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We forecast the main cosmological parameter constraints achievable with the CORE space mission which is dedicated to mapping the polarisation of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB). CORE was recently submitted in response to ESA's fifth call for medium-sized mission proposals (M5). Here we report the results from our pre-submission study of the impact of various instrumental options, in particular the telescope size and sensitivity level, and review the great, transformative potential of the mission as proposed. Specifically, we assess the impact on a broad range of fundamental parameters of our Universe as a function of the expected CMB characteristics, with other papers in the series focusing on controlling astrophysical and instrumental residual systematics. In this paper, we assume that only a few central CORE frequency channels are usable for our purpose, all others being devoted to the cleaning of astrophysical contaminants. On the theoretical side, we assume ΛCDM as our general framework and quantify the improvement provided by CORE over the current constraints from the Planck 2015 release. We also study the joint sensitivity of CORE and of future Baryon Acoustic Oscillation and Large Scale Structure experiments like DESI and Euclid. Specific constraints on the physics of inflation are presented in another paper of the series. In addition to the six parameters of the base ΛCDM, which describe the matter content of a spatially flat universe with adiabatic and scalar primordial fluctuations from inflation, we derive the precision achievable on parameters like those describing curvature, neutrino physics, extra light relics, primordial helium abundance, dark matter annihilation, recombination physics, variation of fundamental constants, dark energy, modified gravity, reionization and cosmic birefringence. In addition to assessing the improvement on the precision of individual parameters, we also forecast the post-CORE overall reduction of the allowed parameter space with figures of merit for various models increasing by as much as ∼ 107 as compared to Planck 2015, and 105 with respect to Planck 2015 + future BAO measurements.

We forecast the scientific capabilities to improve our understanding of cosmic inflation of CORE, a proposed CMB space satellite submitted in response to the ESA fifth call for a medium-size mission opportunity. The CORE satellite will map the CMB anisotropies in temperature and polarization in 19 frequency channels spanning the range 60-600 GHz. CORE will have an aggregate noise sensitivity of 1.7 μKċ arcmin and an angular resolution of 5' at 200 GHz. We explore the impact of telescope size and noise sensitivity on the inflation science return by making forecasts for several instrumental configurations. This study assumes that the lower and higher frequency channels suffice to remove foreground contaminations and complements other related studies of component separation and systematic effects, which will be reported in other papers of the series "Exploring Cosmic Origins with CORE." We forecast the capability to determine key inflationary parameters, to lower the detection limit for the tensor-to-scalar ratio down to the 10-3 level, to chart the landscape of single field slow-roll inflationary models, to constrain the epoch of reheating, thus connecting inflation to the standard radiation-matter dominated Big Bang era, to reconstruct the primordial power spectrum, to constrain the contribution from isocurvature perturbations to the 10-3 level, to improve constraints on the cosmic string tension to a level below the presumptive GUT scale, and to improve the current measurements of primordial non-Gaussianities down to the fNLlocal < 1 level. For all the models explored, CORE alone will improve significantly on the present constraints on the physics of inflation. Its capabilities will be further enhanced by combining with complementary future cosmological observations.

Increasing prevalence of childhood obesity calls for comprehensive and cost-effective educative measures in developing countries such as India. School-based educative programmes greatly influence children's behaviour towards healthy living. We aimed to evaluate the impact of a school-based health and nutritional education programme on knowledge and behaviour of urban Asian Indian school children. Benchmark assessment of parents and teachers was also done. We educated 40 196 children (aged 8-18 years), 25 000 parents and 1500 teachers about health, nutrition, physical activity, non-communicable diseases and healthy cooking practices in three cities of North India. A pre-tested questionnaire was used to assess randomly selected 3128 children, 2241 parents and 841 teachers before intervention and 2329 children after intervention. Low baseline knowledge and behaviour scores were reported in 75-94% government and 48-78% private school children, across all age groups. A small proportion of government school children gave correct answers about protein (14-17%), carbohydrates (25-27%) and saturated fats (18-32%). Private school children, parents and teachers performed significantly better than government school subjects (P < 0.05). Following the intervention, scores improved in all children irrespective of the type of school (P < 0.001). A significantly higher improvement was observed in younger children (aged 8-11 years) as compared with those aged 12-18 years, in females compared with males and in government schools compared with private schools (P < 0.05 for all). Major gaps exist in health and nutrition-related knowledge and behaviour of urban Asian Indian children, parents and teachers. This successful and comprehensive educative intervention could be incorporated in future school-based health and nutritional education programmes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This random multistage cross sectional population survey was undertaken to determine the prevalence of diabetes mellitus (DM) and impaired fasting glycemia/glucose (IFG) in subjects aged 25 years and above in India. The study was carried out in 108 centers (49 urban and 59 rural) to reflect the size and heterogeneity of the Indian population. 41,270 (20,534 males and 20,736 females) subjects were studied. 21,516 (10,865 males and 10,651 females) were from urban areas and 19,754 (9669 males and 10,085 females) from rural areas. Blood samples were taken after a fast of 10-12h and the subjects were categorized as having IFG or DM using the 1997 American Diabetes Association criteria. The age and gender standardized prevalence rate for DM and IFG in the total Indian population was 3.3 and 3.6% respectively (P < 0.001). The standardized prevalence of DM and IFG in urban areas was significantly higher than that for the rural population (urban DM prevalence 4.6% versus rural DM prevalence 1.9%, P < 0.001; urban IFG prevalence 4.8% versus rural IFG prevalence 2.5%, P < 0.001). There was no statistically significant difference in the prevalence between DM (4.6%) and IFG (4.8%) in the urban population. The rural prevalence of IFG (2.5%) was significantly (P <0.001) more than the rural prevalence of DM (1.9%). Type 2 diabetes is a major health problem is India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Locally sourced waste cooking oil (WCO) was successfully base-catalyzed and transesterified with methanol into biodiesel to produce biostimulant (nitrobenzene) formulations and replace high-risk carrier solvents. Ideal synthesis conditions were composed of 1% NaOH, MeOH/oil molar ratio (6:1), reaction temperature (65 °C), a 3 h mixing rate, and 97-98% yields. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis identified five fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) including palmitic, linoleic, oleic, stearic, and eicosenoic acids with high solubilization and olfactory characteristics. Using anionic and nonionic emulsifiers in conjunction with recycled biodiesel, a stable emulsifiable concentrate (NB 35% EC) was created with greater storage stability, wettability, and spreading capabilities than those of organic solvent-based ones. The highest counts of fruits per plant (35.80), flowers per plant (60.00), yield per plant (3.56 kg), and yield per hectare (143.7 quintals) were recorded in treatments with 4 mL/L biodiesel-based EC in field bioassays. In addition to having superior biosafety, FAME-based EC exhibits minimal phytotoxicity and is less harmful to aquatic creatures. It was discovered that the average cost-effectiveness was 5.49 times less expensive than solvent-based EC. In order to utilize waste oils as a locally obtained, sustainable alternative solvent with a wide solubilization range, low ecotax profile, circular economy, and high renewable carbon index, this integrative technique was expanded.

