Value chain management under COVID-19: responses and lessons from grape production in India.

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected several economic sectors in India, dragging many to the brink of survival. In particular, the already fragile horticulture industry is now facing a double burden of a weak value chain management system as well as perishability of produce (fresh fruits and vegetables), this pandemic season. Also, the strict enforcement of lockdown has altered both demand and supply factors, which in turn have shocked various linkages in the value chain of fresh fruits and vegetables. So, this paper dissects the value chain management of grapes and its processed products, namely juice, wine, and raisins in Maharashtra, the largest producer of grapes in India. For this, a value chain analysis (VCA) is carried out by computing the degree of value addition to uncover the rupture points caused by the pandemic as well as advocate policy measures to build a resilient system. The value chain analysis shows that post-COVID-19, the degree of value addition, has shot up for the intermediary agents, i.e., pre-harvest contractors, at the expense of the farmers. Using the insights from the VCA results plus the demand and supply shocks, various policy measures are elucidated to strengthen the grape value chain.

Impact of Hajj on the S. pneumoniae carriage among Indian pilgrims during 2016- a longitudinal molecular surveillance study.

BACKGROUND: The population flow dynamics of Hajj increases the probability of pneumococcal acquisition and amplification among Hajis. This multi-site longitudinal molecular surveillance study was designed to assess the impact and potential variations of pneumococcal carriage in a single cohort of pre and post-Hajj pilgrims from India. METHOD: A total of 3228 pre and post-Hajj, nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal swabs were collected from 807 pilgrims with an interval of 40 ±â€¯5 days. The carriage was detected by culture and qmPCR. Quellung test, mPCR-FAF, PCRseqTyping, and MLST was used for typing. Antibiogram was performed by MIC method. RESULTS: An increased incidence of pneumococcal carriage was detected in post Hajj cohort by qmPCR (19% vs 21.8%) (p-value = 0.0487) and culture (6.5% vs 8.2%) (p-value = 0.0645). Fragment analysis could identify multiple serotype carriage in 76 pilgrims. Increase in drug resistance was also observed in post-hajj cohort for Tetracycline (29% vs 51%), Erythromycin (26% vs 46%) and Levofloxacin (6% vs 17%). Multidrug resistant strains in post Hajj group was 32% compared to 11% in pre Hajj group (p-value = 0.0002). CONCLUSION: Our results confirm high acquisition rate of multidrug-resistant S. pneumoniae in Hajj pilgrims and highlight its potential spread to home countries upon their return. Surveillance studies are needed to evaluate modifiable factors associated with carriage.

Consensus Recommendation for India and Bangladesh for the Use of Pneumococcal Vaccine in Mass Gatherings with Special Reference to Hajj Pilgrims.

Respiratory tract infections are prevalent among Hajj pilgrims with pneumonia being a leading cause of hospitalization. Streptococcus pneumoniae is a common pathogen isolated from patients with pneumonia and respiratory tract infections during Hajj. There is a significant burden of pneumococcal disease in India, which can be prevented. Guidelines for preventive measures and adult immunization have been published in India, but the implementation of the guidelines is low. Data from Bangladesh are available about significant mortality due to respiratory infections; however, literature regarding guidelines for adult immunization is limited. There is a need for extensive awareness programs across India and Bangladesh. Hence, there was a general consensus about the necessity for a rapid and urgent implementation of measures to prevent respiratory infections in pilgrims traveling to Hajj. About ten countries have developed recommendations for pneumococcal vaccination in Hajj pilgrims: France, the USA, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, the UAE (Dubai Health Authority), Singapore, Malaysia, Egypt, and Indonesia. At any given point whether it is Hajj or Umrah, more than a million people are present in the holy places of Mecca and Madina. Therefore, the preventive measures taken for Hajj apply for Umrah as well. This document puts forward the consensus recommendations by a group of twenty doctors following a closed-door discussion based on the scientific evidence available for India and Bangladesh regarding the prevention of respiratory tract infections in Hajj pilgrims.

Variability in AIRS CO2 during active and break phases of Indian summer monsoon.

Due to human activities, the atmospheric concentration of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) has been rising extensively since the Industrial Revolution. Indian summer monsoon (ISM) has a dominant westerly component from ocean to land with a strong tendency to ascend and hence may have role in CO2 distribution in lower and middle troposphere over Indian sub-continent. A substantial component of ISM variability arises from the fluctuations on the intra-seasonal scale between active and break phases which correspond to strong and weak monsoon circulation. In view of the above, an attempt is made in this study to examine the AIRS/AQUA satellite retrieved CO2 distribution in response to atmospheric circulation with focus on active and break phase. Correlation analysis indicates the increase in AIRS CO2 linked with strong monsoon circulation. Study also reveals that anomalous circulation pattern during active and break phase show resemblance with high and low values of AIRS CO2. Homogeneous monsoon regions of India show substantial increase in CO2 levels during active phase. Hilly regions of India show strong contrast in CO2 and vertical velocity during active and break phases.

