An Artificial Intelligence Dataset for Solar Energy Locations in India.

Rapid development of renewable energy sources, particularly solar photovoltaics (PV), is critical to mitigate climate change. As a result, India has set ambitious goals to install 500 gigawatts of solar energy capacity by 2030. Given the large footprint projected to meet renewables energy targets, the potential for land use conflicts over environmental values is high. To expedite development of solar energy, land use planners will need access to up-to-date and accurate geo-spatial information of PV infrastructure. In this work, we developed a spatially explicit machine learning model to map utility-scale solar projects across India using freely available satellite imagery with a mean accuracy of 92%. Our model predictions were validated by human experts to obtain a dataset of 1363 solar PV farms. Using this dataset, we measure the solar footprint across India and quantified the degree of landcover modification associated with the development of PV infrastructure. Our analysis indicates that over 74% of solar development In India was built on landcover types that have natural ecosystem preservation, or agricultural value.

Southeast Asian Dipterocarp origin and diversification driven by Africa-India floristic interchange.

The evolution and diversification of ancient megathermal angiosperm lineages with Africa-India origins in Asian tropical forests is poorly understood because of the lack of reliable fossils. Our palaeobiogeographical analysis of pollen fossils from Africa and India combined with molecular data and fossil amber records suggest a tropical-African origin of Dipterocarpaceae during the mid-Cretaceous and its dispersal to India during the Late Maastrichtian and Paleocene, leading to range expansion of aseasonal dipterocarps on the Indian Plate. The India-Asia collision further facilitated the dispersal of dipterocarps from India to similar climatic zones in Southeast Asia, which supports their out-of-India migration. The dispersal pathway suggested for Dipterocarpaceae may provide a framework for an alternative biogeographic hypothesis for several megathermal angiosperm families that are presently widely distributed in Southeast Asia.

Mammals, wildlife trade, and the next global pandemic.

Most new infectious diseases emerge when pathogens transfer from animals to humans.1,2 The suspected origin of the COVID pandemic in a wildlife wet market has resurfaced debates on the role of wildlife trade as a potential source of emerging zoonotic diseases.3-5 Yet there are no studies quantitatively assessing zoonotic disease risk associated with wildlife trade. Combining data on mammal species hosting zoonotic viruses and mammals known to be in current and future wildlife trade,6 we found that one-quarter (26.5%) of the mammals in wildlife trade harbor 75% of known zoonotic viruses, a level much higher than domesticated and non-traded mammals. The traded mammals also harbor distinct compositions of zoonotic viruses and different host reservoirs from non-traded and domesticated mammals. Furthermore, we highlight that primates, ungulates, carnivores, and bats represent significant zoonotic disease risks as they host 132 (58%) of 226 known zoonotic viruses in present wildlife trade, whereas species of bats, rodents, and marsupials represent significant zoonotic disease risks in future wildlife trade. Thus, the risk of carrying zoonotic diseases is not equal for all mammal species in wildlife trade. Overall, our findings strengthen the evidence that wildlife trade and zoonotic disease risks are strongly associated, and that mitigation measures should prioritize species with the highest risk of carrying zoonotic viruses. Curbing the sales of wildlife products and developing principles that support the sustainable and healthy trade of wildlife could be cost-effective investments given the potential risk and consequences of zoonotic outbreaks.

Correlated evolution of flower size and seed number in flowering plants (monocotyledons).

Background and Aims: Kin selection theory predicts that a parent may minimize deleterious effects of competition among seeds developing within ovaries by increasing the genetic relatedness of seeds within an ovary. Alternatively, the number of developing seeds could be reduced to one or a few. It has also been suggested that single or few seeded fruits may be correlated with small flowers, and multi-ovulate ovaries or many seeded fruits may be associated with large flowers with specialized pollination mechanisms. We examined the correlation between flower size and seed number in 69 families of monocotyledons to assess if correlations are significant and independent of phylogeny. Methods: We first examined the effect of phylogenetic history on the evolution of these two traits, flower size and seed number, and then mapped correlations between them on the latest phylogenetic tree of monocotyledons. Results: The results provide phylogenetically robust evidence of strong correlated evolution between flower size and seed number and show that correlated evolution of traits is not constrained by phylogenetic history of taxa. Moreover, the two character combinations, small flowers and a single or few seeds per fruit, and large flowers and many seeded fruits, have persisted in monocotyledons longer than other trait combinations. Conclusions: The analyses support the suggestion that most angiosperms may fall into two categories, one with large flowers and many seeded fruits and the other with small flowers and single or few seeded fruits, and kin selection within ovaries may explain the observed patterns.

