Plant size, latitude, and phylogeny explain within-population variability in herbivory

Interactions between plants and herbivores are central in most ecosystems, but their strength is highly variable. The amount of variability within a system is thought to influence most aspects of plant-herbivore biology, from ecological stability to plant defense evolution. Our understanding of what influences variability, however, is limited by sparse data. We collected standardized surveys of herbivory for 503 plant species at 790 sites across 116° of latitude. With these data, we show that within-population variability in herbivory increases with latitude, decreases with plant size, and is phylogenetically structured. Differences in the magnitude of variability are thus central to how plant-herbivore biology varies across macroscale gradients. We argue that increased focus on interaction variability will advance understanding of patterns of life on Earth.

The positive effect of plant diversity on soil carbon depends on climate

Little is currently known about how climate modulates the relationship between plant diversity and soil organic carbon and the mechanisms involved. Yet, this knowledge is of crucial importance in times of climate change and biodiversity loss. Here, we show that plant diversity is positively correlated with soil carbon content and soil carbon-to-nitrogen ratio across 84 grasslands on six continents that span wide climate gradients. The relationships between plant diversity and soil carbon as well as plant diversity and soil organic matter quality (carbon-to-nitrogen ratio) are particularly strong in warm and arid climates. While plant biomass is positively correlated with soil carbon, plant biomass is not significantly correlated with plant diversity. Our results indicate that plant diversity influences soil carbon storage not via the quantity of organic matter (plant biomass) inputs to soil, but through the quality of organic matter. The study implies that ecosystem management that restores plant diversity likely enhances soil carbon sequestration, particularly in warm and arid climates.

Functional substitutability of native herbivores by livestock for soil carbon stock is mediated by microbial decomposers

Grazing by large mammalian herbivores impacts climate as it can favor the size and stability of a large carbon (C) pool in the soils of grazing ecosystems. As native herbivores in the world's grasslands, steppes, and savannas are progressively being displaced by livestock, it is important to ask whether livestock can emulate the functional roles of their native counterparts. While livestock and native herbivores can have remarkable similarity in their traits, they can differ greatly in their impacts on vegetation composition which can affect soil-C. It is uncertain how these similarities and differences impact soil-C via their influence on microbial decomposers. We test competing alternative hypotheses with a replicated, long-term, landscape-level, grazing-exclusion experiment to ask whether livestock in the Trans-Himalayan ecosystem of northern India can match decadal-scale (2005-2016) soil-C stocks under native herbivores. We evaluate multiple lines of evidence from 17 variables that influence soil-C (quantity and quality of C-input from plants, microbial biomass and metabolism, microbial community composition, eDNA, veterinary antibiotics in soil), and assess their inter-relationships. Livestock and native herbivores differed in their effects on several soil microbial processes. Microbial carbon use efficiency (CUE) was 19% lower in soils under livestock. Compared to native herbivores, areas used by livestock contained 1.5 kg C m^-2 less soil-C. Structural equation models showed that alongside the effects arising from plants, livestock alter soil microbial communities which is detrimental for CUE, and ultimately also for soil-C. Supporting evidence pointed toward a link between veterinary antibiotics used on livestock, microbial communities, and soil-C. Overcoming the challenges of sequestering antibiotics to minimize their potential impacts on climate, alongside microbial rewilding under livestock, may reconcile the conflicting demands from food-security and ecosystem services. Conservation of native herbivores and alternative management of livestock is crucial for soil-C stewardship to envision and achieve natural climate solutions.

Environmental heterogeneity modulates the effect of plant diversity on the spatial variability of grassland biomass

Plant productivity varies due to environmental heterogeneity, and theory suggests that plant diversity can reduce this variation. While there is strong evidence of diversity effects on temporal variability of productivity, whether this mechanism extends to variability across space remains elusive. Here we determine the relationship between plant diversity and spatial variability of productivity in 83 grasslands, and quantify the effect of experimentally increased spatial heterogeneity in environmental conditions on this relationship. We found that communities with higher plant species richness (alpha and gamma diversity) have lower spatial variability of productivity as reduced abundance of some species can be compensated for by increased abundance of other species. In contrast, high species dissimilarity among local communities (beta diversity) is positively associated with spatial variability of productivity, suggesting that changes in species composition can scale up to affect productivity. Experimentally increased spatial environmental heterogeneity weakens the effect of plant alpha and gamma diversity, and reveals that beta diversity can simultaneously decrease and increase spatial variability of productivity. Our findings unveil the generality of the diversity-stability theory across space, and suggest that reduced local diversity and biotic homogenization can affect the spatial reliability of key ecosystem functions.