Background: The presence of undesirable substances, including pesticides (xenobiotics) in betel leaf (Piper betel), is a great concern for consumers because it is chewed and consumed directly. To protect the consumer's health, a modified QuEChERS method for monitoring purposes and subsequent decontamination process has been developed., Objective: The goal of this work was to establish a multi-residue analytical method for monitoring nonpermitted organophosphorus pesticide residues in betel leaf, as well as cost-effective cleaning strategies., Method: The homogenized 15 g samples (20 betel leaf samples collected in West Bengal, India) were extracted with a modified QuEChERS method using acetonitrile, reconstituted to acetone, and finally analyzed by GC-MS/MS. Possible decontamination techniques (such as tap water washing, 2% saltwater washing, and lukewarm water washing) were evaluated., Results: The limit of detection ranged from 0.003 to 0.005 mg/kg, and limit of quantification was 0.01 mg/kg. Recoveries ranged from 80 to 120% with RSDr 9%. One sample was found to contain three pesticides 4 to 7 times higher than MRLs. Suggested decontamination methods allowed reducing toxic traces below European limits., Conclusions: The suggested approach is useful for determining pesticide residues in betel leaves quickly. Traditional techniques of processing betel leaves may reduce pesticide residues below regulatory limits., Highlights: A multi-residue method and decontamination of pesticides in betel leaf using QuEChERS-GC-MS/MS technology with satisfactory method performance was achieved. Domestic decontamination techniques have a high efficacy in reducing pesticide residues from betel leaves, making them safe for human consumption., (© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of AOAC INTERNATIONAL. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Monitoring pesticide residue levels becomes crucial to maintain quality and guarantee food safety as the consumption of onion green leaves and immature and mature bulbs (either raw or processed) rises. A field experiment was conducted for two consecutive seasons with quizalofop-p-ethyl (5% EC) at 50 and 100 g a.i. ha -1 to evaluate weed control efficiency and to determine terminal residues. Post-emergence application of fop herbicide at 100 g a.i. ha -1 kept the weed density and dry weight reasonably at a lower level and enhanced the productivity of onion with higher economic returns. A rapid, sensitive, and analytical method was developed using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with excellent linearity (r 2 > 0.99). The limit of quantification for quizalofop-p-ethyl was established at 0.04 mg kg -1 with signal to noise (S/N) ratio ≥ 10. The method was successfully applied and initial quantified residues were in the range of 2.5-4.4 mg kg -1 irrespective of seasons and doses. Finally, the presence of targeted herbicide residues in harvested samples was confirmed by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) under optimized operating conditions. Dietary risk assessment assured harvested onions were safe for consumption at the recommended dose. It also can be concluded that quizalofop ethyl did not adversely influence soil micro-organisms at standard rates of application., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.)

Jute is a healthy vegetable due to its high content of carotenoids, vitamins, and minerals, in addition to its industrial utility. The purpose of this study was to look into the dissipation of fenoxaprop-p-ethyl and to track indirect sources of pesticide accumulation in jute ecosystems for three years in a row during tropical monsoon seasons. To avoid the intake of residues over approved limits, a rapid extraction technique was developed to evaluate the residues of this herbicide (Whip-Super 9% EC) in jute leaves, fiber, cropped soil, and water. A modified QuEChERS approach based on liquid chromatography and ultraviolet-visible (UV-VIS) detection was developed and successfully validated in accordance with SANCO requirements. Gas chromatography mass spectrometer (GC-MS) was used to examine fish and water samples from jute fields and retting pond for twenty widely-used multi-class pesticide contaminations from indirect sources. Relative standard deviations (RSD) (≤ 20) and recoveries (100-115%) are observed to be within acceptable ranges. In edible jute leaves, independent of season, first-order kinetics of dissipation was recorded, with half-lives ranging from 0.61 to 0.68 days. Based on the findings of the risk assessment, it is feasible to conclude that the consumer health risks of ingesting jute leaves are insignificant, even on day zero, when used at the recommended amount, and that using jute bags for food packaging and storage is safe. But jute field water was found to be less polluted with indirect pesticides than water from a nearby jute retted pond. Fish samples from this jute retted pond were also analyzed and found to be 26% contaminated. The presence of quinalphos and chlorpyriphos in jute retting water and fish might pose a concern to consumer health and environmental ecosystems., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V.)

