Developing an information sharing framework for public awareness and advocacy for Coronavirus prevention in South Asia

The project analyzed COVID-19 related information in key areas affecting the region and then disseminated information to raise awareness among the 1.8 billion people residing in this region. The goal was to provide information for prepared response to the pandemic. Under the framework, 10 important topics were identified by a team of experts, and audio visuals were created. Content was customized relevant to the South Asian context and then shared and promoted through Facebook. The COVID-19 pandemic has unraveled the toxic wave of populism that has swept across top global economies and shown that to safeguard themselves, countries need to pay attention to the well-being of their neighbors

Comprehensive review of models and methods for inferences in bio-chemical reaction networks

The key processes in biological and chemical systems are described by networks of chemical reactions. From molecular biology to biotechnology applications, computational models of reaction networks are used extensively to elucidate their non-linear dynamics. The model dynamics are crucially dependent on the parameter values which are often estimated from observations. Over the past decade, the interest in parameter and state estimation in models of (bio-) chemical reaction networks (BRNs) grew considerably. The related inference problems are also encountered in many other tasks including model calibration, discrimination, identifiability, and checking, and optimum experiment design, sensitivity analysis, and bifurcation analysis. The aim of this review paper is to examine the developments in literature to understand what BRN models are commonly used, and for what inference tasks and inference methods. The initial collection of about 700 documents concerning estimation problems in BRNs excluding books and textbooks in computational biology and chemistry were screened to select over 270 research papers and 20 graduate research theses. The paper selection was facilitated by text mining scripts to automate the search for relevant keywords and terms. The outcomes are presented in tables revealing the levels of interest in different inference tasks and methods for given models in the literature as well as the research trends are uncovered. Our findings indicate that many combinations of models, tasks and methods are still relatively unexplored, and there are many new research opportunities to explore combinations that have not been considered—perhaps for good reasons. The most common models of BRNs in literature involve differential equations, Markov processes, mass action kinetics, and state space representations whereas the most common tasks are the parameter inference and model identification. The most common methods in literature are Bayesian analysis, Monte Carlo sampling strategies, and model fitting to data using evolutionary algorithms. The new research problems which cannot be directly deduced from the text mining data are also discussed

Epoxy/Resole blends—A study of its degradation kinetics

357-361The degradation kinetics of blends of resole with epoxy resin, having different weight ratios, has been studied by dynamic thermogravimetric analysis in nitrogen atmosphere at a heating rate of 15°C/min. These blends were prepared by physical mixing and were cured with 40% polyamide (based on blend resin and polyamide). The degradation of each sample followed 0.67th order degradation kinetics, which was calculated by Coats and Redfern equation using best-fit analysis. This was further confirmed by linear regression analysis. The validity of data was checked by t-test statistical analysis. From this value of reaction order, activation energy (E) and pre-exponential factor (Z) were calculated. It was found that the activation energy increased while pre-exponential factor decreased as the resole content in the blend decreased from 100 to zero weight percent

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Not Availableproduction, 27 per cent of global consumption and about 33 per cent of the world’s area under pulses. However, compared to cereals like wheat and paddy, the growth rate of area and production of pulses is negligible and there exists wide variability in their yield in different states of country. The study has explored the growth and dynamics of production and consumption of major pulses in different states of India and has made a comparative evaluation of key economic factors affecting their production. Pulses have exhibited a grim picture in their production performance both spatially and temporally. Area substitution coupled with the biased revenue terms of trade has shown preference of cereals and oilseeds over pulses. However, pulses have been found to be preferred over coarse grains. Further, a structural shift in production performance of pulses-producing states not only validates the lack of spatial and temporal stability in their production performance but also throws light on the hidden potential of minor states in pulses production for long-term sustainability of pulse production.Not Availabl

Biointerfacial impedance characterization of reduced graphene oxide supported carboxyl pendant conducting copolymer based electrode

We report, a comprehensive physical and biointerfacial electrochemical characteristics of electrodeposited poly(pyrrole-co-pyrrolepropylic acid) (PPy-PPa) copolymer film on the reduced graphene oxide (RGO) sheets attached over a silane modified indium-tin-oxide coated glass, for biosensing applications. The highly specific cardiac myoglobin protein antibody, Ab-cMb, has been covalently immobilized on the copolymer film through its pendent carboxyl group by carbodiimide coupling reaction. The factor 'n' describing divergence of the system from ideal capacitor characteristics exhibits a low value (n = 0.59) in a constant phase element of the impedance. This low value of 'n' showing a porous rough microstructure of PPy-PPa film on RGO exhibiting a diffusive characteristic that has been replaced by dominant charge transfer characteristic (R-et) with n = 0.78 on biomolecular immobilization and subsequent immunoreaction. The bioelectrode exhibits a linear impedance response to human cardiac cMb marker in the range of 10 ng mL(-1) to 1 mu g mL(-1) in phosphate buffer solution (PBS; pH 7.4) at a low frequency region of <10 Hz with a R-et sensitivity of 70.30 Omega cm(2) per decade

