Distinct pathophysiology has been identified with disorders of gut-brain interactions (DGBI), including functional constipation (FC)(1,2), yet the causes remain unclear. Identifying how modifiable factors (i.e., diet) differ depending on gastrointestinal health status is important to understand relationships between dietary intake, pathophysiology, and disease burden of FC. Given that dietary choices are culturally influenced, understanding ethnicity-specific diets of individuals with FC is key to informing appropriate symptom management and prevention strategies. Despite distinct genetic and cultural features of Chinese populations with increasing FC incidence(3), DGBI characteristics are primarily described in Caucasian populations(2). We therefore aimed to identify how dietary intake of Chinese individuals with FC differs to non-Chinese individuals with FC, relative to healthy controls. The Gastrointestinal Understanding of Functional Constipation In an Urban Chinese and Urban non-Chinese New Zealander Cohort (GUTFIT) study was a longitudinal case-control study using systems biology to investigate the multi-factorial aetiology of FC. Here we conducted a cross-sectional dietary intake assessment, comparing Chinese individuals with FC (Ch-FC) against three control groups: a) non-Chinese with FC (NCh-FC) b) Chinese without FC (Ch-CON) and c) non-Chinese without FC (NCh-CON). Recruitment from Auckland, New Zealand (NZ) identified Chinese individuals based on self-identification alongside both parents self-identifying as Chinese, and FC using the ROME IV criteria. Dietary intake was captured using 3-day food diaries recorded on consecutive days, including one weekend day. Nutrient analysis was performed by Foodworks 10 and statistical analysis with SPSS using a generalised linear model (ethnicity and FC status as fixed factors). Of 78 enrolled participants, 66 completed the study and 64 (39.4 ± 9.2 years) completed a 3-day food diary at the baseline assessment. More participants were female (84%) than male (16%). FC and ethnicity status allocated participants into 1 of 4 groups: Ch-FC (n = 11), Ch-CON (n = 18), NCh-FC (n = 16), NCh-CON (n = 19). Within NCh, ethnicities included NZ European (30%), non-Chinese Asian (11%), Other European (11%), and Latin American (2%). Fibre intake did not differ between Ch-FC and NCh-FC (ethnicity × FC status interaction p>0.05) but was independently lower overall for FC than CON individuals (21.8 ± 8.7 versus 27.0 ± 9.7 g, p<0.05) and overall for Ch than NCh (22.1 ± 8.0 versus 27.0 ± 10.4 g, p<0.05). Carbohydrate, protein, and fat intakes were not different across groups (p>0.05 each, respectively). In the context of fibre and macronutrient intake, there is no difference between Ch-FC and NCh-FC. Therefore, fibre and macronutrients are unlikely to contribute to potential pathophysiological differences in FC between ethnic groups. A more detailed assessment of dietary intake concerning micronutrients, types of fibre, or food choices may be indicated to ascertain whether other dietary differences exist.

The demand for cobalamin (vitamin B12) and folate is increased during pregnancy, and deficiency during pregnancy may lead to complications and adverse outcomes. Yet, the status of these micronutrients is unknown in many populations. We assessed the concentration of cobalamin, folate and their functional biomarkers, total homocysteine (tHcy) and methylmalonic acid (MMA), in 561 pregnant women enrolled in a community-based randomised controlled trial in Bhaktapur, Nepal. Plasma concentrations of cobalamin, folate, tHcy and MMA were measured and a combined indicator of vitamin B12 status (3cB12) was calculated. We report mean or median concentrations and the prevalence of deficiency according to commonly used cut-offs, and assessed their association with indicators of socio-economic status, and maternal and dietary characteristics by linear regression. Among the women at gestational week less than 15, deficiencies of cobalamin and folate were seen in 24 and 1 %, respectively. Being a vegetarian was associated with lower plasma cobalamin, and a higher socio-economic status was associated with a better micronutrient status. We conclude that cobalamin deficiency defined by commonly used cut-offs was common in Nepalese women in early pregnancy. In contrast, folate deficiency was rare. As there is no consensus on cut-off points for vitamin B12 deficiency during pregnancy, future studies are needed to assess the potential functional consequences of these low values.