We identify examples of single field inflationary trajectories beyond the slow-roll regime that improve the fit to Planck 2018 data compared to a baseline Λ cold dark matter model with power law form of primordial spectrum and at the same time alleviate existing tensions between different datasets in the estimate of cosmological parameters such as H&#95;{0} and S&#95;{8}. A damped oscillation in the first Hubble flow function-or equivalently a feature in the potential-and the corresponding localized oscillations in the primordial power spectrum partially mimic the improvement in the fit of Planck data due to A&#95;{L} or Ω&#95;{K}. Compared to the baseline model, this model can lead simultaneously to a larger value of H&#95;{0} and a smaller value of S&#95;{8}, a trend that can be enhanced when the most recent SH0ES measurement for H&#95;{0} is combined with Planck and BICEP-Keck 2018 data. Large scale structure data and more precise cosmic microwave background polarization measurements will further provide critical tests of this intermediate fast-roll phase.

Vegetable oils as hydrophobic reserves in oil dispersions (OD) provide a practical approach to halt bioactive degradation for user and environment-efficient pest management. Using biodegradable soybean oil (57%), castor oil ethoxylate (5%), calcium dodecyl benzenesulfonates as nonionic and an-ionic surfactants, bentonite (2%), and fumed silica as rheology modifiers, we created an oil-colloidal biodelivery sytem (30%) of tomato extract with homogenization. The quality-influencing parameters, such as particle size (4.5 μm), dispersibility (97%), viscosity (61 cps), and thermal stability (2 years), have been optimized in accordance with specifications. Vegetable oil was chosen for its improved bioactive stability, high smoke point (257 °C), coformulant compatibility, and as a green build-in-adjuvant by improving spreadability (20-30%), retention and penetration (20-40%). In in vitro testing, it efficiently controlled aphids with 90.5% mortalities and 68.7-71.2% under field-conditions without producing phytotoxicity. Wild tomato-derived phytochemicals can be a safe and efficient alternative to chemical pesticides when combined wisely with vegetable oils.

Fruits are vital parts of the human diet because they include necessary nutrients that the body needs. Pesticide use has increased dramatically in recent years to combat fruit pests across the world. Pesticide usage during production, on the other hand, frequently results in undesirable residues in fruits after harvest. Consumers are concerned about pesticide residues since most of the fruits are directly consumed and even recommended for the patients as dietary supplements. As a result of this worry, pesticide residues in fruits are being randomly monitored to re-assess the food safety situation and make informed legislative decisions. To assess the degree of pesticide residues in fruits, a simple and quick analytical procedure is usually required. As a result, pesticide residue detection (using various analytical techniques: GC, LC and Biosensors) becomes critical, and regulatory directives are formed to regulate their amounts via the Maximum Residue Limit (MRL). Over the previous two decades, a variety of extraction techniques and analytical methodologies for xenobiotic's efficient extraction, identification, confirmation and quantification have been developed, ranging from traditional to advanced. The goal of this review is to give readers an overview of the evolution of numerous extraction and detection methods for pesticide residue analysis in fruits. The objective is to assist analysts in better understanding how the ever-changing regulatory landscape might drive the need for new analytical methodologies to be developed in order to comply with current standards and safeguard consumers., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Estimating the burden of COVID-19 in India is difficult because the extent to which cases and deaths have been undercounted is hard to assess. Here, we use a 9-component, age-stratified, contact-structured epidemiological compartmental model, which we call the INDSCI-SIM model, to analyse the first wave of COVID-19 spread in India. We use INDSCI-SIM, together with Bayesian methods, to obtain optimal fits to daily reported cases and deaths across the span of the first wave of the Indian pandemic, over the period Jan 30, 2020 to Feb 15, 2021. We account for lock-downs and other non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs), an overall increase in testing as a function of time, the under-counting of cases and deaths, and a range of age-specific infection-fatality ratios. We first use our model to describe data from all individual districts of the state of Karnataka, benchmarking our calculations using data from serological surveys. We then extend this approach to aggregated data for Karnataka state. We model the progress of the pandemic across the cities of Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Bengaluru and Chennai, and then for India as a whole. We estimate that deaths were undercounted by a factor between 2 and 5 across the span of the first wave, converging on 2.2 as a representative multiplier that accounts for the urban-rural gradient. We also estimate an overall under-counting of cases by a factor of between 20 and 25 towards the end of the first wave. Our estimates of the infection fatality ratio (IFR) are in the range 0.05-0.15, broadly consistent with previous estimates but substantially lower than values that have been estimated for other LMIC countries. We find that approximately 35% of India had been infected overall by the end of the first wave, results broadly consistent with those from serosurveys. These results contribute to the understanding of the long-term trajectory of COVID-19 in India., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Existing pesticide formulation solvents generate volatile organic compounds (VOCs), are combustible, and are classed as hazardous air pollutants (HAPs), meaning they are detrimental to users and phytotoxic to crops. Green solvents are required in formulations due to regulations, health, and environmental concerns. In emulsifiable concentration (EC) formulations, the "green chemistry" movement has led to the use of less harmful solvents. After a detailed and comparative fungal growth inhibition assessment, the least harmful carrier solvent among four regularly used organic solvents [dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), dimethylformamide (DMF), aromatic hydrocarbon (C9), and methyl oleate] was chosen in this study. We employed methyl oleate (cis-9-Octadecenoic acid methyl ester) as a bio-based green reserver (60%) to create effective bioinspired EC formulations (30%) of Pongamia pinnata L extract utilising emulsifier blends (10 percent) based on the known toxicity order (DMF > DMSO > C 9  > methyl oleate). EC1 outperformed the other thirteen formulations (EC1-EC13) in terms of emulsion stability, cold test, accelerated storage stability, flash point, and other metrics, proving its suitability for commercial production. Using four therapeutically appropriate concentrations of agricultural usage, in-vitro fungicidal effects against Alternaria solani and Phytophthora spp. were examined.A. solani (EC 50  = 0.08 percent) showed the greatest growth suppression (87.4 percent) at the maximum dosage (1 percent), followed by Phytophthora sp. (71.1 percent) (EC 50  = 0.49 percent). The study proved its utility in the production of environmentally acceptable green solvent-based herbal formulations as a long-term crop protection alternative to harmful chemical pesticides., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

A liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) method was validated as per SANTE/12682/2019 guidelines for gas chromatography-mass spectrometric (GC-MS) determination of thirty-six multiclass pesticides in environmental waters. Seasonal (summer, monsoon, and winter) effects on the magnitude of pesticide residues in environmental water (river, pond, and tube well) of six different urban areas of Nadia and North 24 Parganas districts (New alluvial zone, Eastern India) was monitored for subsequent risk assessment. Total 288 water samples (96 each of river, pond, and tube-well) irrespective of locations and seasons were monitored for multiclass multi pesticide residues during the experiment. Each sample (750 mL) was extracted with ethyl acetate/dichloromethane (8:2) liquid-liquid partitioning and filtration (0.22 μm nylon filter paper) and total residue was reconstituted in acetone (1 mL) for GC-MS analysis with developed and validated method resulting satisfactory recovery percentages (77.84-118.15%). The maximum no. of organochlorine (OC) and organophosphorus (OP) pesticide residues were dominated in river and pond water irrespective of seasons and monitoring sites. About 74% of river water samples were found to be contaminated with concerned pesticides in variable magnitudes. Monsoon (July to October) season was highly alarming with the highest presence of total pesticide residues in different types of environmental waters. Risk quotient (RQ) [acute and chronic] was also evaluated in pond and river water as sometimes used for drinking purposes. RQ value (5900) of total endosulfan indicates the highest risk of chronic toxicity to river fishes. Seven water samples from tube-wells were also monitored and found to be contaminated with butachlor and chlorpyriphos in non-significant amounts (< 0.1 ng mL -1 ), irrespective of seasons and sites, thus safe for consumption., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Although safe and eco-friendly botanical pesticides have been intensively promoted to combat pest attacks in agriculture, but their stability and efficacies remain an issue for their wide acceptability as sustained and effective approaches. The purpose of this work was to develop stable neem oil based nano-emulsion (NE) formulation with enhanced activity employing suitable bio-inspired adjuvant. So, Neem NEs (with and without) natural adjuvants (Cymbopogon citratus and Prosopis juliflora) in different concentrations were prepared and quality parameters dictating kinetic stability, acidity/alkalinity, viscosity, droplet size, zeta potential, surface tension, stability and compatibility were monitored using Viscometer, Zetasizer, Surface Tensiometer, High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). Nano-emulsion biosynthesis optimization studies suggested that slightly acidic (5.9-6.5) NE is kinetically stable with no phase separation; creaming or crystallization may be due to botanical adjuvant (lemongrass oil). Findings proved that Prosopis juliflora, acted as bio-polymeric adjuvant to stabilize NE by increasing Brownian motion and weakening the attractive forces with smaller droplets (25-50 nm), low zeta potential (-30 mV) and poly-dispersive index (<0.3). Botanical adjuvant (30%) based NE with optimum viscosity (98.8cPs) can give long term storage stability and improved adhesiveness and wetting with reduced surface tension and contact angle. FT-IR analysis assured azadirachtin's stability and compatibility with adjuvant. With negligible degradation (1.42%) and higher half-life (t 1/2 ) of 492.95 days, natural adjuvant based NE is substantially stable formulation, may be due to presence of glycosidic and phenolics compounds. Neem 20NE (with 30% adjuvant) exhibited remarkable insecticidal activity (91.24%) against whitefly (Bemisia tabaci G.) in brinjal (Solanum melongena) as evidenced by in-vivo assay. Results thus obtained suggest, bio-pesticide formulation may be used as safer alternative to chemical pesticides to minimize pesticide residues and presence of natural adjuvant may improves the stability and efficacy of biopesticides for safe crop protection in organic agriculture and Integrated Pest Management., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The increasing use of gibberellic acid (GA 3 ) to promote fruit growth and yield has necessitated research into its trace level determination and estimation in harvested product. The phytohormone has increased the tomato yield (tonne ha -1 ) up to 24.7% with uniform fruit shape, size colour and lustre. A fast, simple, high-throughput analytical method was standardised based on electrospray ionisation - liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The samples were extracted using acidified (1% formic acid) methanol. The method was validated as per the SANTE/12682/2019 guidelines. The limits of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ) were 0.01 and 0.05 mg kg -1 . The average recoveries at LOQ and higher levels were in the range of 86-108% with relative standard deviation (RSD) < 20%. The validated method was successfully applied under field condition by following first-order kinetics with half-lives (T 1/2 ) 1.76 days (recommended dose) and 1.99 days (double dose). The estimated pre-harvest intervals (PHIs) were 6 days (recommended dose) and 8 days (double dose). Studies on dietary risk assessment concluded that even after spray of GA 3 at recommended dose, the harvested produce (tomato) could be consumed safely., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.)

