PACG and controls indicating the role of translaminar cribriform pressure gradient in NTG patients.Indirect measurement of  intracranial pressure (ICP) by assessment of ONSD may provide further insight into retrolaminar pressure component and pathophysiology of glaucoma

Advanced Hierarchical Topic Labeling for Short Text

Hierarchical Topic Modeling is the probabilistic approach for discovering latent topics distributed hierarchically among the documents. The distributed topics are represented with the respective topic terms. An unambiguous conclusion from the topic term distribution is a challenge for readers. The hierarchical topic labeling eases the challenge by facilitating an individual, appropriate label for each topic at every level. In this work, we propose a BERT-embedding inspired methodology for labeling hierarchical topics in short text corpora. The short texts have gained significant popularity on multiple platforms in diverse domains. The limited information available in the short text makes it difficult to deal with. In our work, we have used three diverse short text datasets that include both structured and unstructured instances. Such diversity ensures the broad application scope of this work. Considering the relevancy factor of the labels, the proposed methodology has been compared against both automatic and human annotators. Our proposed methodology outperformed the benchmark with an average score of 0.4185, 49.50, and 49.16 for cosine similarity, exact match, and partial match, respectively