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Background POLG pathogenic variants are the commonest single-gene cause of inherited mitochondrial disease. However, the data on clinicogenetic associations in POLG-related disorders are sparse. This study maps the clinicogenetic spectrum of POLG-related disorders in the pediatric population. Methods Individuals were recruited across 6 centers in India. Children diagnosed between January 2015 and August 2020 with pathogenic or likely pathogenic POLG variants and age of onset Results A total of 3729 genetic reports and 4256 hospital records were screened. Twenty-two patients with pathogenic variants were included. Phenotypically, patients were classifiable into Alpers-Huttenlocher syndrome (8/22; 36.4%), progressive external ophthalmoplegia (8/22; 36.4%), Leigh disease (2/22; 9.1%), ataxia-neuropathy spectrum (2/22; 9.1%), and unclassified (2/22; 9.1%). The prominent clinical manifestations included developmental delay (n = 14; 63.7%), neuroregression (n = 14; 63.7%), encephalopathy (n = 11; 50%), epilepsy (n = 11; 50%), ophthalmoplegia (n = 8; 36.4%), and liver dysfunction (n = 8; 36.4%). Forty-four pathogenic variants were identified at 13 loci, and these were clustered at exonuclease (18/44; 40.9%), linker (13/44; 29.5%), polymerase (10/44; 22.7%), and N-terminal domains (3/44; 6.8%). Genotype-phenotype analysis suggested that serious outcomes including neuroregression (odds ratio [OR] 11, 95% CI 2.5, 41), epilepsy (OR 9, 95% CI 2.4, 39), encephalopathy (OR 5.7, 95% CI 1.4, 19), and hepatic dysfunction (OR 4.6, 95% CI 21.3, 15) were associated with at least 1 variant involving linker or polymerase domain. Conclusions We describe the clinical subgroups and their associations with different POLG domains. These can aid in the development of follow-up and management strategies of presymptomatic individuals.

Context Patients with mutations in thyroid hormone transporter MCT8 have developmental delay and chronic thyrotoxicosis associated with being underweight and having cardiovascular dysfunction. Objective Our previous trial showed improvement of key clinical and biochemical features during 1-year treatment with the T3 analogue Triac, but long-term follow-up data are needed. Methods In this real-life retrospective cohort study, we investigated the efficacy of Triac in MCT8-deficient patients in 33 sites. The primary endpoint was change in serum T3 concentrations from baseline to last available measurement. Secondary endpoints were changes in other thyroid parameters, anthropometric parameters, heart rate, and biochemical markers of thyroid hormone action. Results From October 15, 2014 to January 1, 2021, 67 patients (median baseline age 4.6 years; range, 0.5-66) were treated up to 6 years (median 2.2 years; range, 0.2-6.2). Mean T3 concentrations decreased from 4.58 (SD 1.11) to 1.66 (0.69) nmol/L (mean decrease 2.92 nmol/L; 95% CI, 2.61-3.23; P < 0.0001; target 1.4-2.5 nmol/L). Body-weight-for-age exceeded that of untreated historical controls (mean difference 0.72 SD; 95% CI, 0.36-1.09; P = 0.0002). Heart-rate-for-age decreased (mean difference 0.64 SD; 95% CI, 0.29-0.98; P = 0.0005). SHBG concentrations decreased from 245 (99) to 209 (92) nmol/L (mean decrease 36 nmol/L; 95% CI, 16-57; P = 0.0008). Mean creatinine concentrations increased from 32 (11) to 39 (13) µmol/L (mean increase 7 µmol/L; 95% CI, 6-9; P < 0.0001). Mean creatine kinase concentrations did not significantly change. No drug-related severe adverse events were reported. Conclusions Key features were sustainably alleviated in patients with MCT8 deficiency across all ages, highlighting the real-life potential of Triac for MCT8 deficiency.

Deteriorating soil health, diminishing soil organic carbon (SOC), development of subsurface hard compact layer and declining system productivity are barriers to achieving sustainable production in the traditional rice–wheat cropping system (TA) in the eastern Indo‐Gangetic Plain of India. Conservation agriculture (CA), which favours minimum soil disturbance, crop residue retention and crop diversification could be a viable alternative to the TA to address most of those major problems. With that in mind, a long‐term experiment is being implemented at ICAR‐RCER, Patna, Bihar, India, with four treatments: (a) TA, (b) full CA (fCA) and (c and d) partial CA (pCA1 and pCA2), differing in crop establishment methods, cropping system and crop residue management in a randomized complete block design. Measurement of soil health parameters was carried out in the 11th year of the experiment. The results revealed a beneficial effect of CA and 46 and 40% increase in SOC concentration and stock, respectively, under fCA over TA in the 0–7.5‐cm soil layer. The effect of partial CA (pCA1 and pCA2) was variable, but an increasing trend was always observed under pCA compared to TA. There was an enrichment in SOC content of aggregates under CA irrespective of size class; however, no relation was found between SOC content and aggregate diameter. The contribution of macroaggregates to SOC stock was larger (36–66%) under CA in the 0–7.5‐cm soil layer. Adoption of CA improved the macroaggregate content, MWD and GMD of aggregates, and aggregation ratio. Soil macropore content was greater under fCA, whereas other parameters were similar among treatments. The impact of CA was mostly limited to 0–7.5 cm soil layer and a maximum up to 15 cm soil depth while evaluation until 60 cm soil depth was realized. The yield of rice in CA was comparable to or higher than in TA, whereas the system rice equivalent yield was always higher (38–53%) under CA than under the conventional practices. Therefore, a CA‐based cropping system must be encouraged, to increase SOC status, improve aggregation stability and, consequently, sustain or increase system productivity, in order to achieve food and nutritional security in the eastern Indo‐Gangetic Plain of India. Highlights Effects of long‐term conservation agriculture (CA) on soil C, aggregation and yield were evaluated.CA improved SOC concentration and stock by 46 and 40%, as well as macroaggregate SOC stock by 36–66%.Macro‐aggregation and mean weight diameter improved in CA but was mostly limited to a shallow soil depth.CA can be promoted for sustainability of a rice–wheat system due to higher productivity (38–53%).