Pongamia pinnata (L.) seed oil is effective for its insecticidal and larvicidal activities. However, its low aqueous solubility, high photosensitivity, and high volatility restrict its application for the control of agricultural pests. Encapsulation can be an effective technique to overcome such hindrances. Therefore, P. pinnata oil (PO) was extracted from its seeds and analyzed for karanjin content (3.18%) by GC-MS/MS as the marker compound. Micro-encapsulation (MC) of PO was prepared by interfacial polymerization between isocyanates and polyamine and tested for insecticidal and larvicidal activities. Bioassay of the developed formulations was tested in-vitro against 2 nd instar larvae of Bombyx mori (Bivoltine hybrid) and in-vivo insecticidal bio-efficacy was tested against aubergine aphid ( Aphis gossypii G.) and whitefly ( Bemisia tabaci G.). Various properties of micro-capsules viz., stability, size, oil content and release kinetics were examined. Average diameter of capsules (1 μm) with Zeta potential (-16 mV) was indicated by the Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) instrument. Existence of PO in the microcapsules was confirmed by an optical microscopic study. Spectroscopic analysis revealed 87.4% of PO was encapsulated in polyurea shell. The shelf-life ( T 10 ), half-life ( T 50 ), and expiry-life ( T 90 ) of polyurea coated capsules were 11.4, 75.3 and 250.0 h, respectively. Polyurea coated PO capsule formulation showed evidence of in-vitro toxicity against 2 nd instar larvae of B. mori ( LC 50 = 1.1%; LC 90 = 5.9%). The PO formulation also exhibited 67.0-71.8% and 62.4-74.8% control of aphid and whitefly population in aubergine at 4.0% dose following 7-14 days after application. The study unveiled its significance in developing controlled release herbal formulations of P. pinnata as an alternative to harmful conventional synthetic insecticides for crop protection., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (© 2021 The Authors.)

An analytical method was developed by using LC-ESI(-ve)-MS/MS to investigate the residue dynamics of 2,4-D (2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid) in green tea leaves, processed tea, tea liquor, and tea-cropped soil at Singhiajhora Tea Estate and Putinbari Tea Estate at Terai Region, Darjeeling District, West Bengal, India. In this method, an acidified methanol was used for extraction and subsequent clean-up was done by HLB (hydrophilic lipophilic balanced) cartridges. The method was validated as per SANTE guideline (SANTE/11813/2017). The limit of quantification (LOQ) of 2,4-D was 0.05 mgkg -1 and average % recoveries were in the range from 88.05 to 113.28 with relative standard deviation (RSD) 3.46 to 6.43. The dissipation of 2,4-D followed the 1st-order reaction kinetics with a half-life (T 1/2 ) of 1.51-1.61 day at the recommended dose and 2.50-2.72 day for doubled recommended dose in tea for both locations. This method can be applied successfully for the determination of 2,4 D residues in/on tea matrix and subsequent studies on safety evaluation showed that the use of 2,4-D in tea is safe.

A high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method was developed and validated for the accurate determination of metribuzin levels in wheat. The widespread use of this herbicide in the production of wheat is of concern and could follow as well as the need for methodology, which required simple sample preparation being needed. Validation of method was done as per single laboratory validation approach. Samples were extracted through a modified quick, cheap, effective, rugged and safe technique. Sample preparation includes extraction by acetonitrile solvent and cleans up by C18, primary secondary amine and anhydrous MgSO4 for dispersive solid-phase extraction. LC-MS/MS was calibrated at 5 calibration levels with high correlation coefficients (r2) >0.995. Limit of detection and limit of quantitation of metribuzin were 0.01 and 0.03 μg/g, respectively. The mean recovery percentages lie in the range of 87-97 with standard deviation for repeatability (RSDa) <10% at three spiking levels (0.03, 0.15 and 0.30 μg/g). Combined uncertainty (U = 0.0017) and expanded uncertainty (2U = 0.0033) were fairly consequential. The method may successfully be applied to other cereals samples for determination of metribuzin., (© The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Cosmic microwave background (CMB) temperature and polarization anisotropies from Planck have estimated a lower value of the optical depth to reionization (τ) compared to WMAP. A significant period in the reionization history would then fall within 6

Background: Pesticide residue in fish is a global food safety concern. However, very few validated methods are available targeting simultaneous analysis of multiple classes of pesticides., Objective: The aim of this study was to validate a quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe workflow-based method for the quantitative determination of multiclass pesticides in fish matrix using GC-MS determination., Method: The sample was extracted with acetonitrile, and the cleanup method involved dispersive solid-phase extraction with C-18 sorbent, which effectively scavenged the coextracted matrix components and removed those from the extract. The data on recovery and precision of the method satisfied the criteria of SANTE/11813/2017 guidelines. Average recoveries of pesticides were in the range of 80-120% with precision RSDs ≤20%. The LOD and LOQ were in the ranges of 0.001-0.029 and 0.005-0.125 µg/mL, respectively, for all pesticides. The expanded uncertainty was in the range of 14-20%, based on the single-laboratory validation data (coverage factor, k = 2, confidence level, 95%)., Conclusions: The validation data prove that the method is convenient and acceptable for the routine analysis of multiclass pesticide residues in fish matrices for regulatory compliance., Highlights: The study achieves multiresidue analysis of pesticides in fish matrix with MS-based confirmation. The method combines the advantages of nontarget analysis based on National Institute of Standards and Technology library matching in full scan mode with selected-ion monitoring-based sensitivity., (© AOAC INTERNATIONAL 2020. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Purpose of the Study: Drug accessibility to the tumor cells is an important area of concern with an anticipation of increasing the efficacy of the drug to be delivered to a specific site. The biogenesis of gold nanoparticles using plant-mediated phytochemical extracts and their possible linkage to cancer antibodies with an aim at delivering the conjugate specifically to the tumor-associated antigen is the basic objective of the research., Materials and Methodology: Radiolabeling of antibodies with gold nanoparticles was carried out by a protocol, and the labeling extent of antibodies was compared with that of a radiogold solution to ordinary particulate size (AuNO-Ab). The amount of radiolabeling was estimated by subjecting the reaction mixtures to thin layer chromatography (ITLC-Silica-gel) in different solvent mediums, both by visual inspection of images of the Siemens Orbitor Gamma Camera ZLC-7500 and also by in vitro counting of the radioactive counts in different quarters of the chromatographic strips. Biodistribution relating to the deposition of injected dose in nontargeting sites (reticuloendothelial system [RES]-localization) was studied and efforts were made for reducing the same., Results: Much improved gold incorporation was confirmed at various molar ratios of gold to immunoglobulin (antibody) using nanogold solution (>85%). The RES uptake in the liver, spleen etc., was observed as a problem and the prior administration of unlabeled nonspecific gammaglobulin (before the actual radiolabeled product) was identified as the suitable blocking agent for this purpose., Conclusion: The study signifies the potential for PEGylated gold nanoparticles of a precise size range, suitable to use as a delivery vehicle for targeting small biomolecules (antibody etc.) to the tumor site. The stability of this labeled immunoconjugate and other toxicity effects under physiological conditions needs further evaluation. If successful, this could be a role model for attaining high tumor/nontumor ratio., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest.

