Control strategy for current limitation and maximum capacity utilization of grid connected PV inverter under unbalanced grid conditions

Under grid voltage sags, over current protection and exploiting the maximum capacity of the inverter are the two main goals of grid-connected PV inverters. To facilitate low-voltage ride-through (LVRT), it is imperative to ensure that inverter currents are sinusoidal and remain within permissible limits throughout the inverter operation. An improved LVRT control strategy for a two-stage three-phase grid-connected PV system is presented here to address these challenges. To provide over current limitation as well as to ensure maximum exploitation of the inverter capacity, a control strategy is proposed, and performance the strategy is evaluated based on the three generation scenarios on a 2-kW grid connected PV system. An active power curtailment (APC) loop is activated only in high power generation scenario to limit the current's amplitude below the inverter's rated current. The superior performance of the proposed strategy is established by comparison with two recent LVRT control strategies. The proposed method not only injects necessary active and reactive power but also minimizes overcurrent with increased exploitation of the inverter's capacity under unbalanced grid voltage sag.

Leishmania vaccine development: A comprehensive review

Infectious diseases like leishmaniasis, malaria, HIV, tuberculosis, leprosy and filariasis are responsible for an immense burden on public health systems. Among these, leishmaniasis is under the category I diseases as it is selected by WHO (World Health Organization) on the ground of diversity and complexity. High cost, resistance and toxic effects of Leishmania traditional drugs entail identification and development of therapeutic alternative. Since the natural infection elicits robust immunity, consistence efforts are going on to develop a successful vaccine. Clinical trials have been conducted on vaccines like Leish-F1, F2, and F3 formulated using specific Leishmania antigen epitopes. Current strategies utilize individual or combined antigens from the parasite or its insect vector's salivary gland extract, with or without adjuvant formulation for enhanced efficacy. Promising animal data supports multiple vaccine candidates (Lmcen-/-, LmexCen-/-), with some already in or heading for clinical trials. The crucial challenge in Leishmania vaccine development is to translate the research knowledge into affordable and accessible control tools that refines the outcome for those who are susceptible to infection. This review focuses on recent findings in Leishmania vaccines and highlights difficulties facing vaccine development and implementation.

Natural-Product-Inspired Microwave-Assisted Synthesis of Novel Spirooxindoles as Antileishmanial Agents: Synthesis, Stereochemical Assignment, Bioevaluation, SAR, and Molecular Docking Studies

Leishmaniasis is a neglected tropical disease, and there is an emerging need for the development of effective drugs to treat it. To identify novel compounds with antileishmanial properties, a novel series of functionalized spiro[indoline-3,2'-pyrrolidin]-2-one/spiro[indoline-3,3'-pyrrolizin]-2-one 23a-f, 24a-f, and 25a-g were prepared from natural-product-inspired pharmaceutically privileged bioactive sub-structures, i.e., isatins 20a-h, various substituted chalcones 21a-f, and 22a-c amino acids, via 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reactions in MeOH at 80 °C using a microwave-assisted approach. Compared to traditional methods, microwave-assisted synthesis produces higher yields and better quality, and it takes less time. We report here the in vitro antileishmanial activity against Leishmania donovani and SAR studies. The analogues 24a, 24e, 24f, and 25d were found to be the most active compounds of the series and showed IC₅₀ values of 2.43 µM, 0.96 µM, 1.62 µM, and 3.55 µM, respectively, compared to the standard reference drug Amphotericin B (IC₅₀ = 0.060 µM). All compounds were assessed for Leishmania DNA topoisomerase type IB inhibition activity using the standard drug Camptothecin, and 24a, 24e, 24f, and 25d showed potential results. In order to further validate the experimental results and gain a deeper understanding of the binding manner of such compounds, molecular docking studies were also performed. The stereochemistry of the novel functionalized spirooxindole derivatives was confirmed by single-crystal X-ray crystallography studies.

Irrigation Effect on Yield, Skin Blemishes, Phellem Formation, and Total Phenolics of Red Potatoes

Dark Red Norland is an important potato cultivar in the fresh market due to its attractive bright, red colour, and good yield. However, skin blemishes such as silver patch, surface cracking, and russeting can negatively influence the tuber skin quality and marketability. It is well known that potato is a drought-sensitive plant. This study was conducted to determine whether irrigation would affect Dark Red Norland's yield and skin quality. A three-year field trial was conducted by Peak of the Market in Manitoba, Canada. Plants were treated under both irrigation and rainfed conditions. The results show that irrigation increased the total yield by 20.6% and reduced the severity of surface cracking by 48.5%. Microscopy imaging analysis demonstrated that tubers from the rainfed trials formed higher numbers of suberized cell layers than those of the irrigated potatoes, with a difference of 0.360 to 0.652 layers in normal skins. Surface cracking and silver patch skins had more suberized cell layers than the normal skins, with ranges of 7.805 to 8.333 and 7.740 to 8.496, respectively. A significantly higher amount of total polyphenols was found in the irrigated samples with a mean of 77.30 mg gallic acid equivalents (GAE)/100 g fresh weight (fw) than that of the rainfed samples (69.80 mg GAE/100 g fw). The outcome of this study provides a better understanding of the water regime effect causing these skin blemishes, which could potentially be used to establish strategies to improve tuber skin quality and minimize market losses.

