Snow cover is one of the most important land surface parameters in global water and energy cycle. Large area of North West Himalaya (NWH) receives precipitation mostly in the form of snow. The major ...share of discharge in rivers of NWH comes from snow and glacier melt. The hydrological models, used to quantify this runoff contribution, use snow-covered area (SCA) along with hydro-meteorological data as essential inputs. In this context, information about SCA is essential for water resource management in NWH region. Regular mapping and monitoring of snow cover by traditional means is difficult due to scarce snow gauges and inaccessible terrain. Remote sensing has proven its capability of mapping and monitoring snow cover and glacier extents in these area, with high spatial and temporal resolution. In this study, 8-day snow cover products from MODIS, and 15-daily snow cover fraction product from AWiFS were used to generate long-term SCA maps (2000–2017) for entire NWH region. Further, the long term variability of 8-daily SCA and its current status has been analysed. The SCA mapped has been validated using AWiFS derived SCA. The analysis of current status (2016–17) of SCA has indicated that the maximum extent of snow cover in NWH region in last 17 years. In 2nd week of February 2017, around 67% of NWH region was snow covered. The comparison of SCA during the 1st week of March and April in 2016–17 against 2015–16 indicates 7.3% and 6.5%, increased SCA in current year. The difference in SCA during 1st week of March 2017 and 1st week of April 2017 was observed to be 14%, which indicates that the 14% SCA has contributed to the snow melt during this period. The change in snow water equivalent retrieved using SCATSAT-1 data also validates this change in snow volume.
An intense heterotrophic dinoflagellate bloom caused by Protoperidinium quinquecorne was observed at Port Blair Bay during May 2017. The bloom appeared during a period of significantly higher (p< ...0.05) temperatures (35.85 ±1.66°C) and seawater salinity (33.21 ± 0.27 PSU) than the pre-bloom and post-bloom phase. Subsequently, we investigated the bloom impact on water quality and plankton community structure. Dissolved oxygen (DO) was reduced significantly (p< 0.05) during the bloom phase (4.41 ± 0.71 mg l−1) as compared to the pre-bloom condition (5.80 ± 0.23 mg l−1), suggesting an increase in respiration of heterotrophic bloom-forming dinoflagellate species. Further, a significant (p< 0.05) increase and decrease in silicate (8.36 ±1.27μmol l−1) and chlorophyll-a (0.86 ± 0.7 mg m−3) concentrations, respectively were observed during the bloom phase, that coincided with an increase in P. quinquecorne grazing pressure on the diatom population. Ammonia enrichment was recorded post-bloom, which was associated with anaerobic decomposition of dead bloom biomass. P. quinquecorne population density increased from 20 cells l−1 (pre-bloom) to 3.36x106 cells l−1 (bloom) and contributed up to 99.93% of the total phytoplankton community. P. quinquecorne grazed on micro-diatom and smaller tintinnids, resulting in a significant decrease in their abundance. The cyclopoid copepod Oithona spp. responded positively to the P. quinquecorne population and caused a considerable reduction in their abundance during post-bloom. This heterotrophic bloom was the result of high temperature and salinity conditions, coupled with the availability of preferred prey species (micro-diatom). Future monitoring studies are needed to predict harmful algal blooms (HABs) occurrence and their impact on the coastal fishery.
•A bloom caused by heterotrophic dinoflagellate Protoperidinium quinquecorne was observed.•The bloom appeared during high temperature and high salinity conditions.•Silicate and ammonia increased during bloom and post-bloom phase, respectively.•Microzooplankton community was dominated by Flavella campanula in bloom phase.•Copepod nauplii population increased significantly during post-bloom phase.
Today, India faces increasing morbidity and mortality due to malaria, which is a global health burden. Plasmodium vivax which was once considered to have a benign course, is now being increasingly ...associated with complicated malaria. Studies which have been done on the increasing virulence of P. Vivax in children, are exceptionally rare.
This study has addressed some of the hitherto unanswered questions, such as: This study has tried to explore the wide spectrum of severe illnesses which are associated with P.vivax malaria in children.Other co-morbid conditions, which include a co-infection with P.falciparum, have been excluded with great care, to assess the increased virulence of P. Vivax.The present study was focused on the paediatric population with a large sample size of 168 subjects.
