Perceived Climate Variability and Compounding Stressors: Implications for Risks to Livelihoods of Smallholder Indian Farmers.

Micro-scale perspectives are seldom included in planned climate change adaptations, yet farmers' perceptions can provide useful insights into livelihood impacts from interactions between climatic and other stressors. This research aims to understand how climate variability and other stressors are impacting the livelihoods of smallholder farmers in Azamgarh district, eastern Uttar Pradesh, India. Data from 84 smallholder farmers were collected using mixed qualitative and quantitative approaches, including interview and participatory methods, informed by multiple stressor and sustainable livelihood frameworks. Results revealed that farmers are increasingly facing problems caused by the reduced duration and number of rainy days, and erratic rainfall. Anomalies in seasonal cycles (longer summers, shorter winters) seem to have altered the local climate. Farmers reported that repeated drought impacts, even in years of moderate rainfall, are adversely affecting the rice crop, challenging the formal definition of drought. Climate variability, identified as the foremost stressor, often acts as a risk multiplier for ecological (e.g., soil sodicity), socio-economic (e.g., rising costs of cultivation) and political (e.g., mismatching policies and poor extension systems) stressors. In addition to climate stresses, resource-poor marginal groups in particular experienced higher risks resulting from changes in resource management regimes. This study provides an important cue to revisit the formal definitions of normal rainfall and drought, accommodating farmers' perceptions that evenly distributed rainfall, and not total rainfall is a key determinant of crop yields. Though India has developed adaptive measures for climate change and variability, integration of farmers' perceptions of climate and other stressors into such policies can improve the resilience of smallholder farmers, who have hitherto depended largely on autonomous adaptation strategies.

Response of stigma receptivity in CMS and male fertile line of Indian mustard (B. juncea) under variable thermal conditions.

Field experiments were conducted for 2 years to examine the response of stigma in two different pollination systems, viz., CMS line (MJA5) and open-pollinated variety (Pusa Bold) of Indian mustard (Brassica juncea), to varying weather conditions created by different sowing dates. The CMS line MJA5 (female) with its male line in 8:2 (A:R) row ratio, and Pusa Bold in an isolated field were sown on 21st of October, 30th of October, and 18th of November in 2 consecutive years in North Indian condition. Temporal differences in sowing provided differed weather conditions during flowering, which resulted in variations in the duration to attain the peak flowering stage. Stigma was receptive for longer duration (8 days from the day of anthesis) in CMS line which needs an external pollen source for fertilization to happen, whereas it was only 4 days in open-pollinated variety, assessed in terms of siliqua set and number of seeds/siliqua. Substantial effect of sowing date on stigma receptivity was observed; it was longer in plants sown during October in comparison to those of November in both years. The energy requirement parameters, viz., growing degree days and photo-thermal unit, confirmed that plants sown later failed to accumulate sufficient energy for satisfactory phenological growth and for good seed development.

Low reporting of violence against health-care workers in India in spite of high prevalence.

BACKGROUND: Violence against health-care workers has become a great issue in health-care organizations. This study was conceptualized with the aim to know the prevalence of violence and to identify gap between rate of reporting of an incident of violence at a tertiary care hospital in India. METHODS: The study was descriptive and cross-sectional; a validated questionnaire was used as a tool. Reported incidents of violence against workers were collected. P value <0.05 was considered statistically significant in the analysis. A Z test for proportion at 95% confidence interval was applied to analyze the level of difference between prevalence, rate of reporting, and their level of awareness. RESULTS: Of 394 respondents, 136(34.5%) workers had experienced workplace violence in the last 12 months. It was found that total 32 incidents of workplace violence were reported to the concerned authority. The reporting rate of violence is significantly low (23.5%), in spite of high prevalence (34.5%). Level of awareness regarding the reporting mechanism and regulations for the safeguard of health-care workers against workplace violence is only 24.6 %. CONCLUSION: This study concluded that the prevalence of violence among health-care workers is quite high, but the reporting rate is significantly low. The low rate of reporting is because of lack of awareness about the reporting mechanism of workplace violence. It is recommended that sensitizing workshops should be conducted to increase the level of awareness, which will result in reduction in the prevalence of violence and building a safe and secured workplace for health-care providers.