Proton Distribution Radii of ^{16-24}O: Signatures of New Shell Closures and Neutron Skin

The root mean square radii of the proton density distribution in ^{16-24}O derived from measurements of charge changing cross sections with a carbon target at ∼900A  MeV together with the matter radii portray thick neutron skin for ^{22-24}O despite ^{22,24}O being doubly magic. Imprints of the shell closures at N=14 and 16 are reflected in local minima of their proton radii that provide evidence for the tensor interaction causing them. The radii agree with ab initio calculations employing the chiral NNLO_{sat} interaction, though skin thickness predictions are challenged. Shell model predictions agree well with the data.

Evolutionary history of grazing and resources determine herbivore exclusion effects on plant diversity

Ecological models predict that the effects of mammalian herbivore exclusion on plant diversity depend on resource availability and plant exposure to ungulate grazing over evolutionary time. Using an experiment replicated in 57 grasslands on six continents, with contrasting evolutionary history of grazing, we tested how resources (mean annual precipitation and soil nutrients) determine herbivore exclusion effects on plant diversity, richness and evenness. Here we show that at sites with a long history of ungulate grazing, herbivore exclusion reduced plant diversity by reducing both richness and evenness and the responses of richness and diversity to herbivore exclusion decreased with mean annual precipitation. At sites with a short history of grazing, the effects of herbivore exclusion were not related to precipitation but differed for native and exotic plant richness. Thus, plant species' evolutionary history of grazing continues to shape the response of the world's grasslands to changing mammalian herbivory.

Nutrients and herbivores impact grassland stability across spatial scales through different pathways

Nutrients and herbivores are well-known drivers of grassland diversity and stability in local communities. However, whether they interact to impact the stability of aboveground biomass and whether these effects depend on spatial scales remain unknown. It is also unclear whether nutrients and herbivores impact stability via different facets of plant diversity including species richness, evenness, and changes in community composition through time and space. We used a replicated experiment adding nutrients and excluding herbivores for 5 years in 34 global grasslands to explore these questions. We found that both nutrient addition and herbivore exclusion alone reduced stability at the larger spatial scale (aggregated local communities; gamma stability), but through different pathways. Nutrient addition reduced gamma stability primarily by increasing changes in local community composition over time, which was mainly driven by species replacement. Herbivore exclusion reduced gamma stability primarily by decreasing asynchronous dynamics among local communities (spatial asynchrony). Their interaction weakly increased gamma stability by increasing spatial asynchrony. Our findings indicate that disentangling the processes operating at different spatial scales may improve conservation and management aiming at maintaining the ability of ecosystems to reliably provide functions and services for humanity.

Species loss due to nutrient addition increases with spatial scale in global grasslands

The effects of altered nutrient supplies and herbivore density on species diversity vary with spatial scale, because coexistence mechanisms are scale dependent. This scale dependence may alter the shape of the species-area relationship (SAR), which can be described by changes in species richness (S) as a power function of the sample area (A): S = cA^z , where c and z are constants. We analysed the effects of experimental manipulations of nutrient supply and herbivore density on species richness across a range of scales (0.01-75 m² ) at 30 grasslands in 10 countries. We found that nutrient addition reduced the number of species that could co-occur locally, indicated by the SAR intercepts (log c), but did not affect the SAR slopes (z). As a result, proportional species loss due to nutrient enrichment was largely unchanged across sampling scales, whereas total species loss increased over threefold across our range of sampling scales.

Greening of the earth does not compensate for rising soil heterotrophic respiration under climate change