A series of copper- and alkaline-earth-metal-based multidimensional metal-organic frameworks, {[CuMg(pdc)2(H2O)4]·2H2O}n (1), [CuCa(pdc)2]n (2), [CuSr(pdc)2(H2O)3]n (3), and {[CuBa(pdc)2(H2O)5]·H2O}n (4), where H2Pdc = pyridine-2,5-dicarboxylic acid, were hydrothermally synthesized and characterized. Two different metals act as the active center to catalyze two kinds of reactions, viz., olefin to its epoxide followed by epoxide ring opening to afford the corresponding vicinal diol in a sequential manner.

Postprandial hyperglycemia (PPHG) is a detrimental factor in the evolution of diabetes related complications. Numerous studies have established the role of PPHG in development of atherosclerosis and associated cardiovascular conditions. It is seen that management of PPHG can be more troublesome than fasting plasma glucose (FPG). Currently, there are various strategies both monitoring as well as therapeutic to control PPHG but there is no uniformity in practicing these strategies. In the absence of any standard guidelines, widespread variations in the management of PPHG are observed among physicians and diabetologists. The objective of this document is to set forth uniform guidelines to manage PPHG. This will not only result in optimal management and prevention of long term complications of diabetes but also better co-ordination and collaboration among the care providers. Moreover, an Indian perspective that can take into consideration the issues relevant to Indian patient pool will be effective. An expert committee comprising of prominent physicians and researchers associated with diabetes care provided their inputs to provide a basic platform for the formulations of guidelines. Their inputs were supplemented by extensive literature search to collect the relevant evidences. An initial draft was prepared which was reviewed by the core committee. Inputs from other experts were also sought and an initial guideline version was formulated that was presented in a conference, discussed and debated among experts. The guidelines on PPHG were then finalized and published., (© Journal of the Association of Physicians of India 2011.)

Motivated by the idea that inflation occurs at the grand unified theory symmetry breaking scale, in this Letter we construct a new class of large field inflaton potentials where the inflaton starts with a power law potential; after an initial period of relatively fast roll that lasts until after a few e folds inside the horizon it transits to the attractor of the slow roll part of the potential with a lower power. Because of the initial fast roll stages of inflation, we find a suppression in scalar primordial power at large scales and at the same time the choice of the potential can provide us a tensor primordial spectrum with a high amplitude. This suppression in scalar power with a large tensor-to-scalar ratio helps us to reconcile the Planck and BICEP2 data in a single framework. We find that a transition from a cubic to quadratic form of inflaton potential generates an appropriate suppression in the power of the scalar primordial spectrum that provides a significant improvement in fit compared to the power law model when compared with Planck and BICEP2 data together. We calculate the extent of non-Gaussianity, specifically, the bispectrum for the best fit potential, and show that it is consistent with Planck bispectrum constraints.

The crystal structure of the title thiazolecarboxylic acid derivative, C(6)H(7)NO(2)S, (I), has been determined from single-crystal X-ray analysis at 100 K. In the crystal packing, an interplay of O-H···N and C-H···O hydrogen bonds connects the molecules to form C(6)R(2)(2)(8) polymeric chains, which are further linked via weak C-H···O hydrogen bonds into a two-dimensional supramolecular framework. The relative contributions of different interactions to the Hirshfeld surface in (I) and a few related thiazolecarboxylic acid derivatives indicate that the H···H, N···H and O···H contacts can account for about 50-70% of the total Hirshfeld surface area in this class of compound.

We investigate the possibility of constraining primordial non-Gaussianity using the 3D bispectrum of the Lyman (Ly)-α forest. The strength of the quadratic non-Gaussian correction to an otherwise Gaussian primordial gravitational field is assumed to be dictated by a single parameter f(NL). We present the first prediction for bounds on f(NL) using Ly-α flux spectra along multiple lines of sight. The 3D Ly-α transmitted flux field is modeled as a biased tracer of the underlying matter distribution sampled along 1D skewers corresponding to quasar sight lines. The precision to which f(NL) can be constrained depends on the survey volume, pixel noise, and aliasing noise (arising from discrete sampling of the density field). We consider various combinations of these factors to predict bounds on f(NL). We find that in an idealized situation of full sky survey and negligible Poisson noise one may constrain f(NL)∼23 in the equilateral limit. Assuming a Ly-α survey covering large parts of the sky (k(min) = 8 × 10(-4) Mpc(-1)) and with a quasar density of n = 5 × 10(-3) Mpc(-2), it is possible to constrain f(NL)∼100 for equilateral configurations. The possibility of measuring f(NL) at a precision comparable to large scale structure studies maybe useful for joint constraining of inflationary scenarios using different data sets.