Development and validation of improved HPLC method for the Quantitative determination of Curcuminoids in Herbal Medicament

88-91A simple and precise high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method was developed and validated for simultaneous trace analysis of the content of pharmacologically important active curcuminoids: curcumin (C), demethoxycurcumin (DMC) and bisdemethoxy curcumin (BDMC) in a novel standardized herbal preparation derived from the hexane soluble extract of Curcuma longa, tentatively assigned the generic nomenclature “herbal medicament” (HM). HPLC separation of active constituents was achieved on a Chromolith (100 x 4.6 mm, 2 μm, Merck) column using water-acetonitrile-acetic acid (60:40:1, v/v/v) as mobile phase, with UV detection at 425 nm. The method was validated for linearity, limit of detection (LOD), limit of quantification (LOQ), robustness, recovery, precision and accuracy. An empirical equation enabling calculation of the percentage content of DMC and BDMC from a calibration curve of C, without relying on reference standards of DMC and BDMC, is proposed on the basis of available evidence, suggesting that pharmacologically important curcuminoids may be accurately reported as proportions of a single constituent assayed quantitatively. Hence, quantitative estimation of trace constituents on the basis of empirical evidence for proportionate composition is suggested as a means of quantifying the key constituents in herbal preparation intended for pharmacological intervention in patients requiring treatment with HM

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Not AvailableThe Thar desert with intense aeolian activity and calcrete formation is one of the hottest arid regions of the world. Little is known about the formation of calcic soils with a large amount of palygorskite in the western Thar. In this study, we have used microscopy, sub-microscopy, clay mineralogy, and geochemistry of three calcic soils from western Thar to understand the pedogenesis in response to fluctuating southwestern monsoon over the last 30 ka. Thin sections of the soils show a dominance of weakly developed pedofeatures with powdery to wellindurated pedogenic calcium carbonate that influenced weathering of primary mineral grains. Sub-microscopy of the calcretes shows a large amount of fibrous palygorskite in pore spaces of micritic and sparitic nodules. XRD of the total clay (< 2 μm) and fine clay (< 0.2 μm) fractions of the soils shows the dominance of smectite, palygorskite, chlorite, mica, kaolinite, and small amounts of quartz and feldspar. Palygorskite occurring in Bw, Bss, Bwk, and BC horizons of these calcic-soils is related to non-pedogenic processes. Presence of only weak pedogenesis, lithological discontinuities, varying geochemical composition, and silt size palygorskite suggest its inheritance from marine sedimentary rocks of the area. It is attributed to rapid aggradation of palygorskite bearing aeolian sedimentary flux during increased aridity and weakening of the southwestern monsoon over the last 30 ka. A decrease or complete absence of palygorskite in Btk horizon and sediments is related to intervening wetter conditions during MIS3-MIS1 stages. The present study of the palygorskite bearing calcic soils from western Thar could be useful to explain the possible mechanism for ongoing desertification and formation of calcrete in other arid tracts of the world.Not Availabl

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Not AvailableThe study has assessed the performance of different crops and cropping pattern in the state of Punjab using alternative scenarios like market prices; economic prices (net out effect of subsidy) and natural resource valuation (NRV) considering environmental benefits like biological nitrogen fixation and greenhouse gas costs. The study has used unit-level cost of cultivation data for the triennium ending 2010-11. It has analyzed crop-wise use of fertilizers, groundwater, surface water and subsidies. The paper provides insights into relative profitability of various crops with and without state support in the form of subsidies and by reckoning positive and negative environmental externalities. The study has shown that even after netting out the effect of input subsidies and effect on environment and natural resource, the relative profitability of various crops doesn’t change. Under the present set of marketing infrastructure, minimum support price, and agricultural technological know-how, the rice-wheat cropping pattern produces the highest and more stable incomes. The study has pointed out that farmers may not move towards diversification until incentivized by economically attractive alternatives.Not Availabl