Transitions to crop residue burning have multiple antecedents in Eastern India.

Unlabelled: Far removed from the agricultural fire "hotspots" of Northwestern India, rice residue burning is on the rise in Eastern India with implications for regional air quality and agricultural sustainability. The underlying drivers contributing to the increase in burning have been linked to the adoption of mechanized (combine) harvesting but, in general, are inadequately understood. We hypothesize that the adoption of burning as a management practice results from a set of socio-technical interactions rather than emerging from a single factor.

Hydrologic variability governs GHG emissions in rice-based cropping systems of Eastern India.

Reducing methane (CH) emissions is increasingly recognized as an urgent greenhouse gas mitigation priority for avoiding ecosystem 'tipping points' that will accelerate global warming. Agricultural systems, namely ruminant livestock and rice cultivation are dominant sources of CH emissions. Efforts to reduce methane from rice typically focus on water management strategies that implicitly assume that irrigated rice systems are consistently flooded and that farmers exert a high level of control over the field water balance.

Characterizing soil hydrology in the Indo-Gangetic plain of Bihar, India: Methods and preliminary results.

In the Eastern Gangetic Plain (EGP) soil hydrology is a major determinant of land use and also governs the ecosystem services derived from cropping systems, particularly greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from rice fields. To characterize patterns of soil hydrology in these, daily field monitoring of water levels was conducted during the monsoon () season in a comparatively wet (2021) and dry (2022) year with flooding depth and drainage tracked with field water tubes across 47 (2021) and 183 (2022) locations. Fields were clustered into hydrologic response types (HRT) which can then be used for land surface modelling, land use recommendations, and to target agronomic interventions that contribute to sustainable development outcomes.

The choice of spectral similarity algorithms influences suspected soil sample provenance.

Similarity algorithms are commonly used in soil forensic applications to help identify similar samples from an existing reference library as possible source locations of unknown target samples. These algorithms are well-suited to compare soil spectra. However, different similarity algorithms may lead to different clusters of similar samples, and thus different strengths of evidence in forensic investigations.

How do STEM graduate students perceive science communication? Understanding science communication perceptions of future scientists.

Increasingly, communicating science to the public is recognized as the responsibility of professional scientists; however, these skills are not always included in graduate training. In addition, most research on science communication training during graduate school, which is limited, has been program evaluation or literature reviews and does not report on or seek to understand graduate student perspectives. This research study provides a comprehensive analysis of graduate-level science communication training from the perspective of STEM graduate students.

Lunotriquetral Ligament Repair Using Augmented Internal Brace.

Lunotriquetral (LT) ligament tear, usually in combination with an adjacent carpal ligament injury, can result in complete LT dissociation and VISI (Volarflexed Intercalated Segment Instability). Operative techniques for the management of instability are highly variable with many described in literature, although there is little evidence to demonstrate the superiority of one definitive therapeutic technique of repair and reconstruction. In this paper, we discuss our proposed technique for performing LT ligament repair using an augmented internal brace, which addresses triquetral extension and lunate flexion.

The Effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Theatre Efficiency, Lessons to be Learned for Subsequent Waves.

Background: This study aims to demonstrate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on providing trauma services at our district general hospital. We aim to identify the impact on specific areas of theatre delay to help optimize theatre efficiency and generate better protocols and improve patient flow for future pandemic waves.

Methods: Patients who underwent orthopaedic trauma surgery at our hospital between July-August 2019 (pre-COVID-19) and 2020 (first UK wave of COVID-19) were identified retrospectively and grouped by year of operation.

Bayesian approach for sample size determination, illustrated with Soil Health Card data of Andhra Pradesh (India).

A crucial decision in designing a spatial sample for soil survey is the number of sampling locations required to answer, with sufficient accuracy and precision, the questions posed by decision makers at different levels of geographic aggregation. In the Indian Soil Health Card (SHC) scheme, many thousands of locations are sampled per district. In this paper the SHC data are used to estimate the mean of a soil property within a defined study area, e.

The Abbreviated Mental Test Score; Is There a Need for a Contemporaneous Update?

Introduction: Designed in 1972 the Abbreviated Mental Test Score (AMTS) is widely used to assess a cognition on hospital admission. The Nottingham Hip Fracture Score uses this in predicting morbidity/mortality in neck of femur fracture. The consequences of misappropriating cognitive impairment could have lasting implications.

Forensic soil source identification: comparing matching by color, vis-NIR spectroscopy and easily-measured physio-chemical properties.

This study evaluates to what degree soil samples associated in characteristic space are also close in geographical space, i.e., the possible location from which an unknown sample was obtained in a forensic investigation.

Tackling the elective case backlog generated by Covid-19: the scale of the problem and solutions.