Thrombosis and thromboembolism: Brighton collaboration case definition and guidelines for data collection, analysis, and presentation of immunization safety data

This is a Brighton Collaboration case definition of thrombosis and thromboembolism to be used in the evaluation of adverse events following immunization, and for epidemiologic studies for the assessment of background incidence or hypothesis testing. The case definition was developed by a group of experts convened by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) in the context of active development of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines. The case definition format of the Brighton Collaboration was followed to develop a consensus definition and defined levels of certainty, after an exhaustive review of the literature and expert consultation. The document underwent peer review by the Brighton Collaboration Network and by selected expert reviewers prior to submission.

Oxidant-Switched Palladium-Catalyzed Regioselective Mono- versus Bis-ortho-Aroylation of 1-Aryl-1H-indazoles with Aldehydes via C-H Bond Activation

A highly efficient oxidant-switched palladium-catalyzed regioselective C_(sp²)-H/C_(sp²)-H cross-dehydrogenative coupling (CDC) for direct mono/bis-ortho-aroylation of substituted 1-phenyl-1H-indazoles 1a-j with various substituted aldehydes 3a-t via C_(sp²)-H bond activation has been developed. In this study, Pd-catalyzed chelation-assisted mono- or bis-aroylation of substituted 1-phenyl-1H-indazoles depends on the type of oxidant being used for the CDC reaction. While mono-ortho-aroylation of substituted 1-phenyl-1H-indazole was obtained using dicumylperoxide (DCP) as the oxidant, the bis-ortho-aroylation product has been afforded by the use of tert-butyl hydroperoxide (TBHP). Regardless of the greater activity at the C-3 position of 1H-indazoles, the greater coordinating capacity of the N atom directed the aroylating group to the ortho position, leaving behind the nondirected metalation pathway. The Pd-catalyzed operationally simplified methodology proceeded in the presence of oxidants with either DCP or TBHP in dichloroethane as the solvent at 110 °C for 16 h, which generated a miscellaneous variety of monosubstituted o-benzoyl/acyl-1-aryl-1H-indazoles 4a-t/5a-i and bis-substituted o-benzoyl-1-aryl-1H-indazoles 6a-j in ≤88% yields. The probable mechanistic pathway involves a free radical chelation-assisted approach that could be accomplished by the addition of an in situ-generated oxidant-promoted benzoyl/acyl radical to the ortho position of 1-phenyl-1H-indazoles. A wide range of substrates, a high functional group tolerance, gram-scale synthesis, control/competitive experiments, and a variety of synthetic applications further exemplify the versatility of the developed methodology.

Over-the-Counter Sale of Antibiotics in India: A Qualitative Study of Providers' Perspectives across Two States

India has one of the highest rates of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) worldwide. Despite being prescription drugs, antibiotics are commonly available over-the-counter (OTC) at retail pharmacies. We aimed to gain insight into the OTC sale of antibiotics at retail pharmacies and to elucidate its underlying drivers. We conducted face-to-face, in-depth interviews using convenience sampling with 22 pharmacists and 14 informal dispensers from 36 retail pharmacies across two Indian states (Haryana and Telangana). Thematic analysis revealed that antibiotics were often dispensed OTC for conditions e.g., fever, cough and cold, and acute diarrhea, which are typically viral and self-limiting. Both Access and Watch groups of antibiotics were dispensed for 1-2 days. Respondents had poor knowledge regarding AMR and shifted the blame for OTC practices for antibiotics onto the government, prescribers, informal providers, cross practice by alternative medicine practitioners, and consumer demand. Pharmacists suggested the main drivers for underlying OTC dispensing were commercial interests, poor access to public healthcare, economic and time constraints among consumers, lack of stringent regulations, and scanty inspections. Therefore, a comprehensive strategy which is well aligned with activities under the National Action Plan-AMR, including stewardship efforts targeting pharmacists and evidence-based targeted awareness campaigns for all stakeholders, is required to curb the inappropriate use of antibiotics.

Evidence for Reversal of Immunosuppression by Homeopathic Medicine to a Predominant Th1-type Immune Response in BALB/c Mice Infected with Leishmania donovani

BACKGROUND

 Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a neglected tropical disease that is fatal if treatment is not given. The available chemotherapeutic options are unsatisfactory, and so complementary therapies like homeopathy might be a promising approach.

METHODS

 A nosode from a pure axenic culture of Leishmania donovani was prepared and screened for its anti-leishmanial potential both in an in-vitro and an in-vivo experimental approach.

RESULTS

 Leishmania donovani amastigote promastigote nosode (LdAPN 30C) exhibited significant anti-leishmanial activity against the promastigote forms of Leishmania donovani and was found to be safe. A study conducted on VL-infected mice revealed that LdAPN 30C resolved the disease by modulating the host immune response toward the Th1 type through upregulating the pro-inflammatory cytokines (IFN-γ and IL-17) and inducing nitric oxide (NO) levels in the infected macrophages. The hepatic parasite load was also found to be significantly decreased. The nosode was found to be safe, as no histological alterations in the liver or kidney were observed in the animals treated with the LdAPN 30C.

CONCLUSION

 This is the first study in which an axenic culture of Leishmania donovani has been used for the preparation of a homeopathic medication. The study highlights the anti-leishmanial and immunomodulatory potential of a homeopathic nosode in experimental VL.

