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We adapt Manifold Mixup theory for accent-robust end-to-end (E2E) Automatic speech recognition (ASR). Accent-variation between a source and target constitutes a domain-mismatch scenario. Manifold Mixup allows cross-domain robustness where a model trained on a source accent generalizes to target accents. We propose a 2-stage training mechanism with manifold mixup using one source accent. Stage 1 is a mixup-enabled cross-entropy based framewise character recognition model. Stage 2 is a Connectionist Temporal Classification (CTC)-loss based E2E ASR model using Stage 1 weights. We show that this model generalizes to unseen accents without any fine-tuning. This is studied for accented English from Indic-TIMIT corpus (6 Indic accents) and Common Voice corpus accent groups UKI (England, Ireland), Oriental (India, Malaysia), NorthAM (USA, Canada), African and ANZ (Australia, New Zealand). This is also studied with another Indian English corpus Svarah, the American English TIMIT corpus and the open audiobook English corpus of Librispeech. The proposed framework, using a Hindi-mixup model, offers absolute gains of around 2% over a non-mixup baseline on unseen test accents.

Whether live cell membranes show miscibility phase transitions (MPTs), and if so, how they fluctuate near the transitions remain outstanding unresolved issues in physics and biology alike. Motivated by these questions we construct a generic hydrodynamic theory for lipid membranes that are active, due for instance, to the molecular motors in the surrounding cytoskeleton, or active protein components in the membrane itself. We use this to uncover a direct correspondence between membrane fluctuations and MPTs. Several testable predictions are made: (i) generic active stiffening with orientational long range order (flat membrane) or softening with crumpling of the membrane, controlled by the active tension and (ii) for mixed lipid membranes, capturing the nature of putative MPTs by measuring the membrane conformation fluctuations. Possibilities of both first and second order MPTs in mixed active membranes are argued for. Near second order MPTs, active stiffening (softening) manifests as a super-stiff (super-soft) membrane. Our predictions are testable in a variety of in vitro systems, e.g. live cytoskeletal extracts deposited on liposomes and lipid membranes containing active proteins embedded in a passive fluid.

Environmental crises, declining factor productivity, and shrinking natural resource is a threat to global agricultural sustainability. The task is much more daunting in the Indo-Gangetic northern plains of India, where depletion of the underground water table and erratic rains due to the changing climate pose a major challenge to agriculture. To address these challenges a field investigation was carried out during 2016–2018 to test the efficacy of biopolymeric superabsorbent hydrogels namely Pusa Hydrogel (P-hydrogel: a semi-synthetic cellulose derivative-based product) and kaolin derivative of Pusa Hydrogel (K-hydrogel: semi-synthetic cellulose derivative) to assess their effect on crop and water productivity, soil moisture, root dynamics, and economics of soybean ( Glycine max L.)–wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) system under three irrigation regimes namely full irrigation, limited irrigation and rainfed. The results revealed that the full irrigation along with P-hydrogel led to enhanced grain yield, biomass yield, and water productivity (WP) of soybean (1.61–10.5%, 2.2–9.5%, and 2.15–21.8%, respectively) and wheat (11.1–18.3%, 12–54% and 11.1–13.1%, respectively) over control plots. Likewise, under water stressed plots of rainfed conditions with P-hydrogel exhibited 52.7 and 20.6% higher system yields (in terms of wheat equivalent yield) over control and other combinations during the respective study years. Whereas the magnitude of increase in system yield under limited irrigation with P-hydrogel was ~ 15.1% and under full irrigation with P-hydrogel was 8.0–19.4%. Plots treated with P-hydrogel retained 3.0–5.0% higher soil moisture compared to no-hydrogel plots, while K-hydrogel treated plots held the lower moisture (4.0–6.0%) than the control. In terms of profitability, full irrigation along with P-hydrogel plots registered 12.97% higher economic returns over control. The results suggested that P-hydrogel (2.5 kg ha −1 ) reduces runoff water loss in full irrigation applied plots and retained more water, where loss of water is more thus reduces number of irrigations. Hence P-hydrogel with irrigation water is a viable option for sustainable production of soybean-wheat systems in the Indo-Gangetic plains of India and other similar eco-regions of the world.

