Net ecosystem CO2 exchange from jute crop (Corchorus olitorius L.) and its environmental drivers in tropical Indo-Gangetic plain using open-path eddy covariance technique.

Present study is a maiden attempt to assess net ecosystem exchange (NEE) of carbon dioxide (CO2) flux from jute crop (Corchorus olitorius L.) in the Indo-Gangetic plain by using open-path eddy covariance (EC) technique. Diurnal variations of NEE were strongly influenced by growth stages of jute crop. Daytime peak NEE varied from - 5 µmol m-2 s-1 (in germination stage) to - 23 µmol m-2 s-1 (in fibre development stage). The ecosystem was net CO2 source during nighttime with an average NEE value of 5-8 µmol m-2 s-1. Combining both daytime and nighttime CO2 fluxes, jute ecosystem was found to be a net CO2 sink on a daily basis except the initial 9 days from date of sowing. Seasonal and growth stage-wise NEEs were computed, and the seasonal total NEE over the jute season was found to be - 268.5 gC m-2 (i.e. 10.3 t CO2 ha-1). In different jute growth stages, diurnal variations of NEE were strongly correlated (R2 > 0.9) with photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD). Ecosystem level photosynthetic efficiency parameters were estimated at each growth stage of jute crop using the Michaelis-Menten equation. The maximum values of photosynthetic capacity (Pmax, 63.3 ± 1.15 µmol CO2 m-2 s-1) and apparent quantum yield (α, 0.072 ± 0.0045 µmol CO2 µmol photon-1) were observed during the active vegetative stage, and the fibre development stage, respectively. Results of the present study would significantly contribute to understanding of the carbon flux from the Indian agro-ecosystems, which otherwise are very sparse.

Assessing the impact of current tropospheric ozone on yield loss and antioxidant defense of six cultivars of rice using ethylenediurea in the lower Gangetic Plains of India.

Climate change influences the current tropospheric ozone (O3) budget due to industrialization and urbanization processes. In recent years, the impact of elevated O3 on crop development and yield loss has emerged as one of the most important environmental issues, particularly in rural and suburban areas of the lower Indo-Gangetic Plains of India. The impact of the current tropospheric ozone (O3) on the crop yield, photosynthetic yield, and enzymatic antioxidants of six rice (Oryza sativa L.) cultivars (IR 36, MTU 1010, GB 3, Khitish, IET 4786, and Ganga Kaveri) was investigated with and without the application of ethylenediurea (EDU). The results revealed that O3 stress significantly affected crop yield, photosynthetic yield, and antioxidant enzymes. The findings showed that O3 toxicity induces oxidative stress biomarkers, i.e., malondialdehyde (MDA) content, and was manifested by increasing the enzymatic antioxidants, i.e., superoxidase dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) in four rice cultivars (IR 36, GB 3, IET 4786, and Ganga Kaveri). At the same time, the results also illustrated that the rice cultivars MTU 1010 and Khitish are more tolerant to O3 stress as they had less oxidative damage, greater photosynthetic SPAD value, SOD and CAT activities, and lower MDA activity. The results also elucidated that the application of EDU decreased O3 toxicity in sensitive cultivars of rice by increasing antioxidant defense systems. The current O3 level is likely to show an additional increase in the near future, and the use of tolerant genotypes of rice may reduce the negative impacts of O3 on rice production.