Ayurvedic management of persistent hypoxia in a diabetic and hypertensive COVID-19 patient in the post-hospitalization period - A Case Report

COVID-19 patients may require supplemental oxygen therapy at home after recovery from COVID-19. We report benefits of add on Ayurvedic intervention in a 75-year-old gentleman who was oxygen dependent post hospitalisation. He was earlier treated for COVID-19 related bilateral pneumonitis, Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome and Acute Renal Failure. Patient reported breathing difficulty, generalized weakness, reduced appetite and severe constipation. The Pulse Oximetry readings with oxygen support fluctuated between 80 and 85 %, Blood Pressure was 150/100 mm Hg, LDH raised at 463 IU/L and HbA1c at 8.7%. The patient was administered micro-doses of Rasasindura sublingually every 10 min for one day followed by administration of Indukānta Ghṛita and Suvarṇamālinīvasanta Rasa. The oxygen saturation improved to 95 % in 12 hrs of initiating treatment, oxygen support was weaned off on the third day of starting the Ayurvedic treatment, three weeks earlier than prescribed at the time of discharge. The patient is ambulant and maintaining oxygen saturation between 95 and 98 %. This case report highlights the potential of Ayurvedic intervention to manage patients with persistent hypoxia in post hospitalization phase. Well-designed studies are warranted to confirm the benefits of integrating such interventions with standard of care in COVID-19.

Odderon Exchange from Elastic Scattering Differences between pp and pp[over ¯] Data at 1.96 TeV and from pp Forward Scattering Measurements

We describe an analysis comparing the pp[over ¯] elastic cross section as measured by the D0 Collaboration at a center-of-mass energy of 1.96 TeV to that in pp collisions as measured by the TOTEM Collaboration at 2.76, 7, 8, and 13 TeV using a model-independent approach. The TOTEM cross sections, extrapolated to a center-of-mass energy of sqrt[s]=1.96  TeV, are compared with the D0 measurement in the region of the diffractive minimum and the second maximum of the pp cross section. The two data sets disagree at the 3.4σ level and thus provide evidence for the t-channel exchange of a colorless, C-odd gluonic compound, also known as the odderon. We combine these results with a TOTEM analysis of the same C-odd exchange based on the total cross section and the ratio of the real to imaginary parts of the forward elastic strong interaction scattering amplitude in pp scattering for which the significance is between 3.4σ and 4.6σ. The combined significance is larger than 5σ and is interpreted as the first observation of the exchange of a colorless, C-odd gluonic compound.

Operationalising the "One Health" approach in India: facilitators of and barriers to effective cross-sector convergence for zoonoses prevention and control

BACKGROUND

There is a strong policy impetus for the One Health cross-sectoral approach to address the complex challenge of zoonotic diseases, particularly in low/lower middle income countries (LMICs). Yet the implementation of this approach in LMIC contexts such as India has proven challenging, due partly to the relatively limited practical guidance and understanding on how to foster and sustain cross-sector collaborations. This study addresses this gap by exploring the facilitators of and barriers to successful convergence between the human, animal and environmental health sectors in India.

METHODS

A mixed methods study was conducted using a detailed content review of national policy documents and in-depth semi-structured interview data on zoonotic disease management in India. In total, 29 policy documents were reviewed and 15 key informant interviews were undertaken with national and state level policymakers, disease managers and experts operating within the human-animal-environment interface of zoonotic disease control.

RESULTS

Our findings suggest that there is limited policy visibility of zoonotic diseases, although global zoonoses, especially those identified to be of pandemic potential by international organisations (e.g. CDC, WHO and OIE) rather than local, high burden endemic diseases, have high recognition in the existing policy agenda setting. Despite the widespread acknowledgement of the importance of cross-sectoral collaboration, a myriad of factors operated to either constrain or facilitate the success of cross-sectoral convergence at different stages (i.e. information-sharing, undertaking common activities and merging resources and infrastructure) of cross-sectoral action. Importantly, participants identified the lack of supportive policies, conflicting departmental priorities and limited institutional capacities as major barriers that hamper effective cross-sectoral collaboration on zoonotic disease control. Building on existing informal inter-personal relationships and collaboration platforms were suggested by participants as the way forward.

CONCLUSION

Our findings point to the importance of strengthening existing national policy frameworks as a first step for leveraging cross-sectoral capacity for improved disease surveillance and interventions. This requires the contextual adaptation of the One Health approach in a manner that is sensitive to the underlying socio-political, institutional and cultural context that determines and shapes outcomes of cross-sector collaborative arrangements.

Primary cutaneous anaplastic large-cell lymphoma: a review of the SEER database from 2005 to 2016

INTRODUCTION

Primary cutaneous anaplastic large-cell lymphoma (PC-ALCL) is a rare T-cell lymphoma. A prior analysis of the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database reported only 157 cases of localized primary cutaneous CD30+ T-cell lymphoproliferative disorders (PC-ALCL and lymphomatoid papulosis) from 1973 to 2004. Our analysis of the SEER database since 2004 is the largest to date and our results improve our understanding of this disease and their potential prognostic factors.

METHODS

We used the SEER database to retrospectively identify patients. Survival was analysed using the Kaplan-Meier method, and log-rank tests were used to compare survival distributions.

RESULTS

There were 501 cases of PC-ALCL recorded from 2005 to 2016. Overall survival rates at 5 and 10 years were found to be 80.6% (95% CI 76.3%-84.3%) and 61.5% (95% CI 54.1%-68.1%) respectively. Age ≥ 60 years [hazard ratio (HR) = 1.09, P = 0.001 and use of chemotherapy (HR = 1.86, P = 0.01)] were associated with lower overall survival. In contrast to the 1973-2004 cohort, the head and neck site was not significantly associated with prognosis on multivariate analysis.