This was an observational retrospective analysis on the clinicopathologic manifestations of the paediatric cases which were admitted with severe malaria due to a mono-infection with Plasmodium vivax, in a tertiary-care centre in the national capital region, India.
The diagnosis of the mono-infection with P. Vivax malaria was established by making peripheral blood films (PBFs) and by doing rapid diagnostic tests. The severe forms of malaria were categorized as per the World Health Organization guidelines and the clinical and laboratory findings in these cases of complicated malaria were studied.
A descriptive statistical analysis was done by using the SPSS software and an Excel worksheet.
This comprehensive study revealed a multisystem involvement. Abdominal manifestations were observed in 75(45.8%) cases (which included hepatosplenomegaly, hepatomegaly, splenomegaly and ascites) and hepatic dysfunction and jaundice were observed in 28(16.7%) cases. The haematological tests showed moderate to severe anaemia in 151(89.9%) cases and thrombocytopaenia in 138(82.1%) cases. Petechiae were noted in 45(26.8%) cases and a gross bleeding was noted in 9(5.3%) cases. The respiratory findings which included tachypnoea, pleural effusions and ARDS were observed in 22(13.1%) cases. Renal dysfunction was noted clinically in 20(11.9%) cases and biochemically in 16(9.5%) cases. Shock was observed in 7(4.1%) cases, cerebral malaria was observed in 10(5.9%) cases and hypoglycaemia was observed in 5(3%) cases. Multi-organ dysfunction was detected in 11(6.54%) cases. The complications were more severe in the younger children (0-5 years).
A mono-infection with P. Vivax may lead to severe malaria and this increased virulence has resulted in the changing picture of P. Vivax malaria, leading to a spectrum of complications which are similar to those which are traditionally associated with P. Falciparum.
The present investigation encompasses chemical synthesis and characterisation (UV-visible spectra (UV-Vis), X-ray diffraction (XRD), dynamic light scattering (DLS), field emission scanning electron ...microscopy (FESEM) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM)) of cadmium sulphide nanoparticles (CdS-NPs; quantum dots, possessing unique photo-physicochemical properties) and its potentiality to induce heritable phenotypic changes in
Macrotyloma uniflorum
(Lam.) Verdc. (Leguminosae; annual herb with therapeutic and nutritional uses). Dry seeds (moisture content 11.41 %) are exposed (3.2, 6.4, 12.7 and 19.1 μg mL
−1
, 24- and 48-h durations) to CdS-NPs (size: 1.2 to 2.2 nm; shape: cubic to spherical) and bulk CdS (3.2 μg mL
−1
, 24 h). Dissolution potentiality measured in in vitro system (using dialysis bags) shows high diffusibility (73.5 % ± 2.04 to 77.2 % ± 3.01) from lower (3.2 μg mL
−1
) to higher (19.1 μg mL
−1
) concentrations suggesting its effective penetration in in vivo system (seeds) as well. Accumulation of CdS-NPs and bulk CdS in seedlings (Petri plate germinated) is also studied in the form of Cd
2+
by atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS). CdS-NPs induce five phenotypic variants (two non-viable: ‘viridis’ and ‘glossy leaf’; three viable: ‘broad elongated leaf’, ‘bushy’ and ‘unbranched’) at M
2
. Selfed seeds of the variants segregated (either 3:1 or 1:1) at M
3
in accordance with Mendelian pattern confirming them to be macromutants. The phenotypic mutants show normal meiotic chromosome behaviour alike to control plants (2
n
= 20) but with lower pollen fertility. The mutants bred true at M
4
generation. ‘Broad elongated leaf’ and ‘bushy’ mutants are highly productive types (in relation to seed yield) in comparison to control plants. ‘Unbranched’ phenotype can be an important genetic resource for efficient breeding. CdS-NPs inducing heritable phenotypic changes open up the possibility of using them as an alternative source for conventional mutagens.
Effect of parenteral testosterone esters administration on bone-mineral density (BMD) and bone turnover in young age onset male hypogonadism is not studied in Indian subjects.
To prospectively study ...the effect of short-term (6 months) replacement therapy with parenteral testosterone enanthate-propionate combination on BMD and bone turnover markers in hypogonadal adult patients.