Stability of the soil carbon (C) pool under decadal scale variability in temperature and precipitation is an important source of uncertainty in our understanding of land-atmosphere climate feedbacks. This depends on how two opposing C-fluxes-influx from net primary production (NPP) and efflux from heterotrophic soil respiration (R_h )-respond to covariation in temperature and precipitation. There is scant evidence to judge whether field experiments which manipulate both temperature and precipitation align with Earth System Models, or not. As a result, even though the world is generally greening, whether the resultant gains in NPP can offset climate change impacts on R_h , where, and by how much, remains uncertain. Here, we use decadal-scale global time-series datasets on NPP, R_h , temperature, and precipitation to estimate the two opposing C-fluxes and address whether one can outpace the other. We implement machine-learning tools on recent (2001-2019) and near-future climate scenarios (2020-2040) to assess the response of both C-fluxes to temperature and precipitation variation. We find that changes in C-influx may not compensate for C-efflux, particularly in wetter and warmer conditions. Soil-C loss can occur in both tropics and at high latitudes since C-influx from NPP can fall behind C-efflux from R_h . Precipitation emerges as the key determinant of soil-C vulnerability in a warmer world, implying that hotspots for soil-C loss/gain can shift rapidly and highlighting that soil-C is vulnerable to climate change despite widespread greening of the world. The direction of covariation between change in temperature and precipitation, rather than their magnitude, can help conceptualize highly variable patterns in C-fluxes to guide soil-C stewardship.

Two-Neutron Halo is Unveiled in ^{29}F

We report the measurement of reaction cross sections (σ_{R}^{ex}) of ^{27,29}F with a carbon target at RIKEN. The unexpectedly large σ_{R}^{ex} and derived matter radius identify ^{29}F as the heaviest two-neutron Borromean halo to date. The halo is attributed to neutrons occupying the 2p_{3/2} orbital, thereby vanishing the shell closure associated with the neutron number N=20. The results are explained by state-of-the-art shell model calculations. Coupled-cluster computations based on effective field theories of the strong nuclear force describe the matter radius of ^{27}F but are challenged for ^{29}F.

Nutrient availability controls the impact of mammalian herbivores on soil carbon and nitrogen pools in grasslands

Grasslands are subject to considerable alteration due to human activities globally, including widespread changes in populations and composition of large mammalian herbivores and elevated supply of nutrients. Grassland soils remain important reservoirs of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N). Herbivores may affect both C and N pools and these changes likely interact with increases in soil nutrient availability. Given the scale of grassland soil fluxes, such changes can have striking consequences for atmospheric C concentrations and the climate. Here, we use the Nutrient Network experiment to examine the responses of soil C and N pools to mammalian herbivore exclusion across 22 grasslands, under ambient and elevated nutrient availabilities (fertilized with NPK + micronutrients). We show that the impact of herbivore exclusion on soil C and N pools depends on fertilization. Under ambient nutrient conditions, we observed no effect of herbivore exclusion, but under elevated nutrient supply, pools are smaller upon herbivore exclusion. The highest mean soil C and N pools were found in grazed and fertilized plots. The decrease in soil C and N upon herbivore exclusion in combination with fertilization correlated with a decrease in aboveground plant biomass and microbial activity, indicating a reduced storage of organic matter and microbial residues as soil C and N. The response of soil C and N pools to herbivore exclusion was contingent on temperature - herbivores likely cause losses of C and N in colder sites and increases in warmer sites. Additionally, grasslands that contain mammalian herbivores have the potential to sequester more N under increased temperature variability and nutrient enrichment than ungrazed grasslands. Our study highlights the importance of conserving mammalian herbivore populations in grasslands worldwide. We need to incorporate local-scale herbivory, and its interaction with nutrient enrichment and climate, within global-scale models to better predict land-atmosphere interactions under future climate change.

Swelling of Doubly Magic ^{48}Ca Core in Ca Isotopes beyond N=28

Interaction cross sections for ^{42-51}Ca on a carbon target at 280  MeV/nucleon have been measured for the first time. The neutron number dependence of derived root-mean-square matter radii shows a significant increase beyond the neutron magic number N=28. Furthermore, this enhancement of matter radii is much larger than that of the previously measured charge radii, indicating a novel growth in neutron skin thickness. A simple examination based on the Fermi-type distribution, and mean field calculations point out that this anomalous enhancement of the nuclear size beyond N=28 results from an enlargement of the core by a sudden increase in the surface diffuseness of the neutron density distribution, which implies the swelling of the bare ^{48}Ca core in Ca isotopes beyond N=28.

Structure of superheavy hydrogen 7H

The properties of nuclei with extreme neutron–to–proton ratios reveal the limitations of state-ofthe-art nuclear models and are key to understand nuclear forces. 7H, with six neutrons and a single proton, is the nuclear system with the most unbalanced neutron–to–proton ratio ever known, but its sheer existence and properties are still a challenge for experimental efforts and theoretical models. We report here the first measurement of the basic characteristics and structure of the ground state of 7H; they depict a system with a triton core surrounded by an extended four-neutron halo, built by neutron pairing, that decays through a unique four–neutron emission with a relatively long half-life. These properties are a prime example of new phenomena occurring in almost pure-neutron nuclear matter, beyond the binding limits of the nuclear landscape, that are yet to be described within our current models.