The use of radio frequency (RF) waves in fusion plasmas for heating, for non-inductive current generation, for profile control and for diagnostics has been well established. The RF waves, excited by antenna structures placed near the wall of a fusion device, have to propagate through density fluctuations at the plasma edge. These fluctuations can modify the properties of the RF waves that propagate towards the core of the plasma. A full-wave electromagnetic computational code ScaRF based on the finite difference frequency domain (FDFD) method has been developed to study the effect of density turbulence on RF waves. The anisotropic plasma permittivity used in the scattering studies is that for a magnetized, cold plasma. The code is used to study the propagation of an RF plane wave through a modulated, spatially periodic density interface. Such an interface could arise in the edge region due to magnetohydrodynamic instability or drift waves. The frequency of the plane wave is taken to be in the range of the electron cyclotron frequency. The scattering analysis is applicable to ITER-like plasmas, as well as to plasmas in medium sized tokamaks such as TCV, ASDEX-U and DIII-D. The effect of different density contrasts across the interface and of different spatial modulations are discussed. While ScaRF is used to study a periodic density fluctuation, the code is general enough to include different varieties of density fluctuations in the edge region – such as blobs and filaments, and spatially random fluctuations.

Radio frequency (RF) waves are routinely used in tokamak fusion plasmas for plasma heating, current control, as well as in diagnostics. These waves are excited by antenna structures placed near the tokamak’s wall and they have to propagate through a turbulent layer known as the scrape-off layer, before reaching the core plasma (which is their target). This layer exhibits coherent density fluctuations in the form of filaments and blobs. The scattering processes of RF plane waves by a single filament is studied with the assumption that the filament has a cylindrical shape and infinite length. Furthermore, besides the major toroidal component of the externally imposed magnetic field, there is also a small poloidal magnetic field component. Considering also that the cylindrical filament’s axis is not necessarily aligned with the toroidal direction, the total magnetic field is in general neither aligned with the axis of the cylinder nor with the toroidal direction. The investigation concerns the case of electron cyclotron (EC) waves (of frequency $f_{0}=170~\text{GHz}$) for tokamak applications. The study covers a variety of density contrasts between the filament and the ambient plasma, different magnetic field inclinations with respect to the cylinder axis (for the same magnitude of magnetic induction $B=4.5T$) and a wide range of filament radii.

There has been a growing interest, over the past few years, on understanding the effect on radio frequency waves due to turbulence in the scrape-off layer of tokamak plasmas. While the far scrape-off layer density width is of the order of centimetres in contemporary tokamaks, in ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor), and in future fusion reactors, the corresponding width will be of the order of tens of centimetres. As such, this could impact the spectral properties of the waves and, consequently, the transport of wave energy and momentum to the core plasma. The turbulence in the scrape-off layer spans a broad range of spatial scales and includes blobs and filaments that are elongated along the magnetic field lines. The propagation of radio frequency waves through this tenuous plasma is given by Maxwell’s equations. The characteristic properties of the plasma appear as a permittivity tensor in the expression for the current in Ampere’s equation. This paper develops a formalism for expressing the permittivity of a turbulent plasma using the homogenization technique. This technique has been extensively used to express the dielectric properties of composite materials that are spatially inhomogeneous, for example, due to the presence of micro-structures. In a similar vein, the turbulent plasma in the scrape-off layer is spatially inhomogeneous and can be considered as a composite material in which the micro-structures are filaments and blobs. The classical homogenization technique is not appropriate for the magnetized plasma in the scrape-off layer, as the radio frequency waves span a broad range of wavelengths and frequencies – from tens of megahertz to hundreds of gigahertz. The formalism in this paper makes use of the Fourier space components of the electric and magnetic fields of the radio frequency waves for the scattered fields and fields inside the filaments and blobs. These are the eigenvectors of the dispersion matrix which, using the Green’s function approach, lead to a homogenized dielectric tensor.

Late Pleistocene terrestrial climate records in India may be preserved in oxygen and carbon stable isotopes in pedogenic calcrete. Petrography shows that calcrete nodules in Quaternary sediments of the Thar Desert in Rajasthan are pedogenic, with little evidence for postpedogenic alteration. The calcrete occurs in four laterally persistent and one nonpersistent eolian units, separated by colluvial gravel. Thermoluminescence and infrared- and green-light-stimulated luminescence of host quartz and feldspar grains gave age brackets for persistent eolian units I–IV of ca. 70,000–60,000, ca. 60,000–55,000, ca. 55,000–43,000, and ca. 43,000–∼25,000 yr, respectively. The youngest eolian unit (V) is <10,000 yr old and contains no calcrete. Stable oxygen isotope compositions of calcretes in most of eolian unit I, in the upper part of eolian unit IV, and in the nonpersistent eolian unit, range between −4.6 and −2.1‰ PDB. These values, up to 4.4‰ greater than values from eolian units II and III, are interpreted as representing nonmonsoonal18O-enriched “normal continental” waters during climatic phases when the monsoon weakened or failed. Conversely, 25,000–60,000-yr-old calcretes (eolian units II and III) probably formed under monsoonal conditions. The two periods of weakened monsoon are consistent with other paleoclimatic data from India and may represent widespread aridity on the Indian subcontinent during isotope stages 2 and 4. The total variation in δ13C is 1.7‰ (0.0–1.7‰), and δ13C covaries positively and linearly with δ18O. δ13C values are highest when δ18O values indicate the most arid climatic conditions. This is best explained by expansion of C4grasses at the expense of C3plants at low latitudes during glacial periods when atmospheric pCO2was lowered. C4dominance was overridingly influenced by global change in atmospheric pCO2despite the lowered summer rainfall.