Can productivity and profitability be enhanced in intensively managed cereal systems while reducing the environmental footprint of production? Assessing sustainable intensification options in the breadbasket of India.

In the most productive area of the Indo-Gangetic Plains in Northwest India where high yields of rice and wheat are commonplace, a medium-term cropping system trial was conducted in Haryana State. The goal of the study was to identify integrated management options for further improving productivity and profitability while rationalizing resource use and reducing environmental externalities (i.e., "sustainable intensification", SI) by drawing on the principles of diversification, precision management, and conservation agriculture. Four scenarios were evaluated: Scenario 1 - "business-as-usual" [conventional puddled transplanted rice (PTR) followed by (fb) conventional-till wheat]; Scenario 2 - reduced tillage with opportunistic diversification and precision resource management [PTR fb zero-till (ZT) wheat fb ZT mungbean]; Scenario 3 - ZT for all crops with opportunistic diversification and precision resource management [ZT direct-seeded rice (ZT-DSR) fb ZT wheat fb ZT mungbean]; and Scenario 4 - ZT for all crops with strategic diversification and precision resource management [ZT maize fb ZT wheat fb ZT mungbean]. Results of this five-year study strongly suggest that, compared with business-as-usual practices, SI strategies that incorporate multi-objective yield, economic, and environmental criteria can be more productive when used in these production environments. For Scenarios 2, 3, and 4, system-level increases in productivity (10-17%) and profitability (24-50%) were observed while using less irrigation water (15-71% reduction) and energy (17-47% reduction), leading to 15-30% lower global warming potential (GWP), with the ranges reflecting the implications of specific innovations. Scenario 3, where early wheat sowing was combined with ZT along with no puddling during the rice phase, resulted in a 13% gain in wheat yield compared with Scenario 2. A similar gain in wheat yield was observed in Scenario 4 vis-à-vis Scenario 2. Compared to Scenario 1, wheat yields in Scenarios 3 and 4 were 15-17% higher, whereas, in Scenario 2, yield was either similar in normal years or higher in warmer years. During the rainy (kharif) season, ZT-DSR provided yields similar to or higher than those of PTR in the first three years and lower (11-30%) in Years 4 and 5, a result that provides a note of caution for interpreting technology performance through short-term trials or simply averaging results over several years. The resource use and economic and environmental advantages of DSR were more stable through time, including reductions in irrigation water (22-40%), production cost (11-17%), energy inputs (13-34%), and total GWP (14-32%). The integration of "best practices" in PTR in Scenario 2 resulted in reductions of 24% in irrigation water and 21% in GWP, with a positive impact on yield (0.9 t/ha) and profitability compared to conventional PTR, demonstrating the power of simple management changes to generate improved SI outcomes. When ZT maize was used as a diversification option instead of rice in Scenario 4, reductions in resource use jumped to 82-89% for irrigation water and 49-66% for energy inputs, with 13-40% lower GWP, similar or higher rice equivalent yield, and higher profitability (27-73%) in comparison to the rice-based scenarios. Despite these advantages, maize value chains are not robust in this part of India and public procurement is absent. Results do demonstrate that transformative opportunities exist to break the cycle of stagnating yields and inefficient resource use in the most productive cereal-based cropping systems of South Asia. However, these SI entry points need to be placed in the context of the major drivers of change in the region, including market conditions, risks, and declining labor availability, and matching with the needs and interests of different types of farmers.

Participatory evaluation guides the development and selection of farmers' preferred rice varieties for salt- and flood-affected coastal deltas of South and Southeast Asia.