Quantifying long-term plant community dynamics with movement models: implications for ecological resilience

Quantification of rates and patterns of community dynamics is central for understanding the organization and function of ecosystems. These insights may support a greater empirical understanding of ecological resilience, and the application of resilience concepts toward ecosystem management. Distinct types of dynamics in natural communities can be used to interpret and apply resilience concepts, but quantitative methods that can systematically distinguish among them are needed. We develop a quantitative method to analyze long-term records of plant community dynamics using principles of movement ecology. We analyzed dissimilarity of species composition through time with linear and nonlinear statistical models to assign community change to four classes of movement trajectories. Compositional change in each sampled plot through time was classified into four classes, stability, abrupt nonlinear change, transient reversible change, and gradual linear drift, each representing a different aspect of ecological resilience. These competing models were evaluated based on estimated coefficients, goodness of fit, and parsimony. We tested our method's accuracy and robustness through simulations, or the ability to distinguish among trajectories and classify them correctly. We simulated 16,000 trajectories of four types, of which 94-100% were correctly classified. Next, we analyzed 13 long-term vegetation records from North American grasslands (annual grasslands with warm-season and cool-season communities, shortgrass, mixedgrass, and tallgrass prairies, and sagebrush steppe), and a record of primary succession at Mt. St. Helens volcano. Collectively, we analyzed 14,647 observations from 775 plots, between 1915 and 2012. Dynamics could be reliably assigned for 705 plots (91%), and overall statistical fit was high (goodness of fit, 0.77 ± 0.15 SD). Among the perennial grasslands, stability was most common (44% of all plots), followed by gradual linear (22%), abrupt nonlinear (17%), and reversible (6%) change. Among annual grasslands, abrupt nonlinear shifts (33%) were more common in the warm-season community than in the cool-season (20%). As expected, abrupt nonlinear change was common during primary succession (51%) while reversible change was rare (3%). Generally, reversible dynamics often required 2-3 decades. Analysis of long-term community change, or trajectories, with principles of movement ecology provides a quantitative basis to compare and interpret ecological resilience within and among ecosystems.

Pegylated interferon monotherapy for hepatitis C virus infection in patients on hemodialysis: A single center study

There is no published study from India on hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatment in dialysis patients. Patients on dialysis with HCV infection treated with pegylated interferon (Peg-INF) monotherapy were studied. All patients were subjected to HCV-polymerase chain reaction, viral load, genotype, and liver biopsy. Quantitative HCV-RNA was performed monthly. Patients with genotype 1 and 4 were given 12 month therapy while those with genotypes 2 and 3 were given 6 months therapy. Response was classified as per standard criteria of rapid virological response (RVR), early virological response (EVR), end of treatment response (ETR), and sustained virological response (SVR). A total of 85 patients were treated. Mean age was 35.2 ± 10.5 (range 15-67) years, and 77.6% were males. HCV genotypes were 1 in 40.9%, 2 in 12%, 3 in 36.1%, 4 in 3.6%, and others in 7.2%. Mean viral load was 10(6) copies/mL. Mean liver biopsy grade was 4 ± 1.7 and stage 0.8 ± 0.8. Mean time from diagnosis of HCV infection and the treatment start was 10.7 ± 14.3 months. One patient died of unrelated illness, one was lost to follow-up, and three could not sustain treatment due to cost. Forty-three of the 80 (54%) patients had RVR while 49 (61%) patients had EVR and ETR. There was no difference in term of RVR related to genotype. Fifty -four percentage had SVR. Mild flu-like symptoms were seen in all patients. Sixty-four (80%) patients required increase in erythropoietin doses. Twenty-eight (35%) patients developed leukopenia (three treatment-limiting) and 16 (20%) developed thrombocytopenia (one treatment-limiting). Five patients developed tuberculosis, five bacterial pneumonia, and one bacterial knee monoarthritis. None of the patients developed depression. Our study concludes that Peg-INF monotherapy resulted in 54% RVR and SVR in dialysis patients with HCV infection. Therapy was well-tolerated with minimal side effects. There was no effect of viral genotype on response to therapy.