Standardisation and evaluation of a quantitative multiplex real-time PCR assay for the rapid identification of Streptococcus pneumoniae.

Rapid diagnosis of Streptococcus pneumoniae can play a significant role in decreasing morbidity and mortality of infection. The accurate diagnosis of pneumococcal disease is hampered by the difficulties in growing the isolates from clinical specimens and also by misidentification. Molecular methods have gained popularity as they offer improvement in the detection of causative pathogens with speed and ease. The present study aims at validating and standardising the use of 4 oligonucleotide primer-probe sets (pneumolysin [ply], autolysin [lytA], pneumococcal surface adhesion A [psaA] and Spn9802 [DNA fragment]) in a single-reaction mixture for the detection and discrimination of S. pneumoniae. Here, we validate a quantitative multiplex real-time PCR (qmPCR) assay with a panel consisting of 43 S. pneumoniae and 29 non-pneumococcal isolates, 20 culture positive, 26 culture negative and 30 spiked serum samples. A standard curve was obtained using S. pneumoniae ATCC 49619 strain and glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) gene was used as an endogenous internal control. The experiment showed high sensitivity with lower limit of detection equivalent to 4 genome copies/µl. The efficiency of the reaction was 100% for ply, lytA, Spn9802 and 97% for psaA. The test showed sensitivity and specificity of 100% with culture isolates and serum specimens. This study demonstrates that qmPCR analysis of sera using 4 oligonucleotide primers appears to be an appropriate method for the genotypic identification of S. pneumoniae infection.

Influence of monsoons on atmospheric CO2 spatial variability and ground-based monitoring over India.

This study examines the role of Asian monsoons on transport and spatial variability of atmospheric CO2 over the Indian subcontinent, using transport modeling tools and available surface observations from two atmospheric CO2 monitoring sites Sinhagad (SNG) and Cape Rama (CRI) in the western part of peninsular India. The regional source contributions to these sites arise from the horizontal flow in conduits within the planetary boundary layer. Greater CO2 variability, greater than 15 ppm, is observed during winter, while it is reduced nearly by half during summer. The SNG air sampling site is more susceptible to narrow regional terrestrial fluxes transported from the Indo-Gangetic Plains in January, and to wider upwind marine source regions from the Arabian Sea in July. The Western Ghats mountains appear to play a role in the seasonal variability at SNG by trapping polluted air masses associated with weak monsoonal winds. A Lagrangian back-trajectory analysis further suggests that the horizontal extent of regional sensitivity increases from north to south over the Indian subcontinent in January (Boreal winter).

N-[4-(7-Meth-oxy-2-oxo-2H-chromen-8-yl)-2-methyl-butan-2-yl]propionamide.

In the crystal structure of the title osthol derivative, C(18)H(23)NO(4), mol-ecules are linked by N-H⋯O hydrogen bonds into an infinite chain running parallel to the c axis. The CH(3)CH(2)- atoms of the propionamide group are disordered over two sets of sites with refined occupancies of 0.689 (12) and 0.311 (12).

Cytotoxic cycloartane triterpene and rare isomeric bisclerodane diterpenes from the leaves of Polyalthia longifolia var. pendula.

A 24-methylenecycloartane-3 ß, 16 ß, 23 ß-triol, Longitriol (1), rare bisclerodane imides, Longimide A (2) and previously known Longimide B (3) were isolated from ethanolic extract of the leaves of Polyalthia longifolia var. pendula. This is the first example of isolation of any cycloartane triterpene from this plant source. Structures were determined by extensive (1D and 2D NMR) spectroscopic data analysis combined with ESI MS/MS fragmentation and X-ray analysis. Furthermore, Compounds 1 and 2 were evaluated for their cytotoxic effects against four human cancer cell lines and found to be most active against cervical carcinoma cell lines with IC(50) value of 10.03 and 4.12 µg/mL, respectively.

Low temperature preparation and characterization of In1-xLnxBO3 (x=0.0 and 0.05; Ln=Gd, Eu, Dy and Sm): ESR of In0.95Gd0.05BO3 and emission of In0.95Eu0.05BO3.