CONCLUSION

PC-ALCL has been increasingly recognized over the past decade. Age > 60 years and use of chemotherapy are associated with a worse outcome. Contrary to prior studies, location was not associated with poor survival.

Phylogeographical analysis shows the need to protect the wild yaks' last refuge in Nepal

The wild yak Bos mutus was believed to be regionally extinct in Nepal for decades until our team documented two individuals from Upper Humla, north-western Nepal, in 2014. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) seeks further evidence for the conclusive confirmation of that sighting. We conducted line transects and opportunistic sign surveys in the potential wild yak habitats of Humla, Dolpa, and Mustang districts between 2015 and 2017 and collected genetic samples (present and historic) of wild and domestic yaks Bos grunniens. We also sighted another wild yak in Upper Humla in 2015. Phylogenetic and haplotype network analyses based on mitochondrial D-loop sequences (~450 bp) revealed that wild yaks in Humla share the haplotype with wild yaks from the north-western region of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau in China. While hybridization with domestic yaks is a major long-term threat, illegal hunting for meat and trophy put the very small populations of wild yaks in Nepal at risk. Our study indicates that the unprotected habitat of Upper Humla is the last refuge for wild yaks in Nepal. We recommend wild yak conservation efforts in the country to focus on Upper Humla by (i) assigning a formal status of protected area to the region, (ii) raising awareness in the local communities for wild yak conservation, and (iii) providing support for adaptation of herding practice and pastureland use to ensure the viability of the population.

Pharmaceutical effluent: a critical link in the interconnected ecosystem promoting antimicrobial resistance

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a complex global health issue and will push twenty-four million people into extreme poverty by 2030, risking the sustainable development goals (SDGs) 2, 3, 6, 9, 12, and 17 if not addressed immediately. Humans, animals, and the environment are the reservoirs that contribute and allow AMR to propagate in interconnected ecosystems. The emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and antibiotic-resistant genes in the water environment has become an important environmental health issue. One of the major influencers from environment sector is the pharmaceutical industry which is growing globally to meet the ever-increasing demand of antibiotics, especially in low- and middle-income countries. The pharmaceutical effluent has a mix of large concentrations of antibiotics and antibiotic resistance genes, and these sites act as hotspots for environmental contamination and the spread of AMR. Inadequate treatment of the effluent and its irresponsible disposal leads to unprecedented antibiotic contamination in the environment and their persistent presence in the environment significantly modulates the bacterial genomes' expression that is responsible for increase and spread of AMR. However, not much interventions are suggested in the National Action Plan developed on AMR by many countries. There are no regulations across the globe till date for the level of antibiotic residues in pharmaceutical effluent for the growing pharmaceutical industry. This review put together the work done showing several detrimental effects of the antimicrobial residues in the pharmaceutical effluent which leads to rise in development of AMR. The environment risk approach and need to have indicators to measure environment risk is a way forward for all countries engage in antibiotic manufacturing. Overall, efforts to address the problem are isolated and fragmented. Policymakers, regulators, manufacturers, researchers, civil society, and the community need to collaborate so that antibiotics are produced sustainably and continue to stay effective in treating bacterial infections.

Correlations Between Facial Expressivity and Apathy in Elderly People With Neurocognitive Disorders: Exploratory Study

Background

Neurocognitive disorders are often accompanied by behavioral symptoms such as anxiety, depression, and/or apathy. These symptoms can occur very early in the disease progression and are often difficult to detect and quantify in nonspecialized clinical settings.

Objective

We focus in this study on apathy, one of the most common and debilitating neuropsychiatric symptoms in neurocognitive disorders. Specifically, we investigated whether facial expressivity extracted through computer vision software correlates with the severity of apathy symptoms in elderly subjects with neurocognitive disorders.

Methods

A total of 63 subjects (38 females and 25 males) with neurocognitive disorder participated in the study. Apathy was assessed using the Apathy Inventory (AI), a scale comprising 3 domains of apathy: loss of interest, loss of initiation, and emotional blunting. The higher the scale score, the more severe the apathy symptoms. Participants were asked to recall a positive and a negative event of their life, while their voice and face were recorded using a tablet device. Action units (AUs), which are basic facial movements, were extracted using OpenFace 2.0. A total of 17 AUs (intensity and presence) for each frame of the video were extracted in both positive and negative storytelling. Average intensity and frequency of AU activation were calculated for each participant in each video. Partial correlations (controlling for the level of depression and cognitive impairment) were performed between these indexes and AI subscales.

Results

Results showed that AU intensity and frequency were negatively correlated with apathy scale scores, in particular with the emotional blunting component. The more severe the apathy symptoms, the less expressivity in specific emotional and nonemotional AUs was displayed from participants while recalling an emotional event. Different AUs showed significant correlations depending on the sex of the participant and the task’s valence (positive vs negative story), suggesting the importance of assessing male and female participants independently.

Conclusions

Our study suggests the interest of employing computer vision-based facial analysis to quantify facial expressivity and assess the severity of apathy symptoms in subjects with neurocognitive disorders. This may represent a useful tool for a preliminary apathy assessment in nonspecialized settings and could be used to complement classical clinical scales. Future studies including larger samples should confirm the clinical relevance of this kind of instrument.

Knowledge and behavior of consumers towards the non-prescription purchase of antibiotics: An insight from a qualitative study from New Delhi, India

Background:

In Low-and Middle-Income Countries, including India, consumers often purchase antibiotics over-the-counter (OTC) from retail pharmacies. This practice leads to the inappropriate use of antibiotics in the community which is an important driver for the development of antimicrobial resistance. A better understanding of consumers’ views towards this grave public health concern is critical to developing evidence-based intervention programs for awareness among the general population.