Aims: The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence of overweight, obesity and abdominal obesity and their associated factors in a large sample of urban Indian schoolchildren., Methods: This is a cross-sectional study conducted in 5 cities in India. Height and weight were measured in 38,296 children and waist circumference was measured in 29,244 children aged 8-18 years. The prevalence was compared with respect to age, gender, type of school and city of residence., Results: The mean ± standard deviation for age was 13.3 ± 2.4 years and 18.3 ± 4.3 kg/m(2) for BMI. The prevalence of overweight and obesity in 8- to 18-year-old children, respectively, was 14.4 and 2.8% by IOTF cutoffs, 14.5 and 4.8% by CDC cutoffs and 18.5 and 5.3% by WHO cutoffs. When applying the cutoffs specific for Indian ethnicity in 14- to 18-year-old children, the prevalence was higher (21.1 and 12.3%, respectively) as compared to the IOTF, WHO and CDC cutoffs. The overall prevalence of abdominal obesity in urban Indian schoolchildren was 4.5%. The prevalence of overweight and abdominal obesity was significantly higher in females than males (p < 0.001). High socioeconomic status and residing in cities with a population greater than 4 million were independently associated with overweight and abdominal obesity (p < 0.001). On extrapolating these data, more than 15 million children would currently be overweight and 4 million abdominally obese in urban India., Conclusions: There is a substantial burden of childhood obesity in India, which necessitates comprehensive urban-based campaigns for its prevention and control., (Copyright © 2011 S. Karger AG, Basel.)

The molecular structure of the title salt, C(11)H(17)N(4)(+).H(2)PO(4)(-), has been determined from single-crystal X-ray analysis and compared with the structure calculated by density functional theory (DFT) at the BLYP level. The crystal packing in the title compound is stabilized primarily by intermolecular N-H...O, O-H...N and O-H...O hydrogen bonds and pi-pi stacking interactions, and thus a three-dimensional supramolecular honeycomb network consisting of R(4)(2)(10), R(4)(4)(14) and R(4)(4)(24) ring motifs is established. The HOMO-LUMO energy gap (1.338 eV; HOMO is the highest occupied molecular orbital and LUMO is the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital) indicates a high chemical reactivity for the title compound.

This random multistage cross-sectional population survey was undertaken to determine the prevalence of diabetes mellitus (DM) and impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) in subjects aged 25 years and above in India. The study was carried out in 77 centers (40 urban and 37 rural). 18363 (9008 males and 9355 females) subjects were studied. 10617 (5379 males and 5238 females) were from urban areas and 7746 (3629 males and 4117 females) from rural areas. Blood samples were taken after a fast of 10-12 h and 2 h after 75 g of oral glucose. Subjects were categorized as having IGT or DM using the World Health Organisation (WHO) (1999) criteria. The standardized prevalence rate for DM in the total Indian, urban and rural populations was 4.3, 5.9 and 2.7%, respectively. The corresponding IGT rates in the three populations was 5.2, 6.3 and 3.7%, respectively. The urban prevalence of DM and IGT was significantly greater than in the rural population (P < 0.001 in both instances). The prevalence of DM was significantly, more than that of IGT (P < 0.001) within both the rural and urban populations. Type 2 diabetes is a major health problem is India.

This random multistage cross-sectional population survey was undertaken to determine the prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) in subjects aged 25 years and above in India. The study was carried out in 77 centres (42 urban and 35 rural) to reflect the size and heterogeneity of the Indian population. 18,363 (9008 male and 9355 female) subjects were studied. 10,617 (5379 males and 5238 females) were from urban areas and 7746 (3629 males and 4117 females) from rural areas. Blood samples were taken after a fast of 10-12 and 2 h after 75 g of oral glucose. Subjects were categorized as having impaired fasting glycemia (IFG) or DM using the 1997 ADA or having impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) or DM using the 1999 WHO criteria. The age- and gender-standardized prevalence rate for DM using the ADA criteria was 3.6% whilst that using the WHO criteria was 4.3% (P < 0.001). The respective standardized prevalence of DM, using the two criteria was, 4.7 and 5.6%, respectively (P < 0.001) in the urban Indian population and 2.0 and 2.7% (P < 0.02) in the rural Indian population. Using the WHO criteria, 581 subjects were newly diagnosed whilst the ADA criteria newly diagnosed 437 subjects. The respective numbers for the urban population were 425 and 323, and for the rural population were 146 and 114, respectively. The ADA criteria could diagnose 75.2, 76.0 and 73.0% of the subjects who had DM as per the WHO criteria. Of 739 Indian subjects who had IFG, 106 (14.3%) were diagnosed as having DM by the WHO criteria whilst 505 (68.3%) had values compatible with a diagnosis of IGT. Of the 536 urban subjects with IFG, 74 (13.8%) had DM and 350 (65.3%) had IGT using the WHO criteria. Of the 302 rural subjects with IFG, 32 (15.8%) had DM and 155 (76.3%) had IGT using the WHO criteria. 505 (49.9%) of 1012 Indian subjects with IGT as per the WHO criteria had IFG. 350 (47.7%) of 733 urban subjects and 155 (55.5%) of 279 rural subjects with IGT had values compatible with IFG as per the ADA criteria. Type 2 diabetes is a major health problem is India. The use of the ADA criteria would underestimate the prevalence of DM by not diagnosing subjects showing a poor response to a glucose challenge. This along with the discrepancies between subjects showing IGF or IGT could be a challenge to any prevention program.