Nano-crush technique in narrow-angle (<70°) bifurcation: bench test, CT reconstruction, fluid dynamics, and clinical outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Bifurcation stenting techniques are still refining and under testing. Nano-crush is a novel technique which allow minimum protrusion of side branch struts at the ostium. To demonstrate the efficacy of Nano-crush technique in narrow-angle bifurcation (<70°) using bench test model, 3D reconstruction of the stent structure, computational fluid dynamics study and a clinical follow-up. METHODS: This was a retrospective observational single-center study which included 40 patients who underwent angioplasty using Nano-crush technique for de-novo complex coronary bifurcation lesions with narrow bifurcation angle (<70°) between April-2016 to March-2019. The in-vitro bench test and computational fluid dynamics analysis were performed using a bifurcation model designed. The clinical primary endpoint was major adverse cardiac events (MACE), defined as a composite of cardiac death, myocardial infarction, and target lesion revascularization (TLR) at one-year angiographic follow-up. RESULTS: The reconstructed results of in-vitro bench test showed minimum length of stent struts moving away from the rounded side branch ostium. The mean age of patients was 62.8±7.98 years (32 male) and presented 100% procedural success. The mean bifurcation angle was 47.3±9.2°. The MACE was reported in four (10%) patients which included one (2.5%) death and three (7.5%) TLR at the mean follow-up of 35.54±12.31 months. No significant correlation between occurrence of MACE and gender, age, comorbidities and bifurcation angle was reported. CONCLUSIONS: The Nano-crush technique demonstrated least metal load around carina and abnormal flow dynamics in narrow angle (<70°) bifurcation lesions and also reported favorable long-term clinical outcomes.

Percutaneous coronary intervention of severely/moderately calcified coronary lesions using single-burr rotational atherectomy: A retrospective study.

OBJECTIVE: This study evaluates the safety and efficacy of percutaneous coronary intervention in moderately and severely calcified coronary lesions, which are either not crossed or dilated using a Scoreflex balloon at nominal pressure, using single-burr rotational atherectomy (burr-artery ratio, ≤0.6) followed by scoring balloon dilatation (balloon-artery ratio, 0.9). METHODS: We retrospectively identified 144 patients with severely and moderately calcified native coronary lesions, which were either not crossed or fully opened using an appropriately sized Scoreflex balloon at nominal pressure, from a tertiary care center in India. All patients underwent rotational atherectomy. The primary endpoint was angiographic and procedural success and in-hospital clinical outcomes. The secondary endpoint was the incidence of major adverse cardiac events (MACE) at one-year clinical follow-up. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 68.75±8.37 years, and 83.33% of them were over 60 years old. Moderate calcification was present in 21.53%, and the remaining 78.47% had severe calcification. Procedural success was achieved in 139 (96.52%) patients. In-hospital death was reported in four (2.77%) patients. Multiple regression analysis revealed that in severely calcified coronary lesions, burr rotation speed and heparin dose were significantly associated with in-hospital MACE occurrence (p=0.0337). CONCLUSION: A modified small-burr rotational atherectomy technique with scoring balloon angioplasty pre-dilatation is a safe and effective surgical procedure with favorable clinical outcomes for moderately and severely calcified coronary lesions.

Prevalence and pattern of childhood injuries in Siliguri City, West Bengal, India.

BACKGROUND: Children are vulnerable to injuries, and childhood injury is a complex phenomenon precipitated by a set of factors. In India, the magnitude and nature of childhood injury are not clearly known owing to the absence of a proper injury surveillance system. However, in recent days few studies demonstrated a substantially high burden of childhood injury. OBJECTIVES: To find out the prevalence, pattern, and the factors associated with injury among children of 0-14 years in the Siliguri city of West Bengal. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 780 children aged 0-14 years residing in the Siliguri Municipal Corporation area selected through cluster sampling technique (30 clusters [wards] with a cluster size of 26). Relevant data were collected by interviewing the mothers of children as respondents and was analyzed using SPSS software, binary logistic regression was applied to test the association between injury and other risk factors. RESULTS: Of total 780 children, 165 had reported a total of 220 injury events with an overall period prevalence of 21.2% and a mean of 0.28 injury events per child. Majority of injuries were superficial in nature (53.2%); due to fall (56.4%), extremities were mostly involved (62.3%), and 12.8% cases were moderate-to-severe grade. Under-five children were most vulnerable. Injury was significantly related to socioeconomic status, presence of siblings, outdoor activities, and the presence of supervising person during travelling. CONCLUSIONS: Childhood injury is still highly prevalent in the area with its unique pattern and few preventable risk factors requiring a multifaceted comprehensive approach.

A novel “nano-crush” technique for the management of coronary bifurcation lesions: in vitro bench test analysis and preliminary report on real-world clinical evaluation in patients with one-year angiographic follow-up.

