Search

Prenatal nutritional supplements may improve birth outcomes. This study aims to examine the effect of prenatal lipid-based nutrient supplements (LNS), compared with iron and folic acid (IFA), on general newborn physical condition and feeding behaviours. We conducted a cluster-randomized effectiveness trial that enrolled 4,011 pregnant women at ≤20 gestational weeks. LNS and IFA were provided to women in 48 and 16 clusters, respectively, for daily consumption until delivery. We collected data on household socio-economic, food insecurity, and maternal characteristics during early pregnancy and on newborn condition and feeding within 72 hr of delivery. We analysed intervention effects on these secondary outcomes using mixed models with analysis of covariance for continuous outcomes and logistic regression for dichotomous outcomes. Among 3,664 live births, intervention groups did not differ in newborn response, mother's rating of the general condition of her newborn, early initiation of breastfeeding (EIBF), suckling ability, or frequency and exclusivity of breastfeeding in the first 24 hr. If the mother perceived her infant to be healthy, EIBF was more likely (OR [95% CI]: 2.08 [1.46, 2.97]) and frequency of breastfeeding in the first 24 hr was greater (mean difference [95% CI]: 3.0 [1.91, 4.01]), but there was no difference in exclusive breastfeeding in the first 24 hr. Newborn condition and early breastfeeding practices were not affected by giving mothers prenatal LNS versus IFA. However, early breastfeeding practices were related to maternal perception of her newborn's condition. Thus, interventions to improve breastfeeding practices for newborns with poorer perceived health status may be useful.

AbstractGellan Gum (GG) grafted poly-acrylic acid (GG-g-pAAc) hydrogels of different composition were synthesized by changing the concentration of GG through free radical polymerization. The hydrogels were characterized through SEM, TGA, and FTIR. The FTIR spectra confirmed the grafting of GG into the network of polyacrylic acid and evidenced the GG-g-pAAc formation. The rough surface nature of the hydrogels was elaborated through SEM analysis provided the information about the materials to be utilized for removal purpose. The thermal stability was confirmed by TGA analysis and the hydrogels were found stable upto a high temperature range. With an efficiency of 96%, Basic Orange-2 dye (BO-2) was successfully removed from wastewater using synthesized hydrogels as an adsorbent. The adsorption parameters were calculated using a number of different kinetic models. According to the findings, the pseudo-second order kinetics model best suited to the kinetics data, while the Langmuir isotherm provided the most comprehensive explanation of the process of adsorption. BO-2 was removed to the greatest extent (257.5 mg/g). Additionally, the results showed that the adsorption process on synthesized hydrogels was exothermic with values of ΔH = −13.2, −219.4 and −12.9 kJ/mol for pAAc, 10%GG-g-pAAc, and 20%GG-g-pAAc respectively. The adsorption process is spontaneous, with negative values of ΔG = −8.2, −214.4 and −7.947 kJ/mol for pAAc, 10%GG-g-pAAc and 20%GG-g-pAAc at 293K, respectively. The adsorption process on synthesized hydrogels showed no dis-orderness with negative values of ΔS = −17.2, −461.16 and −16.42 kJ/mol for pAAc, 10%GG-g-pAAc and 20%GG-g-pAAc, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is one of the first domesticated crop plants and is the most widely grown crop in the world, both in terms of cultivated area and yield, and wheat is known to be consumed by about two-thirds of the world's population. The study was carried out to investigate the elemental and proximate composition of wheat against boron induced stress. Greenhouse experiments were conducted in October 2019 under natural light conditions to assess the chemical status of plants under various treatments such as the stress of inorganic boric acid. In the experiment, the pots were filled with sandy loam soil (1 kg). The pots were pre-treated with boron as boric acid (H3BO3) only once before sowing, at the doses of 0 mg/kg (control), 3 mg/kg, 6 mg/kg, 9 mg/kg, 12 mg/kg, 15 mg/kg and 18 mg/kg soil. The different concentrations of Boron (B) were prepared separately by taking a respective amount of boric acid. Pots without supplemented B constituted the control. No additional supplements were applied to the experimental soil. Each pot was irrigated with 100 mL of distilled water with intermittent intervals of 48 hours. All the treatments were replicated three