Objective:

To explore knowledge, practice and, behavior of consumers towards antibiotics, antibiotic use, antimicrobial resistance, purchasing behavior of consumers for antibiotics, and to gain insight which will help in developing evidence-based policy interventions.

Methods:

72 in-depth consumer interviews were conducted in all 11 districts of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. The qualitative data were analyzed using thematic analysis.

Results:

Our study found that retail pharmacies were the first point of consultation for common ailments for patients/consumers once home remedies failed; they were largely unaware of the threat of antimicrobial resistance. Consumers’ knowledge of antibiotic use and about antimicrobial resistance was low, they used old prescriptions, and bought antibiotics OTC to save time and money. Despite the presence of regulations constituted to regulate the sale of antibiotics by the Government and the implementation of national campaigns, the practice of self-medication and behaviors such as OTC purchase, non-adherence to prescribed antibiotics was prevalent. Consumers perceive that antibiotics provide quick relief and accelerate the curing process and retail pharmacy shops try to protect their retail business interests by honoring old prescriptions and self-medication for antibiotics.

Conclusions:

The lack of awareness and insufficient knowledge about what antibiotics are and issues such as antimicrobial resistance or antibiotic resistance resulted in misuse of antibiotics by consumers. Limited access to public healthcare and affordability of private healthcare are factors that contribute towards the self-medication/OTC purchase of antibiotics. The regular misuse of antibiotics through irrational use reinforces the need for strong enactment of strategies like continuous community awareness campaigns. Mitigation efforts should focus upon educating consumers continuously and sustainably for the understanding of antibiotic misuse, antimicrobial resistance, and promote better compliance with regulations.

Effects of phosphite as a plant biostimulant on metabolism and stress response for better plant performance in Solanum tuberosum

Food availability represents a major worldwide concern due to population growth, increased demand, and climate change. Therefore, it is imperative to identify compounds that can improve crop performance. Plant biostimulants have gained prominence because of their potentials to increase germination, productivity and quality of a wide range of horticultural and agronomic crops. Phosphite (Phi), an analog of orthophosphate, is an emerging biostimulant used in horticulture and agronomy. The aim of this study was to uncover the molecular mechanisms through which Phi acts as a biostimulant with potential effects of overall plant growth. Field and greenhouse experiments, using 4 potato cultivars, showed that following Phi applications, plant performance, including several physio-biochemical traits, crop productivity, and quality traits, were significantly improved. RNA sequencing of control and Phi-treated plants of cultivar Xingjia No. 2, at 0 h, 6 h, 24 h, 48 h, 72 h and 96 h after the Phi application for 24 h revealed extensive changes in the gene expression profiles. A total of 2856 differentially expressed genes were identified, suggesting that multiple pathways of primary and secondary metabolism, such as flavonoids biosynthesis, starch and sucrose metabolism, and phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, were strongly influenced by foliar applications of Phi. GO (Gene Ontology) and KEGG (Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes) enrichment analyses associated with defense responses revealed significant effects of Phi on a plethora of defense mechanisms. These results suggest that Phi acted as a biostimulant by priming the plants, that was, by triggering dynamic changes in gene expression and modulating metabolic fluxes in a way that allowed plants to perform better. Therefore, Phi usage has the potential to improve crop yield and health, alleviating the challenges posed by the need of feeding a growing world population, while minimizing the agricultural impact on human health and environment.

Associations between private vaccine and antimicrobial consumption across Indian states, 2009-2017

Vaccines can reduce antibiotic use and, consequently, antimicrobial resistance by averting vaccine-preventable and secondary infections. We estimated the associations between private vaccine and antibiotic consumption across Indian states during 2009-2017 using monthly and annual consumption data from IQVIA and employed fixed-effects regression and the Arellano-Bond Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) model for panel data regression, which controlled for income and public sector vaccine use indicators obtained from other sources. In the annual data fixed-effects model, a 1% increase in private vaccine consumption per 1000 under-5 children was associated with a 0.22% increase in antibiotic consumption per 1000 people (P < 0.001). In the annual data GMM model, a 1% increase in private vaccine consumption per 1000 under-5 children was associated with a 0.2% increase in private antibiotic consumption (P < 0.001). In the monthly data GMM model, private vaccine consumption was negatively associated with antibiotic consumption when 32, 34, 35, and 44-47 months had elapsed after vaccine consumption, with a positive association with lags of fewer than 18 months. These results indicate vaccine-induced longer-term reductions in antibiotic use in India, similar to findings of studies from other low- and middle-income countries.

Spin reorientation in antiferromagnetic Dy2FeCoO6 double perovskite

We explored the electronic and magnetic properties of the lanthanide double perovskite Dy₂FeCoO₆ by combining magnetization, Raman and Mössbauer spectroscopy and neutron diffraction along with density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Our magnetization measurements revealed two magnetic phase transitions in Dy₂FeCoO₆. First, a paramagnetic to antiferromagnetic transition at T _N = 248 K and subsequently, a spin reorientation transition at T _SR = 86 K. In addition, a field-induced magnetic phase transition with a critical field of H _c ≈ 20 kOe is seen at 2 K. Neutron diffraction data suggested cation-disordered orthorhombic structure for Dy₂FeCoO₆ in Pnma space group which is supported by Raman scattering results. The magnetic structures ascertained through representational analysis indicate that at T _N, a paramagnetic state is transformed to Γ₅(Cx, Fy, Az) antiferromagnetic structure while, at T _SR, Fe/Co moments undergo a spin reorientation to Γ₃(Gx, Ay, Fz). The refined magnetic moment of (Fe/Co) is 1.47(4) μ _B at 7 K. The antiferromagnetic structure found experimentally is supported through the DFT calculations which predict an insulating electronic state in Dy₂FeCoO₆.