Aims: Although provisional stenting with a single drug-eluting stent has proven clinical efficacy in the treatment of bifurcation stenosis, some patients may require two stents. We propose a novel technique, called "nano-crush", which is easy to perform and can be used in all bifurcation angles. Methods and results: The feasibility of the nano-crush technique was confirmed in an in vitro bench test and intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) study. Subsequently, 42 patients with de novo coronary bifurcation stenosis were treated by this novel procedure using drug-eluting stents at our centre between January 2008 and December 2015. We experienced procedural success in all (100%) patients without any complications. The primary efficacy endpoint of the one-year incidence of major adverse cardiac events (MACE) was noted in three (7.14%) patients, comprising one case of cardiac death at nine months post procedure and two cases of repeat revascularisation due to in-stent restenosis. There were no cases of periprocedural myocardial infarction or stent thrombosis. Angiographic follow-up at one year indicated intact stent patency in the remaining patients. Conclusions: Initial experience with the nano-crush technique demonstrates that it can be performed easily without any procedural complications. Further, the angiographic and clinical follow-up indicates that the nano-crush technique is associated with acceptable clinical outcomes in a real-world scenario.

Species Diversity and Community Structure of Arthropod Pests and Predators in Flax, Linum Usitatissimum L. from Darjeeling (India)

ABSTRACT The species richness and relative abundances of different aboveground plant-dwelling pest and predator species were assessed in flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) ecosystem under mid-hill conditions of eastern Himalayas. The experiment was conducted in winter seasons during 2004-2013 at the Regional Research Station (Hill Zone), Uttar Banga Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Kalimpong, West Bengal, India. Twenty five species of phytophagous arthropods under 13 families were observed belonging to 6 different orders. The gram pod borer, Helicoverpa armigera (Noctuidae: Lepidoptera), aphid, Myzus persicae (Aphididae: Hemiptera), shield bug, Plautia fimbriata (Pentatomidae: Hemiptera) and leaf webber, Nacoleia sp. (Pyralidae: Lepidoptera) were found as the most common and major insect of flax. In terms of species composition, Hemiptera and Lepidoptera occupied top position (nine species) while Coleoptera ranked second position (five species). By the size of population, aphid was found to be the most frequent species followed by shield bug and leaf webber. Although, the incidence of gram pod borer was low in the field, it was the major pest of flax in respect of bud and capsule damage. The Gini-Simpson index and Effective number of species for the pest faunal complex of flax was calculated as 0.914 and 11.628, respectively. Similarly, 16 species of predatory arthropods under nine families were observed belonging to 7 different orders. The lynx spider (17.24 %) and 7-spotted lady beetle (15.52 %) dominated the predatory community by sheer number. The Gini-Simpson index and Effective number of species for the predatory fauna was derived as 0.898 and 9.804, respectively.

Start codon targeted (SCoT) polymorphism reveals genetic diversity in wild and domesticated populations of ramie (Boehmeria nivea L. Gaudich.), a premium textile fiber producing species.

Twenty-four start codon targeted (SCoT) markers were used to assess genetic diversity and population structure of indigenous, introduced and domesticated ramie (Boehmeria nivea L. Gaudich.). A total of 155 genotypes from five populations were investigated for SCoT polymorphism, which produced 136 amplicons with 87.5% polymorphism. Polymorphism information content and resolving power of the SCoT markers were 0.69 and 3.22, respectively. The Indian ramie populations exhibited high SCoT polymorphism (> 50%), high genetic differentiation (GST = 0.27) and moderate gene flow (Nm = 1.34). Analysis of molecular variance identified significant differences for genetic polymorphism among the populations explaining 13.1% of the total variation. The domesticated population exhibited higher genetic polymorphism and heterozygosity compared to natural populations. Cluster analysis supported population genetic analysis and suggested close association between introduced and domesticated genotypes. The present study shows effectiveness of employing SCoT markers in a cross pollinated heterozygous species like Boehmeria, and would be useful for further studies in population genetics, conservation genetics and cultivar improvement.