times considering each pot as one replicate. Through EDX analysis, it was noticed that the boron stress treatment exhibited the maximum number of elements detected in (T2, T5, and T6) wheat crops followed by (T0, T1, and T3). A total of 17 elements were detected and observed in wheat including Ca, S, K, Si, Na, Mg, Fe, Al, Cu, Cr, Cl, Mn, B, C, N, Co, and Ni in different treatments of B. It has been determined that the amount of each element varies according to the amount of B applied. Thus, the study performed under B stress helps understand elemental and proximate content in various treatments in wheat plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to analyze the phytochemical and antimicrobial-related assays including antibacterial, antifungal, antipellicle, and antibiofilm potential of the root of an alpine medicinal plant (Arnebia euchroma (Royle) I.M.Johnst). Ethanolic, methyl acetate, chloroform, and aqueous extracts of root parts of the A. euchroma plant were prepared. The active metabolites of the root part of the plant were evaluated both qualitatively and quantitatively by GC-MS and HPLC techniques, using ethanolic extract. The antimicrobial potential of A. euchroma was investigated using crude extract, fractions, and AgNPs of the A. euchroma root against two Gram-positive bacteria (Enterococcus, Staphylococcus aureus) four Gram-negative bacteria (Salmonella typhi, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Proteus vulgaris) and five fungal strains (Rhizoctonia, Cuneate fasciculus, Aspergillus niger, Fusarium oxysporum, and Candida auris). All the bacterial strains showed sensitivity toward all the fractions (ethanolic crude, chloroform, aqueous, and methyl acetate) and AgNPs. While S. typhi was found the most susceptible, P. vulgaris was most resistant to all extracts and AgNPs. The case of anti-biofilm potential, the S. typhi and Enterococcus were shown to be most susceptible, these bacteria formed biofilm which was disrupted completely by the extracts. Among the fungal strains F. oxysporum and A. niger were the most susceptible and C. fasciculus was the most resistant fungi. All extracts, including ethanolic extract, chloroform, aqueous, and methyl acetate, at concentrations of 12.5 µg/mL and 16 µg/mL and AgNPs showed anti-pellicle activity against S. typhi, Rhizoctonia, and A. niger. Dose-dependent trend in all bioassays was noted. The ethanolic crude and chloroform extracts were the most active followed by methyl acetate and then aqueous extracts. The phytochemical analysis revealed that carbohydrates, alkaloids, saponins, phenols, tannins, proteins, and flavonoids were found in the plant while terpenoids were absent. The present study highlights that root of the A. euchroma is rich in various types of bioactive phytochemicals, which may be responsible for anti-microbial activities toward the tested pathogenic of bacterial and fungal strains. Our results suggest and confirm A. euchroma extracts could be used economically as a valuable bioproduct with new functional properties in the further drug development and pharmaceutical industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines non‐GAAP disclosures in two selected industries, the consumer nondurable goods industry and the business services industry, to address the question of whether non‐GAAP measures are applied and interpreted uniformly across industries, and more importantly, if the market reacts to non‐GAAP disclosures similarly across different industries. Industry membership potentially has an impact on the usage and interpretation of non‐GAAP disclosures; some industries issue their own policy trying to standardize the use of non‐GAAP measures in their industry. However, industry effects on non‐GAAP disclosures have not been thoroughly studied. This study fills in the gap. Using hand‐collected non‐GAAP measures disclosed in the 8‐K reports from 308 firms in the selected two industries, this study finds that: (1) the use of non‐GAAP measures is more popular than reported in previous studies, and non‐GAAP measures are not limited to performance measures; (2) there is weak evidence of industry preference as to which non‐GAAP measures are more popular in that industry; and (3) the market reacts differently to non‐GAAP disclosures in different industries. Combining the empirical findings, this study documents industry effects and market reactions in the interpretation of non‐GAAP disclosures. Considering that these effects have not been formally academically documented in previous studies, this study carries practical implications for