Rice is the staple food and provides livelihood for smallholder farmers in the coastal delta regions of South and Southeast Asia. However, its productivity is often low because of several abiotic stresses including high soil salinity and waterlogging during the wet (monsoon) season and high soil and water salinity during the dry season. Development and dissemination of suitable rice varieties tolerant of these multiple stresses encountered in coastal zones are of prime importance for increasing and stabilizing rice productivity, however adoption of new varieties has been slow in this region. Here we implemented participatory varietal selection (PVS) processes to identify and understand smallholder farmers' criteria for selection and adoption of new rice varieties in coastal zones. New breeding lines together with released rice varieties were evaluated in on-station and on-farm trials (researcher-managed) during the wet and dry seasons of 2008-2014 in the Indian Sundarbans region. Significant correlations between preferences of male and female farmers in most trials indicated that both groups have similar criteria for selection of rice varieties. However, farmers' preference criteria were different from researchers' criteria. Grain yield was important, but not the sole reason for variety selection by farmers. Several other factors also governed preferences and were strikingly different when compared across wet and dry seasons. For the wet season, farmers preferred tall (140-170 cm), long duration (160-170 d), lodging resistant and high yielding rice varieties because these traits are required in lowlands where water stagnates in the field for about four months (July to October). For the dry season, farmers' preferences were for high yielding, salt tolerant, early maturing (115-130 d) varieties with long slender grains and good quality for better market value. Pest and disease resistance was important in both seasons but did not rank high. When farmers ranked the two most preferred varieties, the ranking order was sometimes variable between locations and years, but when the top four varieties that consistently ranked high were considered, the variability was low. This indicates that at least 3-4 of the best-performing entries should be considered in succeeding multi-location and multi-year trials, thereby increasing the chances that the most stable varieties are selected. These findings will help improve breeding programs by providing information on critical traits. Selected varieties through PVS are also more likely to be adopted by farmers and will ensure higher and more stable productivity in the salt- and flood-affected coastal deltas of South and Southeast Asia.

Effect of nutrient management on soil organic carbon sequestration, fertility, and productivity under rice-wheat cropping system in semi-reclaimed sodic soils of North India.

The ever shrinking agricultural land availability and the swelling demand of food for the growing population fetch our attention towards utilizing partially reclaimed sodic soils for cultivation. In the present investigation, we compared six treatments, like control (T1), existing farmers' practice (T2), balanced inorganic fertilization (T3) and combined application of green gram (Vigna radiate) with inorganic NPK (T4), green manure (Sesbania aculeate) with inorganic NPK (T5), and farmyard manure with inorganic NPK (T6), to study the influence of nutrient management on soil organic carbon sequestration and soil fertility under long-term rice-wheat cropping system along with its productivity in gypsum-amended partially reclaimed sodic soils of semi-arid sub-tropical Indian climate. On an average, combined application of organics along with fertilizer NPK (T4, T5, and T6) decreased soil pH, ESP, and BD by 3.5, 13.0, and 6.7% than FP (T2) and 3.7, 12.5, and 6.7%, than balanced inorganic fertilizer application (T3), respectively, in surface (0-20 cm). These treatments (T4, T5, and T6) also increased 14.1% N and 19.5% P availability in soil over the usual farmers' practice (FP) with an additional saving of 44.4 and 27.3% fertilizer N and P, respectively. Long-term (6 years) incorporation of organics (T4, T5, and T6) sequestered 1.5 and 2.0 times higher soil organic carbon as compared to the balanced inorganic (T3) and FP (T2) treatments, respectively. The allocation of soil organic carbon into active and passive pools determines its relative susceptibility towards oxidation. The lower active to passive ratio (1.63) in FYM-treated plots along with its potentiality of higher soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration compared to the initial stock proved its acceptability for long-term sustenance under intensive cropping even in partially reclaimed sodic soils. Among all the treatments, T4 yielded the maximum from second year onwards. Moreover, after 6 years of continuous cultivation, the observed EWY (2011-2012) was found to be 41.9 and 33.1% higher in T4 as compared to FP (T2) and T3, respectively. Thus, for maintaining higher yield coupled with improved SOC sequestration and nutrient availability, T4 followed by T6 treatments would be the suitable options for long-term intensive rice-wheat system in partially reclaimed sodic soils of northern India.