Genetic Structure, Diversity and Long Term Viability of a Medicinal Plant, Nothapodytes nimmoniana Graham. (Icacinaceae), in Protected and Non-Protected Areas in the Western Ghats Biodiversity Hotspot.

BACKGROUND AND QUESTION: The harvesting of medicinal plants from wild sources is escalating in many parts of the world, compromising the long-term survival of natural populations of medicinally important plants and sustainability of sources of raw material to meet pharmaceutical industry needs. Although protected areas are considered to play a central role in conservation of plant genetic resources, the effectiveness of protected areas for maintaining medicinal plant populations subject to intense harvesting pressure remain largely unknown. We conducted genetic and demographic studies of Nothapodytes nimmoniana Graham, one of the extensively harvested medicinal plant species in the Western Ghats biodiversity hotspot, India to assess the effectiveness of protected areas in long-term maintenance of economically important plant species. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: The analysis of adults and seedlings of N. nimmoniana in four protected and four non-protected areas using 7 nuclear microsatellite loci revealed that populations that are distributed within protected areas are subject to lower levels of harvesting and maintain higher genetic diversity (He = 0.816, Ho = 0.607, A = 18.857) than populations in adjoining non-protected areas (He = 0.781, Ho = 0.511, A = 15.571). Furthermore, seedlings in protected areas had significantly higher observed heterozygosity (Ho = 0.630) and private alleles as compared to seedlings in adjoining non-protected areas (Ho = 0.426). Most populations revealed signatures of recent genetic bottleneck. The prediction of long-term maintenance of genetic diversity using BOTTLESIM indicated that current population sizes of the species are not sufficient to maintain 90% of present genetic diversity for next 100 years. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Overall, these results highlight the need for establishing more protected areas encompassing a large number of adult plants in the Western Ghats to conserve genetic diversity of economically and medicinally important plant species.

Do ecological niche model predictions reflect the adaptive landscape of species?: a test using Myristica malabarica Lam., an endemic tree in the Western Ghats, India.

Ecological niche models (ENM) have become a popular tool to define and predict the "ecological niche" of a species. An implicit assumption of the ENMs is that the predicted ecological niche of a species actually reflects the adaptive landscape of the species. Thus in sites predicted to be highly suitable, species would have maximum fitness compared to in sites predicted to be poorly suitable. As yet there are very few attempts to address this assumption. Here we evaluate this assumption. We used Bioclim (DIVA GIS version 7.3) and Maxent (version 3.3.2) to predict the habitat suitability of Myristica malabarica Lam., an economically important tree occurring in the Western Ghats, India. We located populations of the trees naturally occurring in different habitat suitability regimes (from highly suitable to poorly suitable) and evaluated them for their regeneration ability and genetic diversity. We also evaluated them for two plant functional traits, fluctuating asymmetry--an index of genetic homeostasis, and specific leaf weight--an index of primary productivity, often assumed to be good surrogates of fitness. We show a significant positive correlation between the predicted habitat quality and plant functional traits, regeneration index and genetic diversity of populations. Populations at sites predicted to be highly suitable had a higher regeneration and gene diversity compared to populations in sites predicted to be poor or unsuitable. Further, individuals in the highly suitable sites exhibited significantly less fluctuating asymmetry and significantly higher specific leaf weight compared to individuals in the poorly suitable habitats. These results for the first time provide an explicit test of the ENM with respect to the plant functional traits, regeneration ability and genetic diversity of populations along a habitat suitability gradient. We discuss the implication of these results for designing viable species conservation and restoration programs.