Role of diffusion weighted imaging in diagnosis of post transplant lymphoproliferative disorders: Case reports and review of literature

Post transplant lymphoproliferative disorder include a spectrum of conditions occurring in immunosuppressed post transplant recipients, lymphoma being the most ominous. ¹⁸F-fludeoxyglucose positron emission tomography with computed tomography CT) is the current imaging gold standard for lymphoma imaging as it allows both morphological and functional assessment. CT and/or conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are used for morphological evaluation in transplant recipients. Integrating diffusion weighted imaging with apparent diffusion coefficient analysis in MRI protocol enhances its sensitivity and may prove invaluable in response assessment in transplant recipients.

Micrometer-sized negative-ion accelerator based on ultrashort laser pulse interaction with transparent solids

We report here energetic (>100 keV) negative hydrogen ions (H(-)) generated in the interaction of moderately intense (10(18) W cm(-2)) ultrashort laser pulses (45 fs) with transparent hydrogen containing solid targets. An unambiguous and consistent detection of negative hydrogen ions, with a flux of 8×10(11)H(-) ions/sr, has been observed in every single laser shot, using a Thomson parabola ion spectrograph. Simple estimates based on charge transfer cross sections match well with experimental observations. Our method offers the implementation of an intense, ultrashort laser based negative-ion source at a higher repetition rate, which can be important for various applications.

Role of target material in proton acceleration from thin foils irradiated by ultrashort laser pulses

We report on the proton acceleration studies from thin metallic foils of varying atomic number (Z) and thicknesses, investigated using a 45 fs, 10 TW Ti:sapphire laser system. An optimum foil thickness was observed for efficient proton acceleration for our laser conditions, dictated by the laser ASE prepulse and hot electron propagation behavior inside the material. The hydrodynamic simulations for ASE prepulse support the experimental observation. The observed maximum proton energy at different thicknesses for a given element is in good agreement with the reported scaling laws. The results with foils of different atomic number Z suggest that a judicious choice of the foil material can enhance the proton acceleration efficiency, resulting into higher proton energy.

Multiple intracranial space-occupying lesions in a renal transplant recipient from an area endemic for tuberculosis (TB): TB vs. toxoplasmosis

Renal transplant recipients may present with intracranial space-occupying lesions (SOLs) due to infections as well as a post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD). Here, we discuss a renal transplant recipient who presented with neurologic symptoms and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain showed multiple focal SOLs. Tuberculosis (TB), toxoplasmosis, nocardiosis, fungal infections, and PTLD were considered in the differential diagnosis. MRI spectroscopy was suggestive of an infectious cause, such as toxoplasmosis or TB. Serologic tests using Toxoplasma were negative. A brain biopsy followed by immunohistochemical staining using Toxoplasma antibody demonstrated multiple intravascular cysts of toxoplasma. This case highlights the diagnostic dilemma in an immunocompromised patient with multiple focal brain lesions, especially in areas where TB is endemic.

Pattern and Determinants of Overweight and Obesity Among Future Physicians

Background   Overweight including obesity is a leading cause of present day morbidity and kills more people than underweight. Keeping this background in mind this study had been conducted to establish the pattern of overweight and obesity in the midst of undergraduate medical group and to find out the association of overweight (plump) and obesity with probable hazardous factors. Materials and Methods This descriptive observational study had been conducted among undergraduate medical group for the duration of May to June 2011. Simple random sampling was adopted to select the students under study. A pretested, predesigned self-administered questionnaire was utilized for data collection. Body Mass Index (BMI) was assessed through weight and height and acted as forecaster of heavy figure and or obesity. Overweight and or obesity were analyzed to see the association with certain socio-demographic variables, dietary habits, family history of overweight and or obesity, life style issues, computer use etc. After collection of data, these were analyzed using tabulation, proportion and Chi square through Epi-Info software. Results The study subjects were young adults. The general pattern of overweight (plump) and obesity was 18.0 percent and 4.0 percent respectively. Overweight and or obesity was found significantly high among male students, fast food and soft drinks takers, low takers of fruits and vegetables, alcohol consumers, students with lack of exercise and family history of obesity. Overweight and obesity were not found associated with type of diet (vegetarian or non-vegetarian) and smoking. Conclusion Presence of probable associated factors with regard to overweight (plump) and obesity exists amid medical undergraduate pupils.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/nje.v4i1.10134 Nepal Journal of Epidemiology 2014;4 (1): 323-329