Arsenic in the groundwater: Occurrence, toxicological activities, and remedies.

Arsenic (As) contamination in groundwater has become a geo-environmental as well as a toxicological problem across the globe affecting more than 100-million people in nearly 21 countries with its associated disease "arsenicosis." Arsenic poisoning may lead to fatal skin and internal cancers. In present review, an attempt has been made to generate awareness among the readers about various sources of occurrence of arsenic, its geochemistry and speciation, mobilization, metabolism, genotoxicity, and toxicological exposure on humans. The article also emphasizes the possible remedies for combating the problem. The knowledge of these facts may help to work on some workable remedial measure.

Assessment of nebulisation of sodium ceftiofur in the treatment of calves naturally infected with bovine respiratory disease.

Twelve screened cases of bovine respiratory disease (BRD) in calves were enrolled. Six of the calves were treated intramuscularly with sodium ceftiofur (1 mg/kg), and six were treated with nebulised sodium ceftiofur (1 mg/kg). Comparative evaluation of the two therapeutic modalities was based on repetitive analysis of hematological profile of calves on days 0, 5, and 10 post-therapy. The mortality rate in the group of calves treated with the nebulised sodium ceftiofur was significantly (p < 0.001) lower, and their clinical and hematological parameters returned to normal significantly (p < 0.001) faster than in calves treated intramuscularly. Nebulisation of sodium ceftiofur is the most effective treatment in calves with BRD under field conditions. Nasal lavage fluid analysis indicating a high rise of neutrophil count and macrophages may be used as an alternative method to detect pulmonary inflammation in BRD-affected calves.

Nosocomial infection of CCHF among health care workers in Rajasthan, India.

BACKGROUND: Ever since Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever [CCHF] discovered in India, several outbreaks of this disease have been recorded in Gujarat State, India. During the year 2011 to 2015 several districts of Gujarat and Rajasthan state (Sirohi) found to be affected with CCHF including the positivity among ticks and livestock. During these years many infected individuals succumbed to this disease; which subsequently led to nosocomial infections. Herein, we report CCHF cases recorded from Rajasthan state during January 2015. This has affected four individuals apparently associated with one suspected CCHF case admitted in a private hospital in Jodhpur, Rajasthan. CASE PRESENTATION: A 30-year-old male was hospitalized in a private hospital in Jodhpur, Rajasthan State, who subsequently had developed thrombocytopenia and showed hemorrhagic manifestations and died in the hospital. Later on, four nursing staff from the same hospital also developed the similar symptoms (Index case and Case A, B, C). Index case succumbed to the disease in the hospital at Jodhpur followed by the death of the case A that was shifted to AIIMS hospital, Delhi due to clinical deterioration. Blood samples of the index case and Case A, B, C were referred to the National institute of Virology, Pune, India for CCHF diagnosis from the different hospitals in Rajasthan, Delhi and Gujarat. However, a sample of deceased suspected CCHF case was not referred. Subsequently, blood samples of 5 nursing staff and 37 contacts (Case D was one of them) from Pokhran area, Jaisalmer district were referred to NIV, Pune. CONCLUSIONS: It clearly indicated that nursing staff acquired a nosocomial infection while attending the suspected CCHF case in an Intensive Care Unit of a private hospital in Jodhpur. However, one case was confirmed from the Pokhran area where the suspected CCHF case was residing. This case might have got the infection from suspected CCHF case or through other routes. CCHF strain associated with these nosocomial infections shares the highest identity with Afghanistan strain and its recent introduction from Afghanistan cannot be ruled out. However, lack of active surveillance, unawareness among health care workers leads to such nosocomial infections.

Healthcare associated infections in Paediatric Intensive Care Unit of a tertiary care hospital in India: Hospital stay & extra costs.