The cultivar Ajaya (IET 8585) exhibits durable broad-spectrum resistance to bacterial blight (BB) disease of rice and is widely used as a resistance donor. The present study was carried out to decipher the genetics of BB resistance in Ajaya and map the gene(s) conferring resistance. Genetic analysis in the F2 indicated a quantitative/additive nature of resistance governed by two loci with equal effects. Linked marker analysis and allelic tests revealed that one of the resistance genes is xa5. Sequence analysis of a 244 bp region of the second exon of the gene-encoding Transcription factor IIAγ (the candidate gene for xa5) confirmed the presence of xa5. Bulked-segregant analysis (BSA) revealed the putative location of the two quantitative trait loci (QTLs)/genes associated with resistance on chromosomes 5 and 8. Composite interval mapping located the first locus on Chr. 5S exactly in the genomic region spanned by xa5 and the second locus (qtl BBR 8.1) on Chr. 8L. Owing to its differential disease reaction with a set of seven hyper-virulent isolates of Xanthomonas oryzae, a map location on Chr. 8L, which was distinct from xa13 and data from allelism tests, the second resistance locus in Ajaya was determined to be novel and was designated as xaAj. A contig map spanning xaAj was constructed in silico and the genomic region was delimited to a 13·5 kb physical interval. In silico analysis of the genomic region spanning xaAj identified four putatively expressed candidate genes, one of which could be involved in imparting BB resistance in Ajaya along with xa5.

We performed a retrospective cohort study (n = 129) to assess whether residents of extended care facilities who were initially colonized or infected with the methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strain USA300 were less likely to have prolonged colonization than were residents colonized or infected with other MRSA strains. We found no difference in prolonged colonization (adjusted odds ratio, 1.1 [95% confidence interval, 0.5–2.4]).

Understanding local perceptions of disease causation could help public health officials improve strategies to prevent bloody diarrhoea. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in Dhaka, Bangladesh to elicit community beliefs about the causes of and prevention strategies for bloody diarrhoea. Between March and June 2003, we interviewed 541 randomly selected respondents. Overall, 507 (93%) respondents perceived that a vaccine could prevent bloody diarrhoea. If a vaccine provided lifetime protection, 445 (83%) respondents stated that they would opt to get the vaccine and would pay a median of $0·05 (range U.S.$0·01–0·15) for it, equivalent to <1% of their median weekly income. There was almost universal perception that an effective vaccine to prevent bloody diarrhoea was highly beneficial and acceptable. While respondents valued a vaccine for prevention of bloody diarrhoea, they were only willing to pay minimally for it. Therefore, achieving a high rate of Shigella vaccine coverage may require subsidy of vaccine purchase.

Five new species of Cryptothecia: C. alboglauca, C. bengalensis, C. farinosa, C. multipunctata and C. verruculifera, and two new species of Herpothallon: H. granulosum and H. isidiatum are described from India. Herpothallon australasicum (Elix) Elix & G. Thor and H. granulare (Sipman) Aptroot & Lücking are also reported as new records.

During 22–24 August 2004, an outbreak of Shigella sonnei infection affected air travellers who departed from Hawaii. Forty-seven passengers with culture-confirmed shigellosis and 116 probable cases who travelled on 12 flights dispersed to Japan, Australia, 22 US states, and American Samoa. All flights were served by one caterer. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis of all 29 S. sonnei isolates yielded patterns that matched within one band. Food histories and menu reviews identified raw carrot served onboard as the likely vehicle of infection. Attack rates for diarrhoea on three surveyed flights with confirmed cases were 54% (110/204), 32% (20/63), and 12% (8/67). A total of 2700 meals were served on flights with confirmed cases; using attack rates observed on surveyed flights, we estimated that 300–1500 passengers were infected. This outbreak illustrates the risk of rapid, global spread of illness from a point-source at a major airline hub.

Enterographa bengalensis, a new species is described from the mangrove reserve – Sundarbans Biosphere Reserve, West Bengal, India. It is characterized by the convergent punctiform to lirelliform ascomata, 12–15(–17) septate fusiform ascospores and the presence of psoromic acid. In addition, three species of the genus viz. E. anguinella (Nyl.) Redinger, E. divergens (Müll. Arg.) Redinger and E. multiseptata R. Sant. are also reported for the first time from India.