An increasing cost of production, declining factor productivity and sustainability in rice–wheat cropping system are forcing the Indian farmers to shift from conventional tillage (CT) practice to conservational tillage (CA) practice for crop cultivation. With all the numerous advantage of CA practice, weed is a major concern restricting the farm productivity and profitability. To evaluate various tillage and weed management practices in rice–wheat cropping system of Central India, a study was carried out at farmers field. An integrated approach of weed management with Sesbania co-culture with rice followed by tank-mix application of bispyribac-Na + 2,4-d effectively reduced the total weed density and dry biomass accumulation and simultaneously increased the rice grain yield and farmers income, whereas, in case of wheat, as compared to CT practice, CA gave ~ 11% higher grain yield by restricting the growth of weeds. The weed density and dry weight were effectively diminished with pre-mix application of mesosulfuron + idosulfuron in wheat, and this pre-mix combination has also significantly increased the wheat grain yield over farmers practice. As compared to sole application, tank-mix or pre-mix application of different herbicides with varied target group of weeds controlled various weed species in a single application. The total system yield of rice–wheat cropping system with CA practice (6.27 t/ha) was higher as compared to CT practice (5.97 t/ha). The sustainable yield index, farmers profit and B:C ratio of the rice–wheat cropping system were in upper side by adopting the CA practice as compared to existing farmers (CT) practice.

Crop residue burning is a major issue in farmers’ fields of Indo-Gangetic Plain and Central India. It emits air pollutants and GHGs into the atmosphere, adversely affects soil, crop yields, human h...

Population growth, industrialisation, urbanisation, and climate change have created huge pressure on freshwater resources to fulfil the demand. Approx. 70-80% of the freshwater supply returns as wastewater, which is difficult to tackle and manage. We need to tackle the freshwater demand from different sectors like domestic, industrial, and agriculture. Most important is how to use the wastewater safely in agriculture. Therefore, it is an apt time to refocus on ways to recycle water especially in sectors like agriculture and for ecosystem services. The major concern in using wastewater in agriculture is its quality as the wastewater may carry pathogens, heavy metals, and many other pollutants, which might reach to human beings and animals via food chain. A solution to wastewater reuse is through bioremediation techniques. Bioremediation should be considered as a feasible and futuristic technology for safe use of wastewater in agriculture as it will reduce the burden on centralised water treatment system as well as it being economic and eco-friendly.

Febrile seizures are quite common in children but there are controversies in many aspects of their diagnosis and management.An expert group consisting of pediatric neurologists and pediatricians was constituted. The modified Delphi method was used to develop consensus on the issues of definitions and investigations. The writing group members reviewed the literature and identified the contentious issues under these subheadings. The questions were framed, pruned, and discussed among the writing group members. The final questions were circulated to all experts during the first round of Delphi consensus. The results of the first round were considered to have arrived at a consensus if more than 75% experts agreed. Contentious issues that reached a 50-75% agreement was discussed further in online meetings and subsequently voting was done over an online platform to arrive at a consensus. Three rounds of Delphi were conducted to arrive at final statements.The expert group arrived at a consensus on 52 statements. These statements pertain to definitions of febrile seizures, role of blood investigations, urine investigations, neuroimaging, electroencephalography (EEG), cerebrospinal fluid analysis and screening for micronutrient deficiency. In addition, role of rescue medications, intermittent anti-seizure medication and continuous prophylaxis, antipyretic medication and micronutrient supplementation have been covered.This consensus statement addresses various contentious issues pertaining to the diagnosis and management of febrile seizures. Adoption of these statements in office practice will improve and standardize the care of children with this disorder.

Contains fulltext : 220431.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Closed access) BACKGROUND: Disordered thyroid hormone transport, due to mutations in the SLC16A2 gene encoding monocarboxylate transporter 8 (MCT8), is characterised by intellectual and motor disability resulting from cerebral hypothyroidism and chronic peripheral thyrotoxicosis. We sought to systematically assess the phenotypic characteristics and natural history of patients with MCT8 deficiency. METHODS: We did an international, multicentre, cohort study, analysing retrospective data from Jan 1, 2003, to Dec 31, 2019, from patients with MCT8 deficiency followed up in 47 hospitals in 22 countries globally. The key inclusion criterion was genetically confirmed MCT8 deficiency. There were no exclusion criteria. Our primary objective was to analyse the overall survival of patients with MCT8 deficiency and document causes of death. We also compared survival between patients who did or did not attain full head control by age 1.5 years and between patients who were or were not underweight by age 1-3 years (defined as a bodyweight-for-age Z score

Two field experiments were conducted at the Research Farm of ICAR-Indian Institute of Water Management, Mendhasal, Odisha with wet season rice. The objective of the first experiment was to compare the effect of inorganic fertilizers (IF) with the integrated nutrient management (INM) using in situ green manure Sesbania and complimentary dose of IF on rice yield, energy use, economics and residual soil fertility. In the second experiment, the IF was compared with the organic nutrient management (ONM) using in situ green manure Sesbania and vermicompost. The results of the first experiment revealed that grain and straw yields of rice were similar with the INM and IF. However, the INM helped in reducing energy input (24%), improving energy efficiency (35%) and net return (20%). Soil organic C, available N and P contents increased significantly by 14%, 8% and 53%, respectively, for the INM at the end of 3 years. The results of the second experiment revealed that the ONM registered rice grain yield reduction by 8% but increased net return (8%) due to a higher premium of INR 1750 (US $ 26.21) t−1 paddy grain. The ONM treatment reduced energy input (39%) and enhanced energy efficiency (57%) as compared to the IF. Soil organic C, available N and P contents increased by 23%, 39% and 12%, respectively, for the ONM at the end of 3 years. Thus, the practice of ONM or INM using Sesbania green manure-cum-cover crop saved energy and fertilizer, and maintained soil fertility.