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES: Healthcare associated infections (HAIs) increase the length of stay in the hospital and consequently costs as reported from studies done in developed countries. The current study was undertaken to evaluate the impact of HAIs on length of stay and costs of health care in children admitted to Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) of a tertiary care hospital in north India. METHODS: This prospective study was done in the seven bedded PICU of a large multi-specialty tertiary care hospital in New Delhi, India. A total of 20 children with HAI (cases) and 35 children without HAI (controls), admitted to the PICU during the study period (January 2012 to June 2012), were matched for gender, age, and average severity of illness score. Each patient's length of stay was obtained prospectively. Costs of healthcare were estimated according to traditional and time driven activity based costing methods approach. RESULTS: The median extra length of PICU stay for children with HAI (cases), compared with children with no HAI (controls), was seven days (IQR 3-16). The mean total costs of patients with and without HAI were ' 2,04,787 (US$ 3,413) and ' 56,587 (US$ 943), respectively and the mean difference in the total cost between cases and controls was ' 1,48,200 (95% CI 55,716 to 2,40,685, p<0.01). INTERPRETATION & CONCLUSIONS: This study highlights the effect of HAI on costs for PICU patients, especially costs due to prolongation of hospital stay, and suggests the need to develop effective strategies for prevention of HAI to reduce costs of health care.

Productivity of sodic soils can be enhanced through the use of salt tolerant rice varieties and proper agronomic practices.

Regaining the agricultural potential of sodic soils in the Indo-Gangetic plains necessitates the development of suitable salt tolerant rice varieties to provide an entry for other affordable agronomic and soil manipulation measures. Thus selection of high yielding rice varieties across a range of sodic soils is central. Evaluation of breeding lines through on-station and on-farm farmers' participatory varietal selection (FPVS) resulted in the identification of a short duration (110-115 days), high yielding and disease resistant salt-tolerant rice genotype 'CSR-89IR-8', which was later released as 'CSR43' in 2011. Several agronomic traits coupled with good grain quality and market value contributed to commercialization and quick adoption of this variety in the sodic areas of the Indo-Gangetic plains of eastern India. Management practices required for rice production in salt affected soils are evidently different from those in normal soils and practices for a short duration salt tolerant variety differ from those for medium to long duration varieties. Experiments were conducted at the Indian Council of Agricultural Research-Central Soil Salinity Research Institute (ICAR-CSSRI), Regional Research Station, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India during 2011 and 2013 wet seasons, to test the hypothesis that combining matching management practices (Mmp) with an improved genotype would enhance productivity and profitability of rice in sodic soils. Mmp were developed on-station by optimizing existing best management practices (Bmp) recommended for the region to match the requirements of CSR43. The results revealed that transplanting 4 seedlings hill-1 at a spacing of 15 × 20 cm produced significantly higher yield over other treatments. The highest additional net gain was US$ 3.3 at 90 kg ha-1 N, and the lowest was US$ 0.4 at 150 kg ha-1 N. Above 150 kg ha-1, the additional net gain became negative, indicating decreasing returns from additional N. Hence, 150 kg N ha-1 was considered the economic optimum N application rate for CSR43 in these sodic soils. Using 150-60-40-25 kg N-P2O5-K2O-ZnSO4·7H2O ha-1 in farmers' fields grown to CSR43 produced an average of 5.5 t ha-1 grain. The results of on-farm evaluation trials of CSR43 showed that matching management practices (Mmp) increased yield by 8% over existing best management practices (Bmp) recommended by ICAR-CSSRI for sodic soils and by 16% over framers' management practices; however, combining Mmp with CSR43 resulted in 35% higher yields over farmers' current varieties and management. This approach of combining cost effective crop and nutrient management options and a salt-tolerant variety can maximize the productivity and profitability of sodic soils in the alluvial Indo-Gangetic plains and in neighboring salt-affected areas of the Ganges mega delta in South Asia.

Development and evaluation of low cost honey heating-cum-filtration system.