PLAAN: Pain Level Assessment with Anomaly-detection based Network

Automatic chronic pain assessment and pain intensity estimation has been attracting growing attention due to its widespread applications. One of the prevalent issues in automatic pain analysis is inadequate balanced expert-labelled data for pain estimation. This work proposes an anomaly detection based network addressing one of the existing limitations of automatic pain assessment. The evaluation of the network is performed on pain intensity estimation and protective behaviour estimation tasks from body movements in the EmoPain Challenge dataset. The EmoPain dataset consists of body part based sensor data for both the tasks. The proposed network, PLAAN (Pain Level Assessment with Anomaly-detection based Network), is a lightweight LSTM-DNN network which considers features based on sensor data as the input and predicts intensity level of pain and presence or absence of protective behaviour in chronic low back pain patients. Joint training considering body movement patterns, such as exercise type, corresponding to pain exhibition as a label improves the performance of the network. However, contrary to perception, protective behaviour rather exists sporadically alongside pain in the EmoPain dataset. This induces yet another complication in accurate estimation of protective behaviour. This problem is resolved by incorporating anomaly detection in the network. A detailed comparison of different networks with varied features is outlined in the paper, presenting a significant improvement with the final proposed anomaly detection based network.

Estimating the cost of interventions to improve water, sanitation and hygiene in healthcare facilities across India

Introduction

Despite increasing utilisation of institutional healthcare in India, many healthcare facilities (HCFs) lack access to basic water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services. WASH services protect patients by improving infection prevention and control (IPC), which in turn can reduce the burden of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). However, data on the cost of implementing WASH interventions in Indian HCFs are limited.

Methods

We surveyed 32 HCFs across India, varying in size, type and setting to obtain the direct costs of providing improved water supply, sanitation and IPC-supporting infrastructure. We calculated the average costs of WASH interventions and the number of HCFs nationwide requiring investments in WASH to estimate the financial cost of improving WASH across India’s public healthcare system over 1 year.

Results

Improving WASH across India’s public healthcare sector and sustaining services among upgraded facilities for 1 year would cost US$354 million in capital costs and US$289 million in recurrent costs from the provider perspective. The most costly interventions were those on water (US$238 million), linen reprocessing (US$112 million) and sanitation (US$104 million), while the least costly were interventions on hand hygiene (US$52 million), medical device reprocessing (US$56 million) and environmental surface cleaning (US$80 million). Overall, investments in rural HCFs would account for 64.4% of total costs, of which 52.3% would go towards primary health centres.

Conclusion

Improving IPC in Indian public HCFs can aid in the prevention of HAIs to reduce the spread of antimicrobial resistance. Although WASH is a necessary component of IPC, coverage remains low in HCFs in India. Using ex-post costs, our results estimate the investment levels needed to improve WASH across the Indian public healthcare system and provide a basis for policymakers to support IPC-related National Action Plan activities for antimicrobial resistance through investments in WASH.

Liposome-A Comprehensive Approach for Researchers

Bangham was first to develop these spherical-shaped nano-vesicles called liposomes in the early 1960s. Today, liposomes have emerged as crucial tools for bettering the delivery of drugs that majorly includes-antifungal drug, peptide hormones, enzymes, vaccines antimicrobial agents, drugs against cancer, and genetic materials. Following the different manufacturing practices and versatile properties liposomes can be categorized in various parameters of size, charge, poly-dispersity index, encapsulation efficiency, solubility properties, and lamellarity. Alteration in such parameters elevates the loading and bioavailability of a drug by giving more clear target specification, desired or controlled release. This bibliographic chapter provides a comprehensive overview of methods for the preparation of liposomes with other perspectives that majorly includes—physio-chemical characteristics, dosage regimen, advantages over other delivery systems, approved liposomal based drugs and other ongoing drugs in clinical trials. It will help researchers to breakthrough more structurally successful delivery vehicles depending upon their various physic-chemical properties.

Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: Progress and Challenges in Eight South Asian and Southeast Asian Countries

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a serious global health threat and is predicted to cause significant health and economic impacts, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). AMR surveillance is critical in LMICs due to high burden of bacterial infections; however, conducting AMR surveillance in resource-limited settings is constrained by poorly functioning health systems, scarce financial resources, and lack of skilled personnel. In 2015, the United Nations World Health Assembly endorsed the World Health Organization's Global Action Plan to tackle AMR; thus, several countries are striving to improve their AMR surveillance capacity, including making significant investments and establishing and expanding surveillance networks. Initial data generated from AMR surveillance networks in LMICs suggest the high prevalence of resistance, but these data exhibit several shortcomings, such as a lack of representativeness, lack of standardized laboratory practices, and underutilization of microbiology services. Despite significant progress, AMR surveillance networks in LMICs face several challenges in expansion and sustainability due to limited financial resources and technical capacity. This review summarizes the existing health infrastructure affecting the establishment of AMR surveillance programs, the burden of bacterial infections demonstrating the need for AMR surveillance, and current progress and challenges in AMR surveillance efforts in eight South and Southeast Asian countries.