Weeds are one of the key threats in sustaining the productivity of the rice-wheat cropping system in the Indo-Gangetic Plains. The development of sound integrated weed management technologies requires knowledge of mechanisms that influence weed flora composition and weed seedbank dynamics. A long-term study was initiated in 2015 at Patna, Bihar, India to evaluate the effect of seven tillage and crop establishment methods on weed density, weed seedbank composition, and crop productivity in rice-wheat-mungbean rotation. All the treatments included zero-till mungbean after wheat. Tillage and crop establishment methods had differential effects on weed and weed seedbank composition. In rice, zero-till direct-seeded rice recorded 62% lower emergence of

Graphical abstract, Highlights • Different crop establishment methods were compared with traditional conventional tillage (CT) in rice-wheat cropping system. • Net returns and benefit cost ratio were increased by 11 and 28 % under conservation agriculture (CA) -based systems than CT. • System productivity was at par while earthworm population was two times higher under CA-based production system than CT. • CA-based systems had 15 % less energy input and 14–36 % higher energy productivity than CT. • Direct seeded rice consumed 6.8 % less water and had 56.2 % less methane emission than puddled transplanted rice., In the eastern Indo-Gangetic Plains (EIGP), conventional rice-wheat system has led to a decline in productivity, input-use efficiency, and profitability. To address these, a four-year field study was conducted to evaluate the performance of tillage and crop establishment (TCE) methods in rice-wheat-greengram rotation. The treatments included: 1) random puddled transplanted rice (RPTR) - conventional-till broadcast wheat (BCW) - zero-till greengram (ZTG); 2) line PTR (LPTR) - conventional-till drill sown wheat (CTW) - ZTG; 3) machine transplanted rice in puddled soil (CTMTR) - zero tillage wheat (ZTW) - ZTG; 4) machine transplanted rice in zero-till wet soil (ZTMTR) - ZTW - ZTG; 5) system of rice intensification (SRI) - system of wheat intensification (SWI) - ZTG; 6) direct-seeded rice (DSR) - ZTW - ZTG; and 7) zero-till DSR - ZTW - ZTG. During the initial two years, conventional rice system (PTR) recorded a 16.2 % higher rice grain yield than DSR system. Whereas in the fourth year, the rice yields under DSR and PTR were comparable. As compared to SRI/SWI, the average wheat yield in ZT system was significantly high, whereas in rice, SRI/SWI system was comparable with CT system. ZTW after non-puddled rice was at par to CTW after PTR. The ZT wheat produced 4.6 % more yield than CT system. DSR production system consumed 6.8 % less water compared to transplanted system. On the system basis, 10.8 % higher net returns were recorded with CA-based system compared to conventional system. The system energy productivity under CA-based production system was 14–36 % higher than PTR-based systems. CA-based system also led to 8–10 % lower global warming potential (GWP) than conventional methods. The current study indicated that as compared to conventional system, a significant gain in productivity, profitability and energy-use efficiency, and reduction in the environmental mitigation are possible with emerging alternative TCE methods. Long-term expansion and further refinement of these technologies in local areas need to be explored for the second green revolution.

Population growth, industrialisation, urbanisation, and climate change have created huge pressure on freshwater resources to fulfil the demand. Approx. 70-80% of the freshwater supply returns as wastewater, which is difficult to tackle and manage. We need to tackle the freshwater demand from different sectors like domestic, industrial, and agriculture. Most important is how to use the wastewater safely in agriculture. Therefore, it is an apt time to refocus on ways to recycle water especially in sectors like agriculture and for ecosystem services. The major concern in using wastewater in agriculture is its quality as the wastewater may carry pathogens, heavy metals, and many other pollutants, which might reach to human beings and animals via food chain. A solution to wastewater reuse is through bioremediation techniques. Bioremediation should be considered as a feasible and futuristic technology for safe use of wastewater in agriculture as it will reduce the burden on centralised water treatment system as well as it being economic and eco-friendly.

Terminal heat stress leads to significant yield reduction in wheat. Adaptation strategies to combat this could be either growing heat-tolerant cultivars or adjustments in sowing date. A study was conducted for 2 years to understand the impact of terminal heat stress on wheat using three different wheat cultivars (HD 2932, WR 544 and HD 2967) and three sowing date, viz. D1 (second week of November), D2 (first week of December) and D3 (last week of December) at Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), New Delhi, India. Results revealed that timely sown crop (D1) showed significantly higher number of tillers m−2 (450), plant height (93.5 cm), 1000-grain weight (38 g), grain yield (6.3 t ha−1) and harvest index (0.44) compared with D2 and D3. Yield loss occurred by 70, 29 and 77 kg ha−1 per day due to delay in sowing beyond D1 in varieties, viz. ‘HD 2932,’ ‘WR 544’ and ‘HD 2967,’ respectively. The late-sown crop resulted lower yield, which encountered higher temperature in its terminal growth stages. Among three varieties used, ‘WR 544’ had lesser decline in growth and yield than other two varieties due to late sowing. It implied that ‘WR 544’ had thermo-tolerant characteristics. Higher yield in wheat requires both heat-tolerant cultivars and better agronomic strategy under terminal heat stress condition. This study concluded that varietal selection and adjustment in sowing date could be the appropriate adaptation strategies under changing climate especially the terminal heat stress.

