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Soil erosion is a serious threat to agriculture and environmental sustainability in the risk‐prone rainfed Himalayan ecosystem. Hence, runoff and soil loss mitigation ability of four maize‐based intensified systems; maize (Zea mays) + turmeric (Curcuma longa), maize + ginger (Zingiber officinale), maize + colocasia (Colocasia esculenta), and maize + sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) were tested against the sole maize. The study recorded 41 erosive events during the 2020–2022 monsoon season. A principal component analysis (PCA) was performed to transform correlated rainfall parameters into orthogonal principal components. A two‐dimensional biplot analysis examined the relationship between PCs, rainfall events, and rainfall parameters. The rainfall events were divided into three regimes based on cluster analysis using PC. Rainfall regime 1 was characterized by low rainfall, I30, rainfall erosivity (E), and moderate rainfall duration (D), regime2 with moderate rainfall, short duration, high I30, and E, and regime3 with high D, I30, and rainfall erosivity. The soil loss of regime‐3 was 9.29 and 3.24 times higher than regime‐1 and regime‐2, respectively. Cover crops reduced runoff by 21.5%–69.3% and soil loss by 54.1%–77.0% over control. Redundancy analysis (RDA) showed that rainfall parameters (I30, I60, D, and E) had a significant direct influence across the systems, explaining 37.7%–54.9% of response variable variance, with E being the most influential (47.4%–54.9%), indicating varied impacts on runoff and soil loss. The sweet potato was best suited with maize as an intercrop to minimize soil erosion and maximize the system's profitability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Detection of gas molecules and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) using efficient, low cost sensors has fetched significant attention in environmental monitoring, safety measures and medical diagnosis. In the present work, nickel ferrite (NFO) nanoparticles are explored as p‐type semiconducting metal oxide (SMO) sensor for detection of five different organic vapors namely methanol, ethanol, n‐propanol, iso‐propanol and acetone which often cause severe damage to human body under prolonged exposure. The sensing studies in presence of the aforementioned five vapors are carried out by varying the sensor operating temperature (225–300 °C) and vapor concentrations (10–1000 ppm). Developed NFO sensor demonstrated best performance in terms of sensing (~10 ppm), response time (<10 s), excellent repeatability and selectivity towards ethanol among all other considered gas species. The repeatability of the sensor response is verified and the underlying reasons for the variation in the response of NFO sensor due to the change of operating temperature, analyte type and concentrations has been discussed. The synthesis of NFO through auto combustion method and study on their formation behaviour, oxygen vacancy evolution, band gap calculation, crystalline nature as well as microstructural features provides here the comprehensive information about the potential application of NFO nanoparticles as gas sensor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an efficient approach for the optimal designs of two analog circuits, namely complementary metal oxide semiconductor) two-stage comparator with p-channel metal oxide semiconductor input driver and n-channel input and folded-cascode operational amplifier using a recently proposed meta-heuristic-based optimization algorithm named as colliding bodies optimization (CBO). It is a multi-agent algorithm that does not depend upon any internal control parameter, making the algorithm extremely simple. The main objective of this paper is to optimize the metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) transistors' sizes using CBO in order to reduce the areas occupied by the circuits and to get better performance parameters of the circuits. Simulation Program with Integrated Circuit Emphasis simulation has been carried out by using the optimal values of MOS transistors' sizes and other design parameters to validate that CBO-based design is satisfying the desired specifications. Simulation results demonstrate that the design specifications are closely met and the required functionalities are achieved. The simulation results also confirm that the CBO-based approach is superior to the other algorithms in terms of MOS area and performance parameters like gain, power dissipation, etc., for the examples considered. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the optimal designs of two analogue complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) amplifier circuits, namely differential amplifier with current mirror load and two-stage operational amplifier. A modified Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO), called Craziness-based Particle Swarm Optimization (CRPSO) technique is applied to minimize the total MOS area of the designed circuits. CRPSO is a highly modified version of conventional PSO, which adopts a number of random variables and has a better and faster exploration and exploitation capability in the multidimensional search space. Integration of craziness factor in the fundamental velocity term of PSO not only brings diversity in particles but also pledges convergence close to global best solution. The proposed CRPSO-based circuit optimization technique is reassured to be free from the intrinsic disadvantages of premature convergence and stagnation, unlike Differential Evolution (DE), Harmony Search (HS), Artificial Bee Colony (ABC) and Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO). The simulation results achieved for the two analogue CMOS amplifier circuits establish the efficacy of the proposed CRPSO-based approach over those of DE, HS, ABC and PSO in terms of convergence haste, design conditions and design goals. The optimally designed analogue CMOS amplifier circuits occupy the least MOS area and show the best performance parameters like gain and power dissipation, in compared with the other reported literature. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Because of the manufacturing constraints, the optimal selection of passive component values for the design of analog active filter is very critical. As the search on possible combinations in preferred values for capacitors and resistors is an exhaustive process, it has to be automated with high accuracy within short computation time. Evolutionary computation may be an attractive alternative for automatic selection of optimal discrete component values such as resistors and capacitors for analog active filter design. This paper presents an efficient evolutionary optimization approach for optimal analog filter design considering different topologies and manufacturing series by selecting their component values. The evolutionary optimization technique employed is craziness-based particle swarm optimization (CRPSO). PSO is very simple in concept, easy to implement and computationally efficient algorithm with two main advantages: fast convergence and only a few control parameters. However, the performance of PSO depends on its control parameters and may be influenced by premature convergence and stagnation problem. To overcome these problems, the PSO algorithm has been modified to CRPSO and is used for the selection of optimal passive component values of fourth-order Butterworth low-pass analog active filter and second-order state variable low-pass filter, respectively. CRPSO performs the dual task of efficiently selecting the component values as well as minimizing the total design errors of low-pass active filters. The component values of the filters are selected in such a way so that they become E12/E24/E96 series compatible. The simulation results prove that CRPSO efficiently minimizes the total design error with respect to previously used optimization techniques. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Congenital pulmonary airway malformations (CPAM) is a rare developmental malformation of lower respiratory tract. However, among all congenital cystic lung lesions CPAM accounts for 95% during prenatal screening at 18 to 20 weeks. VP14.07: Congenital pulmonary airway malformations during prenatal screening: an analysis from low-resource set ups. [Extracted from the article]

ABSTRACT Management practices to minimise soil erosion can be effectively carried out if the magnitude and the spatial distribution of soil erosion risk areas are known. Prioritisation of soil erosion risk areas is a challenging task, especially in the developing countries because of non-availability of relevant data and analytical tools for such an assessment. As a result, it becomes difficult to establish appropriate soil conservation measures on the risk-prone areas to reduce soil loss and ensure development of a sustainable management of soil resources. Such a database can be better generated and analysed in a geographical information system (GIS) environment to delineate and prioritise the soil erosion risk areas at state or regional level. Therefore, a methodology was developed to assess the soil erosion risks in eastern Himalayan region by integrating spatial data on prevailing erosion rates and soil loss tolerance limits in GIS environment. By comparing the potential erosion rates with permissible rates, we observed that about 58·94 per cent of total geographical area (TGA) of the region requires different degrees of erosion management and 28·38 per cent of TGA falls under no treatment category because of higher values of permissible erosion limits. It can be successfully applied to assess and prioritise soil erosion risks in any region or country and identify best management practices to bring the erosion losses within the permissible limits. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses a study on the permissible erosion rates of several landforms in Delhi State, India. Permissible erosion rates, or soil loss tolerance, refers to the maximum erosion that can occur on a given soil without resulting to degradation. Although India has a default permissible erosion rate that is used for developing land restoration techniques, it is said that the ability of soil to resist degradation depends on soil types, depth and physico-chemical properties of soils. Among the factors considered in identifying permissible erosion rates of different landforms in Delhi are bulk density (BD), organic carbon and soil pH.