Mitochondrial DNA analysis of critically endangered Chinese Pangolins (Manis pentadactyla) from Nepal

Chinese Pangolins (Manis pentadactyla) are Critically Endangered and one of the most illegally traded mammals globally. We generated first COI sequences from five individuals of this species from Nepal. BLASTn search of our 600 bp sequences at GenBank showed pair-wise identity between 99.17% and 100% to M. pentadactyla. There were three haplotypes and a total of five variable sites among five M. pentadactyla sequences. Neighbor-joining tree revealed that all M. pentadactyla from Nepal clustered into same group further splitting into two sub-groups albeit with low bootstrap value, suggesting potential multiple geographic origins. The K2P distance was 0.3% within group and 0.7% between four sequences from Bhaktapur and Kavrepalanchok districts (Mape2, Mape3, Mape5 and Mape6) and museum sample (Mape10). This study has generated reference samples for M. pentadactyla from Nepal and will be helpful in understanding dynamics of illegal trade of this species and in successful identification of M. pentadactyla from Nepal even in the absence of intact specimens.

The Effect of Iodium 30c on Experimental Visceral Leishmaniasis

BACKGROUND

Leishmaniasis is one of several neglected tropical diseases that warrant serious attention. A disease of socio-economically poor people, it demands safer and cheaper drugs that help to overcome the limitations faced by the existing anti-leishmanials. Complementary or traditional medicines might be a good option, with an added advantage that resistance may not develop against these drugs. Thus, the present investigation was performed to evaluate the anti-leishmanial efficacy of an ultra-diluted homeopathic medicine (Iodium 30c) in experimental visceral leishmaniasis (VL).

METHODS

Compliant with strict ethical standards in animal experimentation, the study was performed in-vivo in inbred BALB/c mice which were injected intravenously with 1 × 10⁷ promastigotes of Leishmania donovani before (therapeutic) or after (prophylactic) treatment with Iodium 30c for 30 days. In other groups of mice (n = 6 per group), amphotericin B served as positive control, infected animals as the disease control, while the naïve controls included normal animals; animals receiving only Iodium 30c or Alcohol 30c served as sham controls. The anti-leishmanial efficacy was assessed by determining the hepatic parasite load and analysing percentages of CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T cells. Biochemical analysis and histological studies were performed to check any toxicities.

RESULTS

Iodium-treated animals showed a significantly reduced parasite load (to 1503 ± 39 Leishman Donovan Units, LDU) as compared with the infected controls (4489 ± 256 LDU) (p < 0.05): thus, the mean therapeutic efficacy of Iodium 30c was 66.5%. In addition, the population of CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T cells was significantly increased (p < 0.05) after treatment. No toxicity was observed, as evidenced from biochemical and histopathological studies of the liver and kidneys. Efficacy of Iodium 30c prophylaxis was 58.3%, while the therapeutic efficacy of amphotericin B was 85.9%.

CONCLUSION

This original study has shown that Iodium 30c had significant impact in controlling parasite replication in experimental VL, though the effect was less than that using standard pharmaceutical treatment.

Leishmaniasis diagnosis: an update on the use of parasitological, immunological and molecular methods

Diagnosis of leishmaniasis has always been a major challenge as its clinical features resemble some other commonly occurring diseases such as tuberculosis, typhoid, and malaria. Reliable laboratory methods become important for differential diagnosis. Demonstration of the parasites in stained preparations of bone marrow and splenic aspirates being risky and invasive is still the gold standard for diagnosis. Serological tests utilizing rapid immunochromatographic formats or rK39 in enzyme linked immune sorbent assay, immunoblotting, direct agglutination test have complications related to high proportions of positive asymptomatic individuals and the inability to diagnose a relapse. Among the molecular techniques, polymerase chain reaction is the most commonly used technique that is successfully implied for diagnosis. This review provides updated information on the recent developments in the field of diagnosis in leishmaniasis, various methods utilized with their advantages and limitations.

Exogenous phosphite application alleviates the adverse effects of heat stress and improves thermotolerance of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) seedlings

Phosphite (Phi), an analog of phosphate (Pi) anion, is emerging as a potential biostimulator, fungicide and insecticide. Here, we reported that Phi also significantly enhanced thermotolerance in potatoes under heat stress. Potato plants with and without Phi pretreatment were exposed to heat stress and their heat tolerance was examined by assessing the morphological characteristics, photosynthetic pigment content, photosystem II (PS II) efficiency, levels of oxidative stress, and level of DNA damage. In addition, RNA-sequencing (RNA-Seq) was adopted to investigate the roles of Phi signals and the underlying heat resistance mechanism. RNA-Seq revealed that Phi orchestrated plant immune responses against heat stress by reprograming global gene expressions. Results from physiological data combined with RNA-Seq suggested that the supply of Phi not only was essential for the better plant performance, but also improved thermotolerance of the plants by alleviating oxidative stress and DNA damage, and improved biosynthesis of osmolytes and defense metabolites when exposed to unfavorable thermal conditions. This is the first study to explore the role of Phi in thermotolerance in plants, and the work can be applied to other crops under the challenging environment.