Empirical assessment of state-and-transition models with a long-term vegetation record from the Sonoran Desert

Resilience-based frameworks, including state-and-transition models (STM), are being increasingly called upon to inform policy and guide ecosystem management, particularly in rangelands. Yet, multiple challenges impede their effective implementation: (1) paucity of empirical tests of resilience concepts, such as alternative states and thresholds, and (2) heavy reliance on expert models, which are seldom tested against empirical data. We developed an analytical protocol to identify unique plant communities and their transitions, and applied it to a long-term vegetation record from the Sonoran Desert (1953-2009). We assessed whether empirical trends were consistent with resilience concepts, and evaluated how they may inform the construction and interpretation of expert STMs. Seven statistically distinct plant communities were identified based on the cover of 22 plant species in 68 permanent transects. We recorded 253 instances of community transitions, associated with changes in species composition between successive samplings. Expectedly, transitions were more frequent among proximate communities with similar species pools than among distant communities. But unexpectedly, communities and transitions were not strongly constrained by soil type and topography. Only 18 transitions featured disproportionately large compositional turnover (species dissimilarity ranged between 0.54 and 0.68), and these were closely associated with communities that were dominated by the common shrub (burroweed, Haplopappus tenuisecta); indicating that only some, and not all, communities may be prone to large compositional change. Temporal dynamics in individual transects illustrated four general trajectories: stability, nondirectional drift, reversibility, and directional shifts that were not reversed even after 2-3 decades. The frequency of transitions and the accompanying species dissimilarity were both positively correlated with fluctuation in precipitation, indicating that climatic drivers require more attention in STMs. Many features of the expert models, including the number of communities and participant species, were consistent with empirical trends, but expert models underrepresented recent increases in cacti while overemphasizing the introduced Lehmann's lovegrass (Eragrostis lehmanniana). Quantification of communities and transitions within long-term vegetation records presents several quantitative metrics such as transition frequency, magnitude of accompanying compositional change, presence of unidirectional trajectories, and lack of reversibility within various timescales, which can clarify resilience concepts and inform the construction and interpretation of STMs.

Introduced grazers can restrict potential soil carbon sequestration through impacts on plant community composition

Grazing occurs over a third of the earth's land surface and may potentially influence the storage of 10(9) Mg year(-1) of greenhouse gases as soil C. Displacement of native herbivores by high densities of livestock has often led to overgrazing and soil C loss. However, it remains unknown whether matching livestock densities to those of native herbivores can yield equivalent soil C sequestration. In the Trans-Himalayas we found that, despite comparable grazing intensities, watersheds converted to pastoralism had 49% lower soil C than watersheds which retain native herbivores. Experimental grazer-exclusion within each watershed type, show that this difference appears to be driven by indirect effects of livestock diet selection, leading to vegetation shifts that lower plant production and reduce likely soil C inputs from vegetation by c. 25 gC m(-2) year(-1). Our results suggest that while accounting for direct impacts (stocking density) is a major step, managing indirect impacts on vegetation composition are equally important in influencing soil C sequestration in grazing ecosystems.

Treatment of wastewater from a low-temperature carbonization process industry through biological and chemical oxidation processes for recycle/reuse: a case study

Low-temperature carbonization (LTC) of coal generates highly complex wastewater warranting stringent treatment. Developing a techno-economically viable treatment facility for such wastewaters is a challenging task. The paper discusses a case study pertaining to an existing non-performing effluent treatment plant (ETP). The existing ETP comprising an ammonia stripper followed by a single stage biological oxidation was unable to treat 1,050 m(3)/d of effluent as per the stipulated discharge norms. The treated effluent from the existing ETP was characterized with high concentrations of ammonia (75-345 mg N/l), COD (313-1,422 mg/l) and cyanide (0.5-4 mg/l). Studies were undertaken to facilitate recycling/reuse of the treated effluent within the plant. A second stage biooxidation process was investigated at pilot scale for the treatment of the effluent from the ETP. This was further subjected to tertiary treatment with 0.5% dose of 4% hypochlorite which resulted in effluent with pH: 6.6-6.8, COD: 73-121 mg/l, and BOD(5):<10 mg/l. Phenol, cyanide and ammonia were below detectable limits and the colourless effluent was suitable for recycle and reuse. Thus, a modified treatment scheme comprising ammonia pre-stripping followed by two-stage biooxidation process and a chemical oxidation step with hypochlorite at tertiary stage was proposed for recycle/reuse of LTC wastewater.