In India, a single soil loss tolerance ( T) value of 11.2 Mg/ha is by default used for formulating land restoration strategies for all soil types, climates and vegetation covers. However, this single ‘T’ value does not represent a true picture of soil loss tolerance under all land uses. The objective of our study was to develop adjusted ‘ T’ values for Central India using soil infiltration rate, bulk density, total organic carbon, erodibility and soil pH. Soil state was defined using a quantitative model involving different soil functions which were used to convert soil parameters to a 0 to 1 scale. The normalized values were then multiplied by appropriate weighing factors based on relative importance and sensitivity analysis of each indicator. Based on overall assessment, each soil mapping unit was categorized into soil groups I, II or III. A general guideline of USDA – Natural Resource Conservation Service (USDA-NRCS) was followed to calculate soil loss tolerance for each soil group using effective soil depth. Adjusted ‘ T’ values for Central India ranged from 2.5 to 12.5 Mg/ha compared with a default value of 11.2 Mg/ha. Use of these values for soil mapping units will improve conservation planning and assist with planning the development of sustainable agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The role of cytokines in protecting against human papillomavirus (HPV) and HPV-associated disease is not fully understood. We compared the frequency of the interleukin (IL)-10 polymorphism (G allele) at position -1082 and the distribution of GG/GA/AA genotypes among 116 HPV-positive women, grouped according to their cervical cytological profiles, with 119 HPV-negative controls with normal smears. No difference was observed in genotype frequency between the groups. Among women in the HPV-positive, smear-normal group, who were re-tested for HPV after 12 months, there was a significant inverse association between presence of at least one variant G allele (high activity) and HPV persistence (OR per G allele = 0.082 [95% CI 0.009-0.73], P= 0.001; after controlling for ethnicity). This association remained significant after controlling for age, smoking and hormonal contraception (OR = 0.028 [95% CI 0.001-0.66], P= 0.001). This preliminary study suggests that higher levels of IL-10 may prevent cervical neoplasia through their role in eliminating HPV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The role of cytokines in protecting against human papillomavirus (HPV) and HPV-associated disease is not fully understood. We compared the frequency of the interleukin (IL)-10 polymorphism (G allele) at position −1082 and the distribution of GG/GA/AA genotypes among 116 HPV-positive women, grouped according to their cervical cytological profiles, with 119 HPV-negative controls with normal smears. No difference was observed in genotype frequency between the groups. Among women in the HPV-positive, smear-normal group, who were re-tested for HPV after 12 months, there was a significant inverse association between presence of at least one variant G allele (high activity) and HPV persistence (OR per G allele = 0.082 [95% CI 0.009–0.73], P= 0.001; after controlling for ethnicity). This association remained significant after controlling for age, smoking and hormonal contraception (OR = 0.028 [95% CI 0.001–0.66], P= 0.001). This preliminary study suggests that higher levels of IL-10 may prevent cervical neoplasia through their role in eliminating HPV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Allergic contact dermatitis has been suggested as a possible cause of vulval vestibulitis, a condition of unknown aetiology characterized by burning, stinging and dyspareunia, with symptoms localized to the vestibule. To examine this relationship, 30 women with vulval vestibulitis were patch tested using a standard series of contact allergens and a special series relevant to perianal and vulval disorders. Other potential allergens identified by the patients as causing aggravation were also included. There were 5 positive reactions, 4 to nickel and 1 to fragrance mix, though none of these reactions were considered relevant. Our results suggest that allergic contact dermatitis is unlikely to be a primary factor in the development or persistence of vulval vestibulitis. Patch testing patients with vulval vestibulitis cannot rountinely be recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an accurate approach to design a symmetrical linear antenna array (LAA) and a non‐uniformly excited single ring circular antenna array (CAA) to improve the far‐field radiation characteristics. The far‐field radiation pattern is improved with lower side lobe level (SLL) which is essential for the reduction of interference in the entire side lobe regions. A recently proposed meta‐heuristic based optimization algorithm called moth flame optimization (MFO) is applied to determine the optimal sets of current excitation weights and the inter‐element spacing among the array elements to reduce the SLL. In this context, 10‐element and 16‐element LAA and 8‐element, 10‐element, and 12‐element CAA design examples are presented by optimizing the array parameters. The simulation results obtained by using MFO algorithm based approach yield a considerable improvement in SLL and some marked improvement of half power beam width with respect to the uniform array pattern and those of the recently reported literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clinical availability of genetic testing for cancer predisposition genes is generating a major challenge for U.S. health care systems to provide relevant genetic services to underserved populations. Here we present rates of study enrollment and utilization of genetic testing in a research study on BRCA1 testing acceptance in one large kindred. We also present data on baseline access to genetic information as well as enabling and obstructing factors to study enrollment. The study population included female and male members of an African American kindred based in the rural southern United States with an identified BRCA1 mutation. A combination of quantitative and qualitative data were collected and analyzed. Of the 161 living, eligible, and locatable kindred members, 105 (65%) enrolled in the study. Family, personal, and educational motivations were the most commonly endorsed reasons for study participation. The most commonly cited reasons for refusal to participate in the study were: lack of interest, time constraints, and negative experiences with prior participation in genetic research. Eighty three percent of the participants underwent BRCA1 testing. In multiple logistic regression analysis, age 40-49 (odds ratio (OR) = 6.9; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.2-39.5), increased perceived risk of being a BRCA1 mutation carrier (OR = 4.1; 95% CI = 1.1-14.6), and high cancer genetics knowledge levels (OR = 1.5; 95% CI = 1.1-2.3) were associated with BRCA1 testing acceptance. The results of this study indicate that cognitive and demographic factors may influence genetic research participation and genetic testing decisions among African Americans who are at increased risk of carrying a deleterious BRCA1 mutation., (Copyright 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc.)