Waste Pomelo (Citrus Maxima) Peels – A Natural Source of Antioxidant and Its Utilization in Peanut Oil for Suppressing the Development of Rancidity

The antioxidant activity of pomelo peels was evaluated with different organic solvents. Minimum yield (11.1%) was obtained with chloroform +methanol (2:1), maximum yield (21.6%) with methanol whereas (15.9%) with ethanol and (12.7%) with hexane were observed. The maximum scavenging activity of (ethanolic pomelo peel extract) 88.8 % was observed at 14mg/ml concentration. Antioxidant activity of ethanolic pomelo peel extract was evaluated by calculating free fatty acid, iodine value and p-Anisidine value of peanut oil during 21 days of storage period at room temperature. Samples were drawn and analyze periodically after 7 days and after 21 days of storage, peanut oil containing 1500 and 2000 ppm pomelo peel extract, be revealed lower free fatty acid values (2.66, 2.15%), and p- anisidine value (6.6, 4.68) and higher iodine value (52.8, 51.46) than control peanut oil sample (free fatty acid 9.32%, p- anisidine value 9.85 and iodine value 33.9). From the results, it could be concluded that natural antioxidants extracted from pomelo peel could be added to fat and oil to increase their shelf life by preventing oxidative rancidity.

First Measurement of Inclusive Muon Neutrino Charged Current Differential Cross Sections on Argon at E_{ν}∼0.8 GeV with the MicroBooNE Detector

We report the first measurement of the double-differential and total muon neutrino charged current inclusive cross sections on argon at a mean neutrino energy of 0.8 GeV. Data were collected using the MicroBooNE liquid argon time projection chamber located in the Fermilab Booster neutrino beam and correspond to 1.6×10^{20} protons on target of exposure. The measured differential cross sections are presented as a function of muon momentum, using multiple Coulomb scattering as a momentum measurement technique, and the muon angle with respect to the beam direction. We compare the measured cross sections to multiple neutrino event generators and find better agreement with those containing more complete treatment of quasielastic scattering processes at low Q^{2}. The total flux integrated cross section is measured to be 0.693±0.010(stat)±0.165(syst)×10^{-38}  cm^{2}.

Gut microbiota and their putative metabolic functions in fragmented Bengal tiger population of Nepal

Bengal tigers (Panthera tigris tigris) serve a pivotal role as an apex predator in forest ecosystems. To increase our knowledge on factors impacting the viability and health of this endangered species, we studied the gut microbiota in 32 individual Bengal tigers from three geographically separated areas (Chitwan National Park (CNP), Bardia National Park (BNP) and Suklaphanta Wildlife Reserve (SWR)) in Nepal, using noninvasive genetic sampling methods. Gut microbiota influence the immune system, impact various physiological functions, and modulates metabolic reactions, that ultimately impact the host health, behavior and development. Across the tiger populations in Nepal, we found significant differences in the composition of microbial communities based on their geographic locations. Specifically, we detected significant differences between CNP and the other two protected areas (CNP vs BNP: pseudo t = 1.944, P = 0.006; CNP vs SWR: pseudo t = 1.9942, P = 0.0071), but no differences between BNP and SWR. This mirrors what has been found for tiger gene flow in the same populations, suggesting gut microbiota composition and host gene flow may be linked. Furthermore, predictive metagenome functional content analysis (PICRUSt) revealed a higher functional enrichment and diversity for significant gut microbiota in the Chitwan tiger population and the lowest enrichment and diversity in Suklaphanta. The CNP tiger population contained higher proportions of microbiota that are associated with predicted functions relevant for metabolism of amino acid, lipid, xenobiotics biodegradation, terpenoides and polyketides than the SWR population. We conclude the tiger population structure, gut microbiota profile and associated functional metabolic categories are correlated, with geographically most separated CNP and SWR tiger population having the most distinct and different host genotype and microbiota profiles. Our work dramatically expands the understanding of tiger microbiota in wild populations and provides a valuable case study on how to investigate genetic diversity at different hierarchical levels, including hosts as well as their microbial communities.

Species, sex and geo-location identification of seized tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) parts in Nepal-A molecular forensic approach

Tiger (Panthera tigris) populations are in danger across their entire range due to habitat loss, poaching and the demand for tiger parts. The Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) is an endangered apex predator with a population size estimated to be less than 200 in Nepal. In spite of strict wildlife protection laws, illegal trade of tiger parts is increasing; and Nepal has become one of the major sources and transit routes for poached wildlife parts. Identification of wildlife parts is often challenging for law enforcement officials due to inadequate training and lack of available tools. Here, we describe a molecular forensic approach to gain insight into illegally trafficked tiger parts seized across Nepal. We created Nepal's first comprehensive reference genetic database of wild tigers through the Nepal Tiger Genome Project (2011-2013). This database has nuclear DNA microsatellite genotype and sex profiles, including geo-spatial information, of over 60% (n = 120) of the wild tigers of Nepal. We analyzed 15 putative cases of confiscated poached tiger parts and all were confirmed to be of tiger. Ten samples were identified as male and five were female. We determined probable geo-source location for 9 of the 14 samples with 6-8 nuclear DNA microsatellite loci using inferences from four different statistical assignment methods. Six samples were assigned to Bardia National Park and one of these was an exact match to a female tiger previously profiled in our fecal DNA reference database. Two tiger samples were assigned to Shuklaphanta Wildlife Reserve and one to Chitwan National Park. We are unable to definitively assign five tiger samples which could be offspring dispersers or might have come from tiger population outside of Nepal. Our study revealed that the western region, particularly Bardia National Park, is a poaching hotspot for illegal tiger trade in Nepal. We present feasibility of using molecular forensic based evidence to incriminate criminals in a court of law in the fight against wildlife crime.