A fully mechanized honey heating-cum-filtration system was designed, developed, fabricated and evaluated for its performance. The system comprised of two sections; the top heating section and the lower filtering section. The developed system was evaluated for its performance at different process conditions (25 kg and 50 kg capacity using processing condition: 50 °C heating temperature and 60 °C heating temperature with 20 and 40 min holding time, respectively) and it was found that the total time required for heating, holding and filtration of honey was 108 and 142 min for 25 kg and 50 kg capacity of machine, respectively, irrespective of the processing conditions. The optimum capacity of the system was found to be 50 kg and it involved an investment of Rs 40,000 for its fabrication. The honey filtered through the developed filtration system was compared with the honey filtered in a high cost honey processing plant and raw honey for its microbial and biochemical (reducing sugars (%), moisture, acidity and pH) quality attributes. It was observed that the process of filtering through the developed unit resulted in reduction of microbes. The microbiological quality of honey filtered through the developed filtration system was better than that of raw honey and commercially processed honey. The treatment conditions found best in context of microbiological counts were 60 °C temperature for 20 min. There was 1.97 fold reductions in the plate count and 2.14 reductions in the fungal count of honey processed through the developed filtration system as compared to the raw honey. No coliforms were found in the processed honey. Honey processed through developed unit witnessed less moisture content, acidity and more reducing sugars as compared to raw honey, whereas its quality was comparable to the commercially processed honey.

Clinical Audit of Assisting Renal Biopsy Procedure Performed in Nephrology Unit of a Tertiary Care Hospital with a View to Develop Standard Nursing Procedure Protocol.

Background: Renal biopsy is one of the most commonly performed diagnostic procedures in the nephrology unit. Nurses play a very important role in pre-biopsy preparation, assisting during procedure and post-biopsy care. Nursing care provided during or after renal biopsy is of utmost importance in reducing complications. The study aims to perform a clinical audit of nursing practices to find the gaps in existing practices for the procedure of assisting renal biopsy and to develop standard protocol. Materials and Methods: This descriptive observational study was conducted on 19 nurses who were working in the nephrology unit of the tertiary care center. They were enrolled through total enumerative sampling. Sociodemographic profile and clinical profile were collected. The observation checklist was formed based on standard nursing practices, which included three dimensions for the procedure of assisting renal biopsy. Based on the gaps identified, a standard protocol was developed. Nurses were observed during two shifts and each nurse was observed once. Scoring of items was done in each dimension and for acceptable practices, nurses have to score ≥80% in each dimension. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results: The majority of nurses (73.7%) have not undergone any special training in nephrology. None (100%) showed an acceptable level of nursing practices for all the dimensions of assisting renal biopsy procedure. Standard protocol was developed by the researcher following a rigorous process. Conclusion: The clinical audit found that there were gaps in the existing nursing practices for the procedure of assisting renal biopsy and these gaps have been addressed by the development of a standard protocol.

Planning and designing of an inpatient isolation facility for hematopoietic stem cell transplant patients.

During the last two decades the world has seen an increase in the use of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant (HSCT) which has led to its worldwide expansion. Since, HSCT unit is an advanced set up, developing and maintaining a successful hematopoietic stem cell transplant program with a properly functioning unit enhances the credibility of any tertiary level medical facility especially for a country like ours which is in its early expanding phase of providing transplant services. The underlying principle for designing any HSCT facility is to maintain the highest possible level of aseptic environment for patients undergoing the transplant in order to prevent healthcare associated infections. Basic premises of designing the entire HSCT unit was to ensure restricted access to the facility and having an aseptic environment by implementing infection control parameters in design elements, which are explained subsequently in the article. The present manuscript describes the project experience of creating a positive pressure isolation facility for HSCT patients at a tertiary care hospital, India, which is a resource limited setting with an emphasis on need assessment, key elements in planning and designing along with the challenges associated with it.

Modeling maize growth and nitrogen dynamics using CERES-Maize (DSSAT) under diverse nitrogen management options in a conservation agriculture-based maize-wheat system.

