Regulating fluvial systems by dams, barrages and construction of inter-basin link canals, has severe impacts on fish populations across the world’s rivers. In India, all major fluvial systems are interrupted by a series of barriers. This includes small weirs to large dams and salt-water barriers preventing saline incursion to the estuarine lakes.

Original Source

Wetlands seem to be more vulnerable to invasions compared to terrestrial ecosystems. The alien invasive weed, Ludwigia peruviana, invading the wetlands of the Dhansiri catchment and eastern part of Kopili in Assam has threatened the resident biodiversity and has also posed possibilities of spreading to other wetlands of North East India. The present study was conducted to measure the impact of the weed on the biodiversity of this region, to find out the causes for increasing invasiveness and to suggest a suitable management strategy.

Long time series of ocean and land color satellite data can be used to measure Laurentian Great Lakes water quality parameters including chlorophyll, suspended minerals, harmful algal blooms (HABs), photic zone and primary productivity on weekly, monthly and annual observational intervals. The observed changes in these water quality parameters over time are a direct result of the introduction of invasive species such as the Dreissena mussels as well as anthropogenic forcing and climate change.

Reduced graphene oxide (rGO) is a promising antibacterial material, the efficacy of which can be further enhanced by the addition of silver nanoparticles (nAg). In this study, the mechanisms of antibacterial activity of rGO–nAg nanocomposite against several important human pathogenic multidrug resistant bacteria, namely Gram-positive coccal Staphylococcus aureus and Gram-negative rodshaped Escherichia coli and Proteus mirabilis are investigated.

Original Source

Climate negotiation outcomes are difficult to evaluate objectively because there are no clear reference scenarios. Subjective assessments from those directly involved in the negotiations are particularly important, as this may influence strategy and future negotiation participation. Here we analyse the perceived success of the climate negotiations in a sample of 656 experts involved in international climate policy.

Avian H9N2 and 2009 pandemic H1N1 (pH1N1) influenza viruses can infect pigs and humans, raising the concern that H9N2:pH1N1 reassortant viruses could emerge. Such reassortants demonstrated increased replication and transmissibility in pig, but were still inefficient when compared to pH1N1. Here, we evaluated if a reassortant virus containing the hemagglutinin and neuraminidase of A/quail/Hong Kong/G1/1997 (H9N2) in the A/California/04/2009 (pH1N1) backbone could become better adapted to pigs by serial passaging.

This article discusses the peculiar conditions that favoured the unexpected introduction of Zika virus into the poorest northeastern region of Brazil in 2015, its speed of transmission to other Brazilian states, other Latin American countries and other regions, and the severity of related neurological disorders in newborns and adults.

Considering the currently confirmed cases of microcephaly and related deaths associated with Zika virus in Brazil, the estimated case fatality rate is 8.3% (95% confidence interval: 7.2–9.6). However, a third of the reported cases remain under investigation. If the confirmation rates of cases and deaths are the same in the future, the estimated case fatality rate will be as high as 10.5% (95% confidence interval: 9.5–11.7).

Menarche is an important milestone in the life of a girl which signifies the onset of fertility in a woman. To understand the health consequences and importance of menstrual hygiene practices among adolescent girls, it is important to study the current practices about the same so that future interventions can be planned accordingly.

Original Source

An Article by Audrey Bonaventure and colleagues in the Lancet Haematology provides international comparisons of 5-year net survival statistics of children diagnosed with leukaemia, and another Article by Eva Steliarova-Foucher and colleagues in the Lancet Oncology is an exhaustive report on worldwide incidence rates of childhood cancers observed in 2001–10. Both are based on best-quality data from population-based cancer registries. The first Article by Bonaventure and colleagues1 documents the steady improvements in survival in children with leukaemia from 1995–2009.