Prospective, tertiary care academic center.
Thirteen young, otherwise healthy hypogonadal males (age 25.5 ± 4.9 yrs, serum testosterone 2.56 ± 4.29 nmol/l) were subjected to BMD measurements (DXA) and estimation of urinary Crosslaps™ and serum osteocalcin at baseline. Twelve healthy age and BMI-matched males served as controls for BMD measurements. The hypogonadal patients were administered parenteral testosterone esters (as mixed enanthate and propionate) 250 mg i.m. every 2-3 weeks, and prospectively followed for 6 months. BMD and bone markers were studied at the end of 6 months.
Mann-Whitney nonparametric test, paired t-test and Pearson's test of two-tail significance.
At baseline, BMD was significantly lower in hypogonadal males as compared to that in controls. With testosterone replacement, there was significant improvement in BMD, both at trabecular and cortical sites, There was a decline in bone turnover with treatment (Ur Crosslaps™:creatinine ratio: pretreatment 72.8 ± 40.4, post-treatment 35.5 ± 23.8 μg/mmol, P = 0.098; serum osteocalcin: pre-treatment 41.0 ± 16.8, post-treatment 31.7 ± 2.1 ng/ml, P = 0.393).
Short-term parenteral testosterone replacement significantly improves BMD at the hip, lumbar spine and forearm in hypogonadal young males.
Premature ovarian failure is defined as the loss of functional follicles below the age of 40 years and the incidence of this abnormality is 0.1% among the 30–40 years age group. Unexplained POF is ...clinically recognized as amenorrhoea (>6 months) with low level of oestrogen and raised level of Luteinizing Hormone (LH) and Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH > 20 IU/l) occurring before the age of 40. It has been studied earlier that chromosomal defects can impair ovarian development and its function. Since there is paucity of data on chromosomal defects in Indian women, an attempt is made to carry out cytogenetic evaluation in patients with ovarian failure. Cytogenetic analysis of women with ovarian defects revealed the chromosome abnormalities to be associated with 14% of the cases analyzed. Interestingly, majority of the abnormalities involved the X-chromosome and we report two unique abnormalities, (46,XXdel(Xq21-22) and q28) and (mos,45XO/46,X+ringX) involving X chromosome in association with ovarian failure. This study revealed novel X chromosome abnormalities associated with ovarian defects and these observations would be helpful in genetic counseling and apart from, infertility clinics using the information to decide suitable strategies to help such patients.
We present a novel indoor mapping and localisation approach for Augmented Reality (AR) devices that exploits the fusion of inertial sensors with visual odometry. We have demonstrated the approach ...using Google Glass (GG) and Google Cardboard (GC) supported with an Android phone. Our work presents an application of Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) for sensor fusion for AR based application where previous work on Bag of Visual Words Pairs (BoVWP) 10 based image matching is used for bundle adjustment on Fused odometry. We present the empirical validation of this approach on three different indoor spaces in an office environment. We concluded that vision complimented with inertial data effectively compensate the ego-motion of the user, improving the accuracy of map generation and localisation.
Premature ovarian failure is defined as the loss of functional follicles below the age of 40 years and the incidence of this abnormality is 0.1% among the 30-40 years age group. Unexplained POF is ...clinically recognized as amenorrhoea (>6 months) with low level of oestrogen and raised level of Luteinizing Hormone (LH) and Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH > 20 IU/l) occurring before the age of 40. It has been studied earlier that chromosomal defects can impair ovarian development and its function. Since there is paucity of data on chromosomal defects in Indian women, an attempt is made to carry out cytogenetic evaluation in patients with ovarian failure. Cytogenetic analysis of women with ovarian defects revealed the chromosome abnormalities to be associated with 14% of the cases analyzed. Interestingly, majority of the abnormalities involved the X-chromosome and we report two unique abnormalities, (46,XXdel(Xq21-22) and q28) and (mos,45XO/46,X+ringX) involving X chromosome in association with ovarian failure. This study revealed novel X chromosome abnormalities associated with ovarian defects and these observations would be helpful in genetic counseling and apart from, infertility clinics using the information to decide suitable strategies to help such patients.
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