Annually 500 M t organic wastes are produced in India from the agriculture sector. Transportation of bulky organic manures for centralized collection, processing and distribution to farms is cost prohibitive. Hence, recycling of agricultural wastes using vermicompost technology at the farm level is a practical way of managing agriwaste for meeting the plant nutrient requirement. Our experience with a 1.584 ha farm for three years (2015–2016 to 2017–2018) revealed that 8.1 t vermicompost was produced in three batches from 24 t agriwastes produced within the farm area. The system productivity by recycling these farm generated agriwastes and run-off water was 18.05 t (≈11.4 t ha−1) rice equivalent yield which was higher by 2.6 times as compared to rice fallow (4.46 t ha−1). Also, the net return from this system (Indian rupees 70141 ha−1) was higher by 2.3 times, after considering the fixed cost towards construction of a water recycling pond. An increase in carbon stock in soil for the four years study period was 0.66 Mg ha−1 year−1 with the agriwaste recycling system under organic nutrition. For the inorganic fertilizer plot, the increase in carbon stock was 0.53 Mg ha−1 year−1. A decrease in bulk density from 1.56 to 1.46 Mg m−3, increase in water holding capacity from 0.43 to 0.52 cm3 cm−3 and increase in available P and K content in soil from 38.0 and 174.7 kg ha−1 to 45.8 and 186.5 kg ha−1, respectively, were noted. Thus, recycling of agricultural waste at the farm level is useful in improving soil health and crop productivity.

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is a dominant pulse crop in the world for its climate resilience and nutritional values. Weed infestation causes a significant yield loss in chickpea and jeopardize in realizing the potential yield across regions. Pendimethalin as pre-emergence (PRE) is the ruling herbicide, however, post-emergence (POST) herbicides are limited in this crop particularly for managing broad-leaved weeds and higher yield gain. We assessed the impact of POST herbicides available in different crops on weed phytotoxicity, crop selectivity and yield performance in chickpea on sandy-loam soil of Kanpur, India. The experiment was undertaken for two consecutive years (2016-17 and 2017-18) comprising nine herbicides, besides unweeded control (UWC) and weed-free check (WFC). Among the herbicides tested, halosulfuron-methyl 70 g a.i. ha−1 and tembotrione 100 g a.i. ha−1 showed the maximum phytotoxicity scale of 5-10 on chickpea. Clodinafop-propargyl + sodium-acifluorfen 122.5 g a.i. ha−1 and imazethapyr + imazamox 70 g a.i. ha−1 had a recoverable phytotoxicity (scale 3–5) on chickpea. Topramezone 20.6 g a.i. ha−1 at 25 days after sowing (DAS) resulted in higher phytotoxicity on weeds (toxicity scale of 7–10) without any phytotoxicity on chickpea. It significantly controlled the dominant broad-leaved weeds: Chenopodium album L., Lepidium didymum L., Spergula arvensis L., Medicago polymorpha L. and Fumaria parviflora Lam. compared to the remaining herbicides. Topramezone reduced total weed density by 68-70% and 48–51% (P ≤ 0.05) at 45 and 95 DAS compared with UWC, respectively. Therefore, this herbicide had higher (P ≤ 0.05) weed control efficiency in both years (89.8% in 2016-17 and 76.5% in 2017-18) than remaining treatments. Topramezone increased 15.3-19.6% chickpea seed yield than the recommended herbicide pendimethalin 1000 g a.i. ha−1 - quizalofop-p-ethyl 100 g a.i. ha−1 without affecting the nodulation and fluorescein diacetate activity. The UWC resulted in 64% (mean of two years) yield loss compared to the WFC in chickpea. Importantly, topramezone gave comparable yield with WFC. Hence, topramezone can be safely used in chickpea for managing broad-leaved weeds and realizing higher productivity.

Chickpea faces an extended period of critical weed competition due to its slow initial growth and requires sequential herbicide application to obtain maximum yield. However, no post-emergence herbicides are available especially for controlling broad-leaved weeds. Post-emergence herbicides like topramezone, imazethapyr + imazamox and clodinafop-propargyl + Na-acifluorfen for their phytotoxicity and bio-efficacy was evaluated in chickpea. Phytotoxicity of imazethapyr + imazamox 60 g a.i./ha on chickpea was prolonged and crop recovery was poor. On the contrary, phytotoxicity on crop due to topramezone 40 and 60 g a.i./ha and clodinafop-propargyl + Na-acifluorfen 500 g a.i./ha was minimal (rating 6). Significantly lower (P ≤ 0.05) weed population by 66.2 and 54% were recorded in topramezone 60 g a.i./ha and clodinafop-propargyl + Na-acifluorfen 500 g a.i./ha, respectively, over unweeded control at 65 DAS, besides significant reduction in dry weight of weeds. The WCE and WCI were higher in topramezone 60 g a.i./ha (71.6%) at 65 DAS and in clodinafop-propargyl + Na-acifluorfen 500 g a.i./ha at 95 DAS, respectively. Moreover, these had an edge over two hand weeding and quizalofop ethyl 50 g a.i./ha (recommended post-emergence herbicide) in chickpea. Treatments topramezone 40 g a.i./ha and clodinafop-propargyl + Na-acifluorfen 500 g a.i./ha recorded significantly (P ≤ 0.05) higher grain yield by 26.4 and 20.1% over quizalofop ethyl 50 g a.i./ha. Therefore, topramezone and clodinafop propargyl + Na-acifluorfen could be an option for controlling the diversified weed flora particularly broad-leaved weeds like Chenopodium album, Melilotus alba, Medicago denticulata and others in chickpea.