investors and financial analysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Snow avalanches are a type of serious natural disaster that commonly occur in snow-covered mountains with steep terrain characteristics. Susceptibility analysis of avalanches is a pressing issue today and helps decision makers to implement appropriate avalanche risk reduction strategies. Avalanche susceptibility maps provide a preliminary method for evaluating places that are likely to be vulnerable to avalanches to stop or reduce the risks of such disasters. The current study aims to identify areas that are vulnerable to avalanches (ranging from extremely high and low danger) by considering geo-morphological and geological variables and employing an Analytical Hierarchy Approach (AHP) in the GIS platform to identify potential snow avalanche zones in the Karakoram region in Northern Pakistan. The Advanced Space-borne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) Global Digital Elevation Model (GDEM) was used to extract the elevation, slope, aspect, terrain roughness, and curvature of the study area. This study includes the risk identification variable of land cover (LC), which was obtained from the Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager (OLI) satellite. The obtained result showed that the approach established in this study provided a quick and reliable tool to map avalanches in the study area, and it might also work with other glacier sites in other parts of the world for snow avalanche susceptibility and risk assessments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The incorporation and doping of elements represent a widely used approach to enhance the solidity, integrity, and characteristics of pb-free solder joints. The present study summarizes the incorporation of indium and its impact on the mechanical aspects of the SAC105 pb-free solder alloy. To refine the mechanical impact of the solder alloy, the evaluation of samples were categorized into three groups: as-cast, low-thermal aged (at 125 °C), and high-thermal aged (at 180 °C). The tensile deformation data were obtained via the universal tensile machine (UTM). Investigational findings demonstrated the enhancement in mechanical characteristics, including ultimate tensile and yield strength of the solder alloy. The addition of 1 wt.% of indium to SAC105 led to a notable increase in ultimate tensile strength, rising from 29.6 MPa to 35.31 MPa, which corresponds to an approximate 19.30% increase over the initial value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study effeet of hydro-priming on some primary parameters (germination, radiele/plumule length and biomass) of eanola seed was investigated that were subjeeted to various saline doses. The experiment was based on 3 faetorial eomplete randomized design with salinity levels (0, 20 mM, 30 mM, 40 mM and 50 mM) as a first faetor, priming (non-primed and hydro-primed) levels as seeond faetor and eanola eultivars (Abasin-95, Dur e Nifa and Nifa Gold) as third faetor. Results eonfirmed signifieant (Alpha = 5% probability level) effeets of salinity on radiele/plumule growth and fresh biomass of Brassica napus L, whereas data related to germination displayed non-signifieant variations (Alpha = 5 % probability level). Subsequently, studied parameters reeorded signifieant variations for priming levels and eanola eultivars. In the same way, first order interaetion (salinity doses x priming levels) indueed signifieant effeets on plumule size and fresh weight of Brassica napus L. in eontrast to other parameters (radiele growth and germination). The 2nd order interaetion (priming levels x eultivars) was proved to eause highly signifieant effeets on all the seleeted parameters of Brassica napus L. In ease of 3rd order interaetion (salinity doses x eultivars) the response of Brassica napus L. was signifieant for plumule and radiele growth only. Consequently, the 4th order interaetion (salanity doses x priming levels x eultivars), instigated non-signifieant effeets on all the studied parameters of Brassica napus L. exeept radiele growth. The inerease in seedling growth and fresh weight of Brassica napus under most of salinity doses eonfirmed eanola as a salt tolerant plant as shown by previous studies. Furthermore, present studyjustified better performanee of non-primed seeds over hydro-primed eanola seeds. Among the tested eanola eultivars, Nifa Gold proved to be more adapted to salinity than other eultivars and is advisable for growing on saline land in Pakistan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]