Agricultural field experiments are costly and time-consuming, and often struggling to capture spatial and temporal variability. Mechanistic crop growth models offer a solution to understand intricate crop-soil-weather system, aiding farm-level management decisions throughout the growing season. The objective of this study was to calibrate and the Crop Environment Resource Synthesis CERES-Maize (DSSAT v 4.8) model to simulate crop growth, yield, and nitrogen dynamics in a long-term conservation agriculture (CA) based maize system. The model was also used to investigate the relationship between, temperature, nitrate and ammoniacal concentration in soil, and nitrogen uptake by the crop. Additionally, the study explored the impact of contrasting tillage practices and fertilizer nitrogen management options on maize yields. Using field data from 2019 and 2020, the DSSAT-CERES-Maize model was calibrated for plant growth stages, leaf area index-LAI, biomass, and yield. Data from 2021 were used to evaluate the model's performance. The treatments consisted of four nitrogen management options, viz., N0 (without nitrogen), N150 (150 kg N/ha through urea), GS (Green seeker-based urea application) and USG (urea super granules @150kg N/ha) in two contrasting tillage systems, i.e., CA-based zero tillage-ZT and conventional tillage-CT. The model accurately simulated maize cultivar's anthesis and physiological maturity, with observed value falling within 5% of the model's predictions range. LAI predictions by the model aligned well with measured values (RMSE 0.57 and nRMSE 10.33%), with a 14.6% prediction error at 60 days. The simulated grain yields generally matched with measured values (with prediction error ranging from 0 to 3%), except for plots without nitrogen application, where the model overestimated yields by 9-16%. The study also demonstrated the model's ability to accurately capture soil nitrate-N levels (RMSE 12.63 kg/ha and nRMSE 12.84%). The study concludes that the DSSAT-CERES-Maize model accurately assessed the impacts of tillage and nitrogen management practices on maize crop's growth, yield, and soil nitrogen dynamics. By providing reliable simulations during the growing season, this modelling approach can facilitate better planning and more efficient resource management. Future research should focus on expanding the model's capabilities and improving its predictions further.

Fluoride in groundwater: toxicological exposure and remedies.

Fluoride is a chemical element that is found most frequently in groundwater and has become one of the most important toxicological environmental hazards globally. The occurrence of fluoride in groundwater is due to weathering and leaching of fluoride-bearing minerals from rocks and sediments. Fluoride when ingested in small quantities (<0.5 mg/L) is beneficial in promoting dental health by reducing dental caries, whereas higher concentrations (>1.5 mg/L) may cause fluorosis. It is estimated that about 200 million people, from among 25 nations the world over, may suffer from fluorosis and the causes have been ascribed to fluoride contamination in groundwater including India. High fluoride occurrence in groundwaters is expected from sodium bicarbonate-type water, which is calcium deficient. The alkalinity of water also helps in mobilizing fluoride from fluorite (CaF2). Fluoride exposure in humans is related to (1) fluoride concentration in drinking water, (2) duration of consumption, and (3) climate of the area. In hotter climates where water consumption is greater, exposure doses of fluoride need to be modified based on mean fluoride intake. Various cost-effective and simple procedures for water defluoridation techniques are already known, but the benefits of such techniques have not reached the rural affected population due to limitations. Therefore, there is a need to develop workable strategies to provide fluoride-safe drinking water to rural communities. The study investigated the geochemistry and occurrence of fluoride and its contamination in groundwater, human exposure, various adverse health effects, and possible remedial measures from fluoride toxicity effects.

Impact of Life Cycle Costing in Procurement of Robotic Track-Based Central Laboratory at Apex Medical Institute in India.