Global warming and associated climate change are becoming a threat to almost all the ecosystems on the earth. According to the intergovernmental panel on climate change (IPCC) special report 2019, the global mean surface (land and ocean) temperature has been increased by 0.87 °C while mean of land surface air temperature has increased by 1.53 °C since 1850–2015. Climate change is affecting food security and human life due to warming, changing precipitation patterns, and the greater frequency of some extreme events. The main cause of global warming is the continuous increase in the atmospheric concentration of greenhouse gases (GHGs) like CO2, CH4, N2O and fluorinated gases due to several anthropogenic activities. Therefore, reducing the increasing concentration of GHG is necessary to slow down global warming and climate change. Among several options of greenhouse mitigation, application of biochar into the soil is gaining popularity due to several advantages over other options. Biochar is a highly stable form of carbon derived from pyrolysis of biomass at relatively low temperatures. Application of biochar into the soil has been reported to provide multiple benefits like increase in crop yield, nutrient and water use efficiency and several environmental benefits. Recalcitrant nature, relatively higher carbon content and easily available feedstock make biochar a highly sustainable and quick option for carbon sequestration into the soil. Biochar application into the soil not only helps in carbon sequestration but also provides a better option for managing agricultural residues. The application of biochar has also reported for reducing a considerable amount of methane and nitrous oxide emission from the agricultural field due to its priming effect on the soil. Biochar yield, physical properties, and carbon content varies with the type of feedstock and pyrolysis condition. Therefore, the rate of carbon sequestration and mitigation of greenhouse gas is also highly variable, however, the biochar application ultimately leads to a positive contribution towards climate change mitigation. However, most of the reported benefits are confined to laboratory and field trial at institute level, widespread adoption of biochar on farmer’s field is still lacking. In the present chapter, all the aspects of biochar towards carbon sequestration and greenhouse mitigation have been well discussed.

Chemical stress in plants due to micronutrient deficiency or toxicity, heavy metal and air pollutant can affect the crop growth and development and hampers its productivity and restricts the crop from reaching its full yield potential. Micronutrients play important role in several enzymatic reactions in the plants. However, intensive agriculture, imbalanced fertilizer application and negligence of micronutrient application to the soil have led worldwide micronutrient deficiencies in the agricultural soil. Deficiency or excess of these elements cause several plant disorder or stress. Therefore, understanding of role of micronutrients in plants and stress due to their deficiency and toxicity is necessary for better crop production. Heavy metals are non-degradable and accumulate in our soil, water and crops and finally reach us. Remediation of these heavy metal is necessary with emphasis on reduction, reuse and recycle of these metals and at the same time bioremediation including phytoremediation should be devised which is environmental friendly to tackle the increasing menace in environment. Air pollutants and emerging contaminants are new stress which are impacting crop production and their detail understanding is further required with location-specific remediation measures.

Bi-allelic loss-of-function variants in genes that encode subunits of the adaptor protein complex 4 (AP-4) lead to prototypical yet poorly understood forms of childhood-onset and complex hereditary spastic paraplegia: SPG47 (AP4B1), SPG50 (AP4M1), SPG51 (AP4E1) and SPG52 (AP4S1). Here, we report a detailed cross-sectional analysis of clinical, imaging and molecular data of 156 patients from 101 families. Enrolled patients were of diverse ethnic backgrounds and covered a wide age range (1.0–49.3 years). While the mean age at symptom onset was 0.8 ± 0.6 years [standard deviation (SD), range 0.2–5.0], the mean age at diagnosis was 10.2 ± 8.5 years (SD, range 0.1–46.3). We define a set of core features: early-onset developmental delay with delayed motor milestones and significant speech delay (50% non-verbal); intellectual disability in the moderate to severe range; mild hypotonia in infancy followed by spastic diplegia (mean age: 8.4 ± 5.1 years, SD) and later tetraplegia (mean age: 16.1 ± 9.8 years, SD); postnatal microcephaly (83%); foot deformities (69%); and epilepsy (66%) that is intractable in a subset. At last follow-up, 36% ambulated with assistance (mean age: 8.9 ± 6.4 years, SD) and 54% were wheelchair-dependent (mean age: 13.4 ± 9.8 years, SD). Episodes of stereotypic laughing, possibly consistent with a pseudobulbar affect, were found in 56% of patients. Key features on neuroimaging include a thin corpus callosum (90%), ventriculomegaly (65%) often with colpocephaly, and periventricular white-matter signal abnormalities (68%). Iron deposition and polymicrogyria were found in a subset of patients. AP4B1-associated SPG47 and AP4M1-associated SPG50 accounted for the majority of cases. About two-thirds of patients were born to consanguineous parents, and 82% carried homozygous variants. Over 70 unique variants were present, the majority of which are frameshift or nonsense mutations. To track disease progression across the age spectrum, we defined the relationship between disease severity as measured by several rating scales and disease duration. We found that the presence of epilepsy, which manifested before the age of 3 years in the majority of patients, was associated with worse motor outcomes. Exploring genotype-phenotype correlations, we found that disease severity and major phenotypes were equally distributed among the four subtypes, establishing that SPG47, SPG50, SPG51 and SPG52 share a common phenotype, an ‘AP-4 deficiency syndrome’. By delineating the core clinical, imaging, and molecular features of AP-4-associated hereditary spastic paraplegia across the age spectrum our results will facilitate early diagnosis, enable counselling and anticipatory guidance of affected families and help define endpoints for future interventional trials.