Background: In April 2020, Covid-19 brought NHS elective procedures to a halt. The aim of this paper is to produce accurate forecasts on the building backlog, highlight the state of waiting lists currently and propose solutions required to prevent a public health crisis.

Method: Using data published by NHS digital and NHS England on previous years, we have analysed and used this to produce estimates of cancellations and missed cases.

Interrater agreement of two adverse drug reaction causality assessment methods: A randomised comparison of the Liverpool Adverse Drug Reaction Causality Assessment Tool and the World Health Organization-Uppsala Monitoring Centre system.

Introduction: A new method to assess causality of suspected adverse drug reactions, the Liverpool Adverse Drug Reaction Causality Assessment Tool (LCAT), showed high interrater agreement when used by its developers. Our aim was to compare the interrater agreement achieved by LCAT to that achieved by another causality assessment method, the World Health Organization-Uppsala Monitoring Centre system for standardised case causality assessment (WHO-UMC system), in our setting.

Methods: Four raters independently assessed adverse drug reaction causality of 48 drug-event pairs, identified during a hospital-based survey.

Tumefactive demyelination presenting during bevacizumab treatment.

We report the emergence of tumefactive demyelination during treatment with intravitreal bevacizumab (Avastin). This is of particular significance given that bevacizumab is currently being assessed as a potential treatment option for neuromyelitis optica, another demyelinating condition.

Predictive Mapping of Topsoil Organic Carbon in an Alpine Environment Aided by Landsat TM.

The objective of this study was to examine the reflectance of Landsat TM imagery for mapping soil organic Carbon (SOC) content in an Alpine environment. The studied area (ca. 3*104 km2) is the upper reaches of the Heihe River at the northeast edge of the Tibetan plateau, China.

Proximal spectral sensing to monitor phytoremediation of metal-contaminated soils.

Assessment of soil contamination and its long-term monitoring are necessary to evaluate the effectiveness of phytoremediation systems. Spectral sensing-based monitoring methods promise obvious benefits compared to field-based methods: lower cost, faster data acquisition and better spatio-temporal monitoring. This paper reviews the theoretical basis whereby proximal spectral sensing of soil and vegetation could be used to monitor phytoremediation of metal-contaminated soils, and the eventual upscaling to imaging sensing.

Integrated care pathways in multiple sclerosis rehabilitation: completing the audit cycle.

The rehabilitation of progressive neurological disorders, such as Multiple Sclerosis (MS) requires comprehensive, expert management which is demanding of both time and resources. Mechanisms to monitor and audit both process and outcome are therefore essential. Integrated care pathways (ICPs) which detail the expected interventions during a given episode of clinical care, provide such a mechanism.

ALBERT: a real-time visual feedback computer tool for professional vocal development.

This paper considers the nature of real-time visual feedback for vocal analysis and development and presents a new software tool, called ALBERT (acoustic and laryngeal biofeedback enhancement in real time), designed for use with those developing their voices professionally. This tool embodies several important issues in the provision of real-time visual feedback, including: (a) support for user-configurable visual displays, (b) the ability to use colour as a complementary or sole medium for the presentation of information, (c) the ability to combine algorithmically any number of vocal parameters to create a new single parameter representative of some aspect of vocal measurement which may be displayed and updated in real time, and (d) a rate of information update which may be altered by the user at any point for the most appropriate use according to the context of the feedback task. Several examples of system use are given, including the real-time display of fundamental frequency, jitter, and larynx closed quotient (CQ) parameters in a variety of visual configurations.

Voice development under training with and without the influence of real-time visually presented biofeedback.

This paper describes an investigation into the developmental nature of the voice under training with and without the influence of real-time visually presented biofeedback. Two subjects who had not previously experienced any form of vocal training took six singing lessons. One was taught conventionally, while the other was taught with the aid of a system known as Acoustic and Laryngeal Biofeedback Enhancement Real Time (ALBERT).

Introduction of integrated care pathways for patients with multiple sclerosis in an inpatient neurorehabilitation setting.

Rehabilitation of progressive neurological disorders such as multiple sclerosis poses particular problems, and clear setting of goals and clinical audit are essential for effective management. Integrated care pathways (ICPs) offer a unique opportunity to document and audit the rehabilitation process. This preliminary study has shown that ICPs are useful in both assessing process and auditing goals.

The Functional Independence Measure: a comparative validity and reliability study.

The majority of measurement scales used to evaluate outcome in rehabilitation are ordinal in nature and consequently statistically valid assessments of change are difficult to make. The Functional Independence Measure (FIM) can be weighted to possess interval properties, potentially allowing more accurate analysis of change. In this study the FIM was compared to the Barthel Index (BI) to determine its validity, reliability and ease of use in two groups of 25 patients undergoing neurorehabilitation.