Indium borate and rare earth substituted indium borates (In(1-x)Ln(x)BO(3) (x=0.0 and 0.05; Ln=Gd, Eu, Dy and Sm)) are prepared at low temperature by metathesis reaction using InCl(3), LnCl(3) and NaBO(2). They are characterized by powder XRD and infrared spectroscopy. All the compositions (In(1-x)Ln(x)BO(3)) crystallize in hexagonal lattice with calcite structure. These borates gave characteristic IR vibrations of planar BO(3) group. Spin-Hamiltonian parameters for Gd(3+) are deduced from room temperature electron spin resonance spectrum of In(0.95)Gd(0.05)BO(3). The electron spin resonance spectrum of In(0.95)Gd(0.05)BO(3) gave several anisotropic lines with g>2.0. The ESR spectrum of the sample belongs to the "intermediate" category with 1/4

Establishment of population-based surveillance for invasive pneumococcal disease in Bangalore, India.

BACKGROUND: Invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) is vaccine-preventable but few data on the incidence of PD exist for Indian children. AIMS: To assess the feasibility of implementing prospective, population-based surveillance for PD among children less than five years of age. Settings and Design :Hospitals and health agencies, Bangalore, India. Retrospective review and analysis of hospitalization records as well as public health and demographic data. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Records for 2006 hospitalizations for pneumococcal disease-associated syndromes (meningitis, pneumonia and sepsis) were identified at three pediatric referral hospitals (Indira Gandhi Institute of Child Health, Kempegowda Institute of Child Health and Vani Vilas Hospital) in Bangalore using International Classification of Diseases, 9th revision codes. Hospital microbiology laboratory records were assessed to ensure capacity for identifying S. pneumoniae. Population data were identified from national census and polio surveillance data. RESULTS: The Bangalore city southern zone includes 33 wards occupying 51 Km 2 with 150,945 children between 0-5 years of age served by three referral pediatric hospitals. From January--December 2006, records of these three hospitals showed 2,219 hospitalizations of children less than five years of age (967 pneumonia, 768 sepsis, and 484 meningitis) with PD-associated diagnoses (southern zone area incidence: 0.15/100,000 PD-associated hospitalizations, less than five years of age). There were 178 deaths in children less than five years of age, of which 87 were attributable to sepsis, 56 to pneumonia and 35 to meningitis. CONCLUSION: Our analysis suggests that the PD-associated disease burden in Bangalore is high and local institutions have capacity for population-based surveillance. In a prospective study, systematic attention to potential barriers in identifying children with pneumococcal infections will improve estimation of IPD incidence in India.

Acetylated pseudoguaianolides from Parthenium hysterophorus and their cytotoxic activity.

Chemical examination of the flowers of Parthenium hysterophorus has resulted in the isolation of four acetylated pseudoguaianolides along with several known constituents. The structures of the compounds were derived from detailed studies of their spectral (1D and 2D NMR and FABMS) data and by comparison of the values with those of parthenin, a major known constituent of the plant. The cytotoxic activity of parthenin and the constituents was evaluated using Jurkat (human: T lymphocyte; acute T cell leukemia), HL-60 (human leukemia) and Hela (human cervical carcinoma) cells.

The 53-kDa proteolytic product of precursor starch-hydrolyzing enzyme of Aspergillus niger has Taka-amylase-like activity.

The 53-kDa amylase secreted by Aspergillus niger due to proteolytic processing of the precursor starch-hydrolyzing enzyme was resistant to acarbose, a potent alpha-glucosidase inhibitor. The enzyme production was induced when A. niger was grown in starch medium containing the inhibitor. Antibodies against the precursor enzyme cross-reacted with the 54-kDa Taka-amylase protein of A. oryzae. It resembled Taka-amylase in most of its properties and also hydrolyzed starch to maltose of alpha-anomeric configuration. However, it did not degrade maltotriose formed during the reaction and was not inhibited by zinc ions.

Evidence that cleavage of the precursor enzyme by autocatalysis caused secretion of multiple amylases by Aspergillus niger.

The observation that a mutant strain of Aspergillus niger isolated for protease overproduction accumulated Taka-amylase supported an earlier report that processing of the precursor amylase by protease resulted in the secretion of multiple amylases. Studies using a mutant strain revealed that such processing was not due to aspergillopepsin but to autocatalysis by an inherent protease activity of the precursor and glucoamylase. Alignment of protease sequences with glucoamylase showed regions of consensus with serine carboxypeptidase of A. niger. Thus point mutations in this region due to ultraviolet radiation apparently caused the mutant to evolve with enhanced protease activity that degraded the precursor and accumulated Taka-amylase.