Significance of adjunctive mitomycin C in endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to observe the effect of intraoperative topical application of mitomycin C (MMC) on the results of endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy. DESIGN: This is a prospective, randomized, controlled, single-blind study. SETTINGS: Hospitalized treatment was done in a tertiary medical college hospital and research center that deals with a predominantly rural population. PATIENTS: Patients with primary acquired postsaccal obstruction causing chronic dacryocystitis were considered. METHODS: A total of 38 patients were randomized into either a mitomycin group or a control group. Both of these groups were subjected to an identical surgical procedure, except that 0.2 mg/dL of MMC was used in the mitomycin group, whereas normal saline was used in the control group. The follow-up period was at least 6 months. An asymptomatic patient with a visible stoma at nasendoscopy and free flow of saline into the nose with lacrimal syringing after 6 months after surgery was used as criteria for defining a successful result. RESULTS: The success rate was 82.3% when MMC was used and 85.7% among the controls (P > .05). Granulations, adhesions, and obliterative sclerosis occurred in a similar number of patients of both groups. However, granulations and adhesions did not have a bearing on the success rate in either group. CONCLUSION: Mitomycin C did not appear to influence the occurrence of granulations, synechiae, or obliterative sclerosis, nor did it alter the success rate significantly.

Surgical experience of total anomalous pulmonary venous connection with mid-term follow-up in a developing country.

OBJECTIVE: To illustrate the incidence, the different age group, varied clinical presentation, incremental risk factors for surgery and follow-up results from this part of the world. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Retrospective study with follow-up from 3 months to 5 years. SETTING: Institutional practice with hospitalised care. SELECTION PROCEDURE: Hospitalised patients with a diagnosis of total anomalous pulmonary venous connection. INTERVENTIONS: All patients who were diagnosed to have total anomalous pulmonary venous connection underwent corrective surgery. RESULTS: There were 20 hospital deaths postoperatively. The mean follow-up was 1.9 year. Logistic regression analysis identified age group, timing of surgery, associated anomalies preoperative symptoms, anatomical type of lesion, pulmonary artery hypertension, duration of ventilation, low cardiac output as risk factors for surgery. The mean survival time was 4-8 years. CONCLUSION: Mortality continues to be higher from this part of the world due to severe malnourishment, late presentation. Sociodemographic factors also play a major role in affecting surgical outcome apart from the identified risk factors for surgery.

Geographical variations in the presentation of ruptured aneurysms of sinuses of valsalva: evaluation of surgical repair.

From 1981 to 1992, 13 male and 7 female patients underwent surgical correction for ruptured aneurysms of sinus of valsalva. A total surgical experience of 22 procedures including 2 reoperations is presented, accounting for 1.37% of open heart surgery for congenital heart disease at PGIMER Chandigarh. Ninety percent were in the 20- to 40-year age group. Forty-five percent of patients had symptoms of > 1-year duration (range 2 months to 20 years) and catastrophic onset of symptoms was noted in four (18%). All patients had localized aneurysms originating either in right coronary sinus (14 pts) or noncoronary sinus (8 pts). Sites of origin and rupture are detailed. Associated congenital abnormalities such as ventricular septal defect (VSD) (13 pts), aortic regurgitation (3 pts), and left superior vena cava and atrial septal defect (ASD) (1 pt each) were noted. The data pertaining to Oriental and Western groups of patients were analyzed, and the differences in age, mode of presentation, site of origin, rupture, and the spectrum of associated abnormalities were elucidated. The majority of the patients (86.4%) were operated by the Bicameral approach. Repair was tailored according to the extent and severity of the defect in the sinus of Valsalva and aortic valve annulus and also the presence and site of VSD.

Modified supra-arterial myotomy for intermittent coronary obstruction by myocardial bridges.

Coronary artery narrowing secondary to myocardial bridging, with consequent clinical manifestation, is a known but uncommon entity. A modified supra-arterial myotomy in a case of myocardial bridge causing medication-refractory angina is described.