The study was conducted in 35 cases of acute tubular necrosis of varied aetiology. Cases were divided in 2 groups, Group A--17 cases treated conservatively and Group B--18 cases managed by early haemodialysis. Criteria for early haemodialysis were blood urea < 120 mg% and serum creatinine < 7 mg%. Before starting therapy both the groups had comparable biochemical and renal parameters (p > 0.05). Overall mortality was lower in Group B as compared to Group A (22.2% Vs 29.4). Complication events such as uraemic encephalopathy, pulmonary oedema, haematemesis and malena, thrombophlebitis and vomiting were significantly lower in Group B (p < 0.05). Hospital stay was also significantly lower (p < 0.05) in Group B (18 +/- 2.5 days Vs 28 +/- 3 days), this can reduce the cost of treatment also.

A patient presented with hyperthyroidism and a thyroid swelling, clinically thought to be malignant. Fine-needle aspiration of the thyroid nodule revealed microfilariae of Wuchereria bancrofti. After therapy the thyroid swelling subsided and the patient became euthyroid. The possible etiologic role of microfilariae in the genesis of the thyroid tumor and hyperthyroidism is discussed.

Earlier studies described the linkage of silver to antibodies using SH groups generated by the reduction of the SS groups using ascorbic acid (1) analogous to the Thakur and DeFulvio technique for linking technetium to antibodies. This work describes the linkage of silver to IgG after introducing SH groups by coupling the IgG to 2-imino thiolane. The protein was dissolved in sodium acetate buffer pH 4.5 containing 1 mM EDTA by dialysis/gel chromatography in a concentration of 20 mg/mL. 2-Imino thiolane dissolved in Tris-HCl acetate buffer, pH 8.2, 0.2M was added to give a final dilution of 0.2 mM 2-imino thiolane. The excess of 2-imino thiolane was removed by dialysis or G-25 Sephadex gel chromatography and then the protein was reacted with silver nitrate 0.1 mM. The unreacted SH groups were blocked by adding iodoacetamide to a concentration of 5 mM. The nonprotein reagents again were removed by dialysis or gel chromatography. The thiol groups were titrated using 1.5 mM 2 2-Py-SS-Py prior to and after addition of silver. It was observed that depending on the concentration of silver, 50-80% of the SH groups were coupled to silver. Higher concentrations of silver led to insoluble precipitates and should be avoided.

The impact of recent advances in the chemical and genetic engineering manipulations of antibodies on radioimmunotargeting is reviewed both in relation to radioimmunoscintigraphy and radioimmunotherapy. The resulting trends are: (1) the linking of parts of the mouse/rat and human antibody molecule; (2) the creation of molecules with dual antigen or multiple antigen recognition capabilities; (3) the making of smaller and smaller antigen recognition molecules; and (4) the development of molecules with dual capabilities, e.g. antigen recognition and enzyme activity. The various methods of creating antibodies in vitro are reviewed with reference to bacteria, using phage selection and a combinatorial library, mammalian cells, yeast cells and, finally, mice containing giant yeast artificial chromosomes. The advantages and disadvantages of smaller fragments as well as of the human anti-mouse antibody (HAMA) reaction are discussed and the need for early clinical evaluation and widespread availability of the newer antibodies is emphasized. It is envisaged that these immunotechnological advances will permit the large-scale production of precisely engineered humanized antibodies, and the specificity and affinity rate constant of these antibodies can be optimized using in vitro phage selection as well as by computer modelling where the stereo chemistry of the antigen is known precisely.

Despite attempts to maintain asepsis, good manufacturing practices, and the use of terminal sterilization by millipore filtration, the nuclear practitioner is always worried about the possibility of endotoxin contamination. Methods, such as ion-exchange chromatography, have been tried for removing endotoxins during the preparation of radiolabeled antibodies, and so on. As suggested by Stevenson (1990), we evaluated the Issekutz technique (1) of endotoxin removal by affinity chromatography using a polymyxin cyanogen bromide (CNBr) Sepharose column. The endotoxin content of millipore filtrates of heat killed/sonicated suspensions of Pseudomonas pyocyaneus, E. coli were measured using a Sigma (St. Louis, MO) Endotoxin Assay Kit before and after filtration through such columns and compared with the results obtained using gel exclusion and ion-exchange columns of the same length and diameter. Reduction of endotoxin content to undetectable levels by the polymyxin column was observed. The use of such columns for terminal endotoxin removal analogous to terminal sterilization is advocated especially when developing a radiopharmaceutical such as radiolabeled antibodies for in house use.

Radiosilver-111 and Radiogold-199 were proposed by us (1) as suitable isotopes for radioimmunotherapy in areas such as India by reason of their suitable half-lives and B-emissions (Ag-111 T1/2 = 7.45 d and Au-199 T1/2 = 3.15 d). Since silver is monovalent, it is difficult to link to conventional bifunctional chelates. We therefore explored the use of sulfur-based linkers (2). Encouraged by the Thakur and De Fulvio Technique (3) of linking technetium to disulfide groups in antibodies reduced by ascorbic acid that is eminently biocompatible, we have explored the linkage of silver to immunoglobulin reduced by ascorbic acid. The linkage of silver was assessed with stable Ag-108 using dialysis to quantify the free silver after the reaction of silver and reduced immunoglobulins in various molar ratios (1:1, 1:2, 1:5, 1:10). The silver quantity was estimated gravimetrically after precipitation as chloride. It was observed that using these molar ratios there was negligible silver efflux into the dialysate, suggesting stable linkage. We also assessed the linkage using Ag-110M as radiotracer. The comparative results with the two techniques are described.