We have carried out a multi-wavelength study of the star forming region NGC 1893 to make a comprehensive exploration of the effects of massive stars on low mass star formation. Using deep optical U BV RI broad band, Hα narrow band photometry and slit-less spectroscopy along with archival data from the surveys such as 2MASS, MSX, IRAS and NVSS, we have studied the region to understand the star formation scenario in the region.

Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) is a common cause of profuse watery diarrhoea in the developing world, often leading to severe dehydration or death. We found only 15 population-based studies in low and medium human development index (HDI) countries from 1984 to 2005 that evaluate disease incidence. Reported incidence ranged from 39 to 4460 infections/1000 persons per year. The peak incidence of ETEC appeared to occur between ages 6 and 18 months. A median of 14% (range 2–36%) of diarrhoeal specimens were positive for ETEC in 19 facility- and population-based studies conducted in all age groups and 13% (range 3–39%) in 51 studies conducted in children only. Heat-labile toxin (LT)-ETEC is thought to be less likely to cause disease than heat-stable toxin (ST)-ETEC or LT/ST-ETEC. Because population-based studies involve enhanced clinical management of patients and facility-based studies include only the most severe illnesses, reliable data on complications and mortality from ETEC infections was unavailable. To reduce gaps in the current understanding of ETEC incidence, complications and mortality, large population-based studies combined with facility-based studies covering a majority of the corresponding population are needed, especially in low-HDI countries. Moreover, a standard molecular definition of ETEC infection is needed to be able to compare results across study sites.

The global incidence of Shigella infection has been estimated at 80–165 million episodes annually, with 99% of episodes occurring in the developing world. To identify contemporary gaps in the understanding of the global epidemiology of shigellosis, we conducted a review of the English-language scientific literature from 1984 to 2005, restricting the search to low and medium human development countries. Our review yielded 11 population-based studies of Shigella burden from seven countries. No population-based studies have been conducted in sub-Saharan Africa or in low human development countries. In studies done in all age groups, Shigella incidence varied from 0·6 to 107 episodes/1000 person-years. S. flexneri was the most commonly detected subgroup in the majority of studies. Case-fatality rates ranged from 0% to 2·6% in population-based studies and from 0% to 21% in facility-based studies. This review highlights the large gaps in data on the burden of Shigella infections for low human development index countries and, more specifically, for sub-Saharan Africa.

There are only 10 contemporary, population-based studies of typhoid fever that evaluate disease incidence using blood culture for confirmation of cases. Reported incidence ranged from 13 to 976/100 000 persons per year. These studies are likely to have been done preferentially in high- incidence sites which makes generalization of data difficult. Only five of these studies reported mortality. Of these the median (range) mortality was 0% (0–1·8%). Since study conditions usually involved enhanced clinical management of patients and the studies were not designed to evaluate mortality as an outcome, their usefulness for generalizing case-fatality rates is uncertain. No contemporary population-based studies reported rates of complications. Hospital-based typhoid fever studies reported median (range) complication rates of 2·8% (0·6–4·9%) for intestinal perforation and case-fatality rates of 2·0% (0–14·8%). Rates of complications other than intestinal perforation were not reported in contemporary hospital-based studies. Hospital-based studies capture information on the most severe illnesses among persons who have access to health-care services limiting their generalizability. Only two studies have informed the current understanding of typhoid fever age distribution curves. Extrapolation from population-based studies suggests that most typhoid fever occurs among young children in Asia. To reduce gaps in the current understanding of typhoid fever incidence, complications, and case-fatality rate, large population-based studies using blood culture confirmation of cases are needed in representative sites, especially in low and medium human development index countries outside Asia.

A new species of lichen, Graphis sundarbanensis, is described from India. It is characterized by ascomata with a pruinose wide-open disc, a laterally carbonized apically convergent exciple and 6–8 locular halonate ascospores.

Highly conducting and transparent Al-doped ZnO (AZO) thin films, which are oriented along c-axis and have wurtzite structure, were grown on quartz substrate at low temperature by pulsed laser deposition. The techniques of x-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy (AFM), optical transmission spectroscopy (OTS), electrical resistivity, and Hall Effect were used to study the effect of growth temperature and oxygen pressure on the structural, electrical transport, and optical properties of these films. The optical transparency in all the films is high and does not change much with oxygen pressure and growth temperature. However, electrical parameters such as resistivity, carrier concentration, and mobility strongly depend on both oxygen pressure and growth temperature. The temperature dependence resistivity measurement indicates semiconducting behavior of all the films. A detailed study indicates that the films which are highly conducting and transparent correspond to an optimum temperature of 200 °C and an oxygen pressure of 5 × 10−7 bar. Higher transmittance of the AZO films compared with pure ZnO and ITO and comparable mobility make us to suggest that Al-doped ZnO is an excellent material for optoelectronic applications.