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Nitric oxide (NO) plays a crucial role in the energy budget and chemistry of the mesosphere and lower thermosphere (MLT). During geomagnetic storms, a massive amount of energy is deposited in the thermosphere. To balance this sudden increase of energy deposition, enhanced emission from NO has been observed in the thermosphere. So, an accurate prediction of Nitric Oxide radiative flux becomes vital to understanding the thermospheric behavior, especially during extreme space weather events. Due to the advancement in computation techniques, machine learning (ML) has become a valuable tool in space weather forecasting. The SABER (Sounding of the Atmosphere using Broadband Emission Radiometry) instrument on board the TIMED satellite provides continuous measurements of the radiated energy at 5.3 µm by NO since 2002. The availability of SABER data enables us to use machine learning for developing a data-driven machine learning model for Nitric Oxide Infrared Radiative Flux (NOIRF). Using machine learning, a predictive model (NOEMLM) is developed. The model is able to extract the underlying relationships between the input features and effectively predict the NOIRF. The model NOEMLM has outstanding performance for both the datasets training as well as testing. The model predictions have been verified by using the actual measurements of SABER. The NOEMLM predictions have good agreements with SABER observation during the geomagnetic storms and quiet time, which shows that the model can predict NOIRF during extreme space weather conditions with good accuracy., The 28th IUGG General Assembly (IUGG2023) (Berlin 2023)

The Nandhour Wildlife Sanctuary, which is located in the biodiversity rich Terai Arc Landscape of India, provides a vivid array of habitats for wildlife in tropical to sub-tropical forest ecosystems. However, the protected landscape of Nandhour is least explored in terms of insect fauna including beetle diversity, which is pre-requisite for the successful long-term provisioning of ecosystem functions and services. Using standardized sampling methods, this study examined the structure and composition of beetle assemblages across different land-use types in the Nandhour Wildlife Sanctuary of Uttarakhand from March 2018 to February 2020. A total of 42 species were recorded in the study area, belonging to families Scarabaeidae (13 species), Coccinellidae (7 species), Carabidae (6 species), Chrysomelidae, Meloidae (5 species each), Elateridae (2 species), Cerambycidae, Lucanidae, Tenebrionidae and Hydrophilidae (1 species each). Riverine forest had the highest alpha diversity and species richness, followed by mixed forest, grassland, sal (Shorea robusta Gaertn.) forest, chir-pine (Pinus roxburghii Sarg.) forest, scrubland, plantation forest and cultivation land. Overall spatial heterogeneity of the protected landscape resulted in a heterogeneous structure and composition of beetle assemblages, which must be managed in a more sustainable and scientific manner for the proper ecological functioning and stability of the region. Structure and composition was also found to be affected by seasons, assemblages peaked in richness and abundance during wet rainy season. The present study could serve as a baseline for future impact assessment of land-use changes on beetle assemblages, as well as for implementing effective plans and strategies of biodiversity conservation in the sanctuary.

Corbett Tiger Reserve (CTR) located in state Uttarakhand is the first protected area established for in-situ conservation of biodiversity in India. Despite its national importance, there exists lacunae in knowledge on butterflies, important from the viewpoints of effective planning and implementation of conservation actions in the CTR. Using standardized methods, the present study conducted between 2013 to 2014 was aimed to record butterfly species composition and distribution in different sampling regimes of the CTR in relation to habitat types and disturbances. Study revealed a total of 2621 individual butterflies of 56 species under 5 families. Among them, 24 species belong to the Nymphalidae family, 14 species to the Pieridae, 9 species to the Lycaenidae, 5 species to the Papilionidae and 4 species to the Hesperiidae. 50% of the total species were recorded as ubiquitous and 30 species are new records to the CTR. Species such as Catopsilia pomona (Fabricius), Papilio polytes (Cramer), Eurema hecabe (Linnaeus), Catopsilia pyranthe (Linnaeus) were most abundant and Athyma zeroca (Moore), Sarangesa purendra (Moore), Cyrestis thyodamas (Boisduval), Polyura agraria (Swinhoe) were least abundant species. Variations in the calculated diversity indices across the seasons were observed; wherein, summer season exhibited maximum value for Shannon-Diversity index, followed by late monsoon and early winter. Lowest diversity of butterflies was observed during the periods of late winter. Presence of seven species under the Indian Wildlife Protection Act and five species as rare, substantiate the importance of pristine conditions prevailing in the protected landscape of the reserve. Ongoing tourism activities and habitat alterations threatening butterfly diversity and ecological integrity of the CTR, were also discussed.

Background Antibiotics have a proven role in the induction of remission in Crohn disease and treatment of pouchitis. However, the role of antibiotics for disease activity and remission maintainence in ulcerative colitis (UC) is uncertain. Methods We searched electronic databases (Pubmed, Embase and CENTRAL) for randomised trials using various search terms to identify studies reporting on the use of antibiotics for induction or maintainence of remission in ulcerative colitis. The outcomes assessed were a clinical response, need for second line therapy, colectomy and adverse effects. Subgroup analysis to clarify the mode of administration (oral or intravenous), number of antibiotics (single or combination) or the setting of use (acute severe UC or active non-severe UC) were also done. Results Eventually, 13 trials including 785 patients were included. The pooled odds ratio of achieving clinical response with antibiotic use was 1.74 (95% CI, 1.17- 2.58). No differences were noted in the relapse rates, need for second line therapy, colectomy or adverse effects with the use of antibiotics. Subgroup analysis showed no differences with use of single or combination of antibiotics. The use of oral antibiotics in the setting of non-severe active UC could have some benefit in clinical response. No benefit of intravenous antibiotics in setting of acute severe ulcerative colitis was noted. The included studies were heterogeneous because of different included populations, type and duration of antibiotics use and differences in definitions and time of assessment of clinical response. Conclusions The results suggest a lack of benefit of intravenous antibiotics in the setting of acute severe UC. The use of oral antibiotics for induction of maintenance needs further evaluation