Objectives There is shortage of specialists for the diagnosis of children with epilepsy, especially in resource limited settings. Existing INCLEN (International Clinical Epidemiology Network) instrument was validated for children aged 2–9 years. The current study validated modifications of the same including wider symptomatology and age group. Methods The Modified INCLEN tool was validated by a team of experts by modifying the existing tools (2–9 years) to widen the age range from 1 month to 18 years and include broader symptomatology in a tertiary care teaching hospital of North India between January and June 2015. A qualified medical graduate applied the candidate tool which was followed by gold standard evaluation by a Pediatric Neurologist (both blinded to each other). Results A total of 197 children {128 boys (65%) and 69 girls (35%)}, with a mean age of 72.08 (±50.96) months, completed the study. The sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive value, positive and negative likelihood ratio of the modified epilepsy tool were 91.5% (84.5–96.1), 88.6% (80.0–93.5), 89.7% (81.9–95.3), 90.8% (83.7–95.7), 8 (6.6–9.8) and 0.09 (0.07–0.12) respectively. Significance The new modified diagnostic instruments for epilepsy is simple, structured and valid instruments covering 1month to 18 years for use in resource limited settings with acceptable diagnostic accuracy. All seizure semiologies as well as common seizure mimics like breath-holding spells are included in the tool. It also provides for identification of acute symptomatic and febrile seizures.

Rice–wheat cropping systems (RWCS) of the Indo-Gangetic plains (IGP) of India are tillage, water and energy intensive and an important source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emission. Developing agronomic management in RWCS that lead to minimum adverse impact on soil, enhances water use efficiency, reduces GHG emission and are climate resilient is required. The aim of this study was to evaluate different combinations of GHG mitigation technologies for rice and wheat and to find suitable low carbon options for RWCS in the IGP. Seven management systems i.e. conventionally tilled wheat (CTW); zero tilled wheat (ZTW); transplanted puddled rice (TPR); dry direct seeded rice (DSR); intermittent wetting and drying (IWD); application of neem oil coated urea (NOCU); and surface application of rice residue (RR) were experimented in six combination of rotations [CTW-TPR, ZTW-TPR, ZTW-IWD, ZTW-DSR, ZTW + RR-DSR and (ZTW-TPR) + NOCU] for two consecutive years. Among these rotations, ZTW-DSR and ZTW + RR-DSR showed the lowest global warming potential (GWP) and GHG intensity in both the years. Adoption of these systems in the Indian-IGP can reduce GWP of the conventional RWCS (CTW-TPR) by 44–47% without any significant loss in the system yield. This was mainly due to significantly low CH4 emission (82.3–87.2%) in DSR as compared to TPR due to prolonged aerobic condition under DSR. However, frequent wetting and drying in DSR led to higher denitrification emissions of N2O (60–70%). Significantly higher emissions of N2O were observed in ZTW treatments (8–11%). NOCU was found effective in reducing N2O emission from ZTW (17.8–20.5%) leading to lower GWP as compared to CTW. Application of rice residue in ZTW treatment also reduced N2O emission (11–12.8%). There was no significant effect of different treatments in rice on GHG emission from the succeeding wheat crop; however, ZTW and ZTW + RR were found to enhance CH4 emission from the succeeding rice treatments.

Background In children, migraine with or without aura is a common entity, however variants like recurrent painful optic neuropathy (RPON) is rarely encountered. Case result A 9 year old boy presented with headache for 1 week and restricted movements and drooping in both eyes for last 3 days. On examination he had bilateral ophthalmoplegia and ptosis. History of migrainous headache was present in the patient as well as his mother. His MRI brain with venogram, serum autoimmune markers, serum and urine toxicology screen and repetitive nerve stimulation test were normal. He received intravenous pulse followed by oral steroids for 6 weeks and was started on antimigraine prophylaxis. Eighteen months since the attack, he has improved completely with mild asymmetric mydriasis persisting. Discussion and conclusion This may represent first attack of RPON in a child with migraine. Rarely this may herald the onset of migraine as well, index of suspicion should be high as it is a diagnosis of exclusion and a treatable entity.

Mechanized farming for vegetable production has evolved as an integral part of commercial agriculture during the past few decades. As a first step towards mechanized farming the use of tractors in Indian agriculture has increased by 528% during the period 1990–91 to 2018–19 from 0.15 to 0.8 million/year. Undoubtedly, use of such technologies has made vegetable as well as foodgrain production a profitable venture by easing land preparation, weed management and other intercultural operations, crop harvesting, etc. However, their continuous use in production fields has resulted in the substantial compaction of soil along the wheel lines of tractors and similar heavy machinery. Reports indicate a significant yield loss (13–73%) owing to soil compaction because it restricts root penetrance into the soil, limiting nutrient and water uptake by the plants, and also potential water stagnation, which can limit the normal activities of respiring roots leading to retarded plant growth and root diseases. In this context, control traffic farming (CTF), which aims to reduce the area affected by the operation of heavy machinery that otherwise lead to soil compaction, brings a substantial value to the current global focus of sustainable and precision farming. CTF attempts to restrict the spatial movement of machinery wheels to fewer operation lanes during and across production cycles for a long time and allows specifically the undisturbed areas of soil for crop production. Research confirms a significant improvement in crop yield in different crop production systems worldwide and reduction in methane emission due to soil absorption (372–2100%) compared to random traffic farming. In this article, we discuss the advantages of CTF in terms of root growth, nutrient mobilization and energy efficiency of the vegetable production system, and also argue on its scope in the Indian context, given the situation that no or only a few studies have been reported from the country.