Birth weight discordance in multiple gestations: Occurrence and outcomes

This paper reviews the patterns of occurrence, measurement and the effect of birth weight discordance on fetal and neonatal mortality in multiple pregnancies (twins and triplets). Birth weight discordance is fairly common among multiple pregnancies, and about one-quarter of the twin deliveries are affected by a birth weight discordance of 15%, while nearly 5% of twin gestations experience severe discordance (>or= 35%). Factors influencing birth weight discordance are exaggerated in triplet deliveries. Approximately 20% of triplet sets experience a birth weight discordance of 25 - 35% and nearly 10% experience severe forms of discordance. Frequencies of discordant sets at >25% discordance along the range of birth weight deciles show an inverse logarithmic relationship in twins, while the best-fit function in triplets is polynomial. Birth weight discordance is significantly associated with both fetal and neonatal mortality. Neonatal demise among the severely discordant smaller twin is significantly more frequent than in a non-discordant smaller twin. The magnitude of the effect is greater when one or both of the discordant twins are concomitantly small for gestational age.

Proliferation defects and genome instability in cells lacking Cul4A

The Cul4A gene, which encodes a core component of a cullin-based E3 ubiquitin ligase complex, is over-expressed in breast and hepatocellular cancers. In breast cancers, over-expression of Cul4A strongly correlates with poor prognosis. Also, Cul4A is required for early embryonic development. Early lethality of mouse embryos prevented a detailed analysis of the functions of Cul4A. Here, we used a strain of mice carrying floxed alleles of Cul4A to study its role in cell division, in vitro and in vivo. Embryonic fibroblasts exhibit a severe deficiency in cell proliferation following deletion of Cul4A. We observed that the Cul4A protein is abundantly expressed in brain, liver and in the mammary tissue of pregnant mice. Deletion of Cul4A in liver impairs hepatocyte proliferation during regeneration following carbon tetrachloride induced injury. The Cul4A-deleted cells are slow in entering S phase, and are deficient in progressing through early M phase. Several cell cycle regulators, including p53 and p27Kip1, are de-regulated in the Cul4A-deleted cells. Expression of a dominant negative mutant of p53 causes significant reversal of the proliferation defects in Cul4A-deleted cells. The Cul4A-deleted cells exhibit aberrant number of centrosome, multipolar spindles and micronuclei formation. Furthermore, those cells are sensitive to UV irradiation and exhibit reduced levels of unscheduled DNA synthesis. Together, our observations indicate that Cul4A is required for efficient cell proliferation, control of the centrosome amplification and genome stability.

Acute osteomyelitis in congenital hypofibrinogenemia

A 10-month-old female child presented with intermittent high grade fever, pain and diffuse swelling in the left knee joint with history of ecchymosis in different areas of the body. There was radiological features of acute osteomyelitis, low fibrinogen level and bacteremia due to the presence of coagulase positive staphylococcus aureus. The child responded nicely to the treatment for acute osteomyelitis and congenital hypofibrinogenemia. So, in congenital hypofibrinogenemia, a joint swelling might be a resultant of an acute osteomyelitis, not mere hemarthrosis.

Study of KAP of the private medical practitioners about national disease control programmes

This study was carried out among the Private Allopathic Medical Practitioners (PMPs) at Khardah Municipal area (West Bengal) to find out their perception & practice about management protocol of diseases like acute respiratory infections and diarrhoel diseases in children, malaria and tuberculosis. Data was collected by interviewing the PMPs with pre-designed open-ended questionnaire. It was supplemented by analysing sample prescriptions of the same diseases. The study revealed that PMPs knowledge and practice were not at par with national guidelines. The need for periodic sensitization of PMPs regarding national disease control programme was emphasized.

Nanostructures, local fields, and enhanced absorption in intense light-matter interaction

Recent literature has reported impressive enhancements in hard-x-ray emission from short-lived solid plasmas by modulation of the interacting surface with nanostructures. We show that the modification of local electric fields near surface structures results in excessive absorption and enhanced x-ray production. A simple model based on local field variations explains the observed x-ray enhancements quantitatively.