Introduction Life cycle costing is an important management tool that takes into account the implications of planning, acquiring, operating, maintaining, and disposing of an asset during its complete life cycle. A major hindrance to the procurement of expensive equipment in developing countries is the lack of a reliable framework combining and integrating all the equipment life cycle aspects into procurement process. Methods The study was conducted from the data collected from the bids that were received for procurement of two robotic track-based central laboratories which were installed at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi. The procurement was done as per the guidelines laid down under General Finance Rules (GFR) 2017 following the two bid systems: technical bid and price/commercial bid. Results A complete financial analysis of the robotic laboratory was done that involved gathering of all the pertinent financial information into one place and then using that data to analyze the feasibility of the bid. The life cycle costs of both the labs were calculated by assuming the life of equipment as 10 years and by factoring in cost of equipment including 5-year warranty, comprehensive maintenance from years 6 to 10, indicative cost of all reagents for 10 years, and indicative cost of all other consumables for 10 years. Conclusion Results showed that the cost of equipment alone should not be the sole predictor of making purchase decisions of equipment. Further research may additionally explore differences between processes being followed in government versus private organizations, as well as national guidelines and subnational practices.

In silico to In vivo development of a polyherbal against Haemonchus contortus.

Haemonchus contortus is a major constraint in the development of small ruminant subsector due to significant production losses incurred by it. The present study explores the antiparasitic potential of three anthelmintic plants (Butea monosperma, Vitex negundo and Catharanthus roseus (L.) G.Don) against H. contortus taking albendazole as the standard. In silico molecular docking and pharmacokinetic prediction studies were conducted with known bioactive molecules of these plants (palasonin, vinblastine, vincristine, betulinic acid and ursolic acid) against Glutamate Dehydrogenase (GDH) and tubulin molecules of the parasite. Methanolic extracts of these herbs were fractionated (hexane, ethyl acetate, chloroform and methanol) and used in in vitro larvicidal studies. Based on the in vitro data, two herbal prototypes were developed and clinically tested. All the 5 ligand molecules showed better binding affnity for GDH and tubulin protein as compared with albendazole and shared similar binding site in the core of the GDH hexamer with slight variations. Albendazole approximately stacked against GLY190A residue, showing hydrophobic interactions with PRO157A and a Pi-cation electrostatic interaction with ARG390 along with four hydrogen bonds. Vincristine formed 2 pi-anionic electrostatic bonds with ASP158 of B and C subunits alongwith hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interaction and an additional pi-anion electrostatic interaction at ASP158A for vinblastine. Albendazole bound to α-tubulin next to colchicine site whereas vinblastine is bound at the nearby laulimalide/peloruside site of the dimer. Betulinic acid showed lateral interaction between the H2-H3 loop of one alpha subunit and H10 of the adjacent alpha subunit of two tubulin dimers. Ursolic acid and palasonin bound at the intradimer N site of microtubulin involving the H1-H7 and H1-H2 zone, respectively. The in vitro studies demonstrated good dose dependent anthelmintic potential. Both the prototypes were quite efficacious in clearing the infection, keeping it to a minimal for more than 5 months, probably, through direct anthelmintic effect through GDH, tubulin depolymerization and uncoupling as well as indirectly through immunomodulation along with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

It's the data, stupid: Inflection point for Artificial Intelligence in Indian healthcare.

Indian healthcare is fast growing and with significant chunk of it being in small, fragmented, informal sector; Artificial Intelligence (AI) is pegged as a magical tool for a better healthcare system. There is an inclination to merely mimic the US approach in the on-going policy making and legislative exercises, which can have serious fallouts for Indian healthcare. India needs a different approach to suite her unique requirements. In this regard, each of the five stages in AI development lifecycle has been analyzed in the light of current on-ground realities. These boil down to three fold challenges of how to increase adoption of digital health, prevent data silos and create maximum value from data. Availability of quality data for value addition without barriers and restrictions is the common denominator for leveraging the full potential of AI. This requires liberal policies enabling secondary use of data in developing countries with rapidly growing healthcare sector akin to India. This has to be carefully balanced with data privacy and security. Restrictive healthcare data policies and laws can slow down adoption of digitization, perpetuate status-quo, be biased towards the incumbent players, cause Industry stagnation and thus will do more harm than good. It is therefore the data policies that will make or break AI in Indian healthcare.