The effect of climate change is being observed in India in the form of shorter winter coupled with commencement of summer quite earlier than normal. The proximity of equator and late sowing of wheat (due to late harvesting of rice) exposes the wheat crop (Triticum aestivum L.) to high temperature stress during grain filling stage leading to terminal heat stress in the crop and reduced yield. There are limited studies done till date in India to assess the long term impact of climate variability on wheat yield and to develop adaptation strategies to reduce its negative impact. Therefore, in this study, simulation model (InfoCrop) and field experiment was used to assess the impacts of terminal heat stress on growth and yield of wheat as well as to identify adaptation strategies. Simulated results showed that terminal heat stress will reduce wheat yield by 18.1%, 16.1% and 11.1%, respectively in present, 2020 and 2050 scenarios. Advancement in sowing date, application of additional dose of nitrogen and irrigation at grain filling stage were found suitable options for preventing yield loss. Among various combinations of adaptation options, early sowing by 10 days from recommended sowing date with 30 kg ha−1 additional nitrogen fertilizer and one additional irrigation at grain filling stage was found most suitable. Adaptation of these strategies will help in reducing impact of heat stress by 7.5, 6.4 and 9% respectively in present, 2020 and 2050 heat stressed scenarios.

Data processing with multiple domains is an important concept in any platform; it deals with multimedia and textual information. Where textual data processing focuses on a structured or unstructured way of data processing which computes in less time with no compression over the data, multimedia data are processing deals with a processing requirement algorithm where compression is needed. This involve processing of video and their frames and compression in short forms such that the fast processing of storage as well as the access can be performed. There are different ways of performing compression, such as fractal compression, wavelet transform, compressive sensing, contractive transformation and other ways. One way of performing such a compression is working with the high frequency component of multimedia data. One of the most recent topics is fractal transformation which follows the block symmetry and archives high compression ratio. Yet, there are limitations such as working with speed and its cost while performing proper encoding and decoding using fractal compression. Swarm optimization and other related algorithms make it usable along with fractal compression function. In this paper, we review multiple algorithms in the field of fractal-based video compression and swarm intelligence for problems of optimization.

The aim of present study was to develop a database of Arsenic (As) in ground water, soil, vegetables, cereal and forage crops to evaluate the potential human health risks posed by higher level of As, in Maner block of Patna,Bihar. The total concentration of arsenic in various samples under study was determined by hydride generator atomic absorption spectrophotometer.The concentration of Arsenic in ground water, soil and plant samples exceeded the WHO guideline values (10 ppb). Concentration of As in groundwater (tubewell) used for irrigation and agricultural soil samples ranged between 11.07 to 91.72 ppb and 82.2-135.5 ppb,respectively, which was on an average above the permissible limit of WHO guideline value. Soil of the study area was slightly acidic to alkaline in nature with low range of nitrogen and medium range of P and K.Crops were sampled from the selected sites and result showed that in vegetables As content varied in the range of 50.8 ppb to 289.1 ppb, in forage/pulse in the range of 90.3 ppb to 241.5 ppb and in cereal (Maize)crop in the range of 40.1 ppb to 265.4 ppb. Above ground concentration of arsenic in vegetables (consumable portion) was found to be higher than cereal and forage crops.

Email is necessary and essential for communication in today's life. Today internet users are increases, and email is necessary for communication over the internet. Spam mail is a major and big problem of researchers to analyze and reduce it. Spam emails are received in bulk amount and it contains trojans, viruses, malware and causes phishing attacks. Problems are arise when number of unwanted mails are come from unknown sites and how to classify the user that email are received which is spam email or ham. This paper used to classify that incoming emails are spam mail or ham by the use of different classification techniques to identify spam mail and remove it. Naive bayes classifier are apply in the concept of posterior probability and decision tree algorithms are apply namely Random Tree, REPTree, Random Forest,and J48 decision tree classifier. For the identification of spam mail, UCI spambase dataset is used. It is a benchmark dataset which contains 58 attributes and 4601 instances. Weka software is used for the analysis and implementation of results. In Weka tool, classification algorithms are used to find spam mail in the classification phase of weka software.These papers play a very important role to remove viruses, trojans, malware and websites including phishing attacks and fraudulent attempts in emails. Feature selection is applied on dataset for training set and cross validation. Cfs Subset evaluation method is used for best first method in feature selection. For the classification of spam mail, we use two tests are cross validation and training set under classifier option in Weka Tool. For training set, same data will be used for training and testing. And for cross validation, training data is segmented in a number of folds. And finally using training set, Random Tree gives the best result for the classification of spam mail.

In our everyday lives we require information to accomplish daily tasks. Database is one of the most important sources of information. Database systems have been widely used in data storage and retrieval. However, to extract information from databases, we need to have some knowledge of database languages like SQL. But SQL has predefined structures and format, so it is hard for the non-expert users to formulate the desired query. To override this complexity, we have turned to natural language to retrieve information from database, which can be an ideal channel between a non-technical user and the application. But the application cannot understand natural language so an interface is required. This interface is capable of converting the user’s natural language query to an equivalent database language query. In this paper, we address the system architecture for translating a Hindi sentence in the form of an audio to an equivalent SQL query. The users don’t need to learn any formal query language; hence it’s easy to use for common people.