South Asia is vulnerable to a variety of hydrometeorological hazards, which are often cross-boundary in nature. Climate change is expected to influence many of these hazards. Thus, climate-related risks over South Asia make disaster risk reduction (DRR) and climate change adaptation (CCA) key policy goals. Recently there is an increasing consensus that DRR including CCA should be embedded in development planning. Disaster risk reduction including CCA has progressively gained importance in global governance. Across South Asia, however, such integration is only in a preliminary stage. This review was to assess the existing status and scope of DRR including CCA in development projects across South Asia, so that an effective and achievable deliberation may be made to regional policymakers. A total of 371 projects relevant to CCA and DRR were reviewed. The project inventory was diverse in nature with respect to location, scale, sectoral focus, and strategic importance. Bangladesh, India, and Bhutan were observed to be proactive in implementing DRR- and CCA-related projects. Meta-analysis of the project inventory suggests an urgent need for an individual and collaborative convergence of processes for DRR and CCA through policies, plans, strategies, and programs.

Fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith), a threat to maize production systems, is a polyphagous pest of global significance. There is no registered bioinsecticide of botanical origin to provide green remedy against this pest of concern. The present study reports for the first time the potency of the polar and non-polar bioinsecticidal leads sourced from Lippia alba (Mill.) N.E. Br. leaves. Shade-dried leaves of L . alba were extracted and evaluated; based on preliminary bioassay, the ethyl acetate leaf extract of L . alba ( LEAE ) was found to be the most potent against FAW in the in vitro and in vivo studies. Ultraperformance liquid chromatography–quadrupole time-of-flight–mass spectrometric (UPLC-QToF-MS) analysis of LEAE revealed the rich chemical profile of 28 compounds, dominated by flavones, namely, naringenin, trihydroxy-dimethoxy flavone, and dihydroxy-trimethoxy flavone. Among others, glycosides, such as clerodendrin, calceolarioside E, forsythoside B, geniposide, and martynoside, and glucuronides, such as luteolin-7-diglucuronide, tricin-7-O-glucuronide, and luteolin-7-O-glucuronide, were also identified. LEAE exhibited exceptionally high in vitro [LC 50 = 6,900 parts per million (ppm)] and in vivo (computed as damage score on a scale of 1–9) insecticidal activity against S . frugiperda , with no phytotoxicity at a dose as high as 20 times of LC 50 . LEAE also exhibited significant antifeedant, ovicidal, and growth regulatory activity at the 70–16,000 ppm (w/v) concentration range. In silico assessment revealed strong binding of martynoside, calceolarioside E, and forsythoside B with acetylcholinesterase-, sodium-, and chloride-dependent γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptor and ryanodine receptor, respectively, facilitated by hydrogen bonds (conventional and C–H bonds) stabilized by hydrophobic pi–sigma, pi–pi stacked, pi–alkyl, and alkyl interactions. The present study established L. alba as a potential bioresource and secondary metabolite enriched LEAE as bioinsecticide for further product development.

This study examines uncertainties in the retrieval of the Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) for different aerosol types, which are obtained from different satellite-borne aerosol retrieval products over North Africa, California, Germany, and India and Pakistan in the years 2007–2019. In particular, we compared the aerosol types reported as part of the AOD retrieval from MODIS/MAIAC and CALIOP, with the latter reporting richer aerosol types than the former, and from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) and MODIS Deep Blue (DB), which retrieve aerosol products at a lower spatial resolution than MODIS/MAIAC. Whereas MODIS and OMI provide aerosol products nearly every day over of the study areas, CALIOP has only a limited surface footprint, which limits using its data products together with aerosol products from other platforms for, e.g., estimation of surface particulate matter (PM) concentrations. In general, CALIOP and MAIAC AOD showed good agreement with the AERONET AOD (r: 0.708, 0.883; RMSE: 0.317, 0.123, respectively), but both CALIOP and MAIAC AOD retrievals were overestimated (36–57%) with respect to the AERONET AOD. The aerosol type reported by CALIOP (an active sensor