System of rice intensification (SRI) is an alternate method of conventional puddled, transplanted, and continuously flooded rice cultivation for higher yield, water saving, and increased farmer’s income. The SRI may also have considerable impact on greenhouse gas emission because of difference in planting, water and nutrient management practices. A field experiment was conducted with three planting methods: conventional puddled transplanted rice (TPR), conventional SRI with 12-days-old seedling (SRI) and modified SRI with 18-days-old seedling (MSRI) to study their effect on methane and nitrous oxide emission. Seasonal integrated flux (SIF) for methane was highest in the conventional method (22.59 kg ha−1) and lowest in MSRI (8.16 kg ha−1). Methane emissions with SRI and MSRI decreased by 61.1 and 64 %, respectively, compared to the TPR method. Cumulative N2O–N emission was 0.69, 0.90, and 0.89 kg ha−1 from the TPR, SRI, and MSRI planting methods, respectively. An average of 22.5 % increase in N2O–N emission over the TPR method was observed in the SRI and MSRI methods. The global warming potential (GWP), however, reduced by 28 % in SRI and 30 % in MSRI over the TPR method. A 36 % of water saving was observed with both SRI and MSRI methods. Grain yield in the SRI and MSRI methods decreased by 4.42 and 2.2 %, respectively, compared to the TPR method. Carbon efficiency ratio was highest in the MSRI and lowest in the TPR method. This study revealed that the SRI and MSRI methods were effective in reducing GWP and saving water without yield penalty in rice.

Background Sulfatides, the most abundant glycosphingolipids, are a major component of myelin. They are degraded by the combined action of sphingolipid activator protein and arylsulfatase A. Deficiency of either of these entities causes metachromatic leukodystrophy (MLD). On the basis of age of onset, this entity is divided into late infantile, juvenile, and adult subtypes. Late infantile form, the commonest subtype, can exhibit peripheral neuropathy as the initial manifestation. The other two forms usually manifest peripheral neuropathy later in the disease course. Patient A 1.5-year-old girl with preexisting isolated motor delay presented with acute-onset ascending flaccid quadriparesis, ptosis, and respiratory failure. Ptosis and respiratory failure responded completely to intravenous immunoglobulin, whereas quadriparesis showed minimal improvement. Nerve biopsy revealed metachromatic granules with demyelination, and serum arylsulfatase A levels were undetectable. Conclusion The severity and nature of the disease coupled with the response to immunotherapy makes this case unusual. This child may represent either an atypical presentation of MLD with coincidental response to immunotherapy or an episode of immune mediated neuropathy in an individual with already diseased nerves due to MLD.

Background Guillain Barre syndrome (GBS) commonly presents with limb weakness and occasional cranial nerve, respiratory or autonomic involvement. Isolated or predominant bilateral finger drop as presenting feature has never been reported in the pediatric age group. Case A 9 year old boy presented with deformity of both hands for 7 days and leg pain with difficulty in getting up from floor for 3 days. On examination he had bilateral clawing with subtle hip flexor weakness and hyporeflexia. His nerve conduction study revealed motor axonal neuropathy. His serum lead levels and autoimmune markers were within normal limits. His cerebrospinal fluid examination revealed albuminocytological dissociation. He was diagnosed as GBS and was given intravenous immunoglobulin. He improved completely over next 8 weeks. Conclusions GBS is one of the commonest causes of acquired neuropathy in the tropics. In resource limited setting, where electrophysiological facilities may not be available, identification of finger drop sign may help in correct management.

Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder with an onset in early childhood. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) describes Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) as social communication impairments and restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior. Children with ASD exhibit delayed language development, difficulties in reciprocal communication and social skills, stereotypic behaviors, and sensory impairments. In March 2014, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported prevalence of ASDs as 1 in 68 children in multiple communities in the United States. This new prevalence is 30 % higher than previous estimates reported in 2012 of 1 in 88 [1]. Similar trends have been observed globally and it is not difficult to foresee that in coming decades we will have increasing number of adolescents and adults with autism. Overall long-term outcome of children with autism, when followed to adulthood remains poor and more than three fourth of them may require life long assistance in daily living. Language communication development before age of 6 years and high childhood IQ have been shown to be critical for a Bgood^ outcome [2]. It has been suggested that some children with ASD improve to such an extent that they may outgrow their diagnosis, also known as ‘optimal outcome’. It is interesting and important to know how this group is different than high functioning autism. Optimal outcome children do better on adaptive and problem behavior scores when compared to high-functioning peers with ASD. Contrary to common belief, the high functioning group may continue to show pragmatic, linguistic, social, and behavioral difficulties. The optimal outcome children are likely to be diagnosed at younger ages and more likely to receive intensive early intervention [3].

Rachana Dubey MD, Lokesh Saini MD, Ranjith Kumar Manokaran MD, Biswaroop Chakrabarty DM, Deepak Agrawal MCh , Atin Kumar MD , Sheffali Gulati MD* a Child Neurology Division, Department of Pediatrics, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India Department of Neurosurgery, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India Department of Radiodiagnosis, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India

Deficiency of vitamin B12 causes megaloblastic anemia and nervous system demyelination. Structures affected in the nervous system include spinal cord, cranial and peripheral nerves, and brain white matter. A 9-year-old boy presented with knuckle hyperpigmentation and oral ulcers for 3 years, pallor and easy fatigability for 6 months, gait abnormalities for 3 months, and abnormal speech and behavioral abnormalities for 3 days. On examination, he had physical signs of megaloblastic anemia, mood swings with intermittent hallucinations, and features of cerebellar impairment. Blood investigations revealed megaloblastic anemia, and pernicious anemia was ruled out. Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed bilateral cerebellar signal changes. He received treatment for vitamin B12 deficiency and appropriate nutritional counseling. Three months later, he showed significant clinical and radiologic resolution. To our knowledge, isolated cerebellar involvement as the sole neurologic manifestation of vitamin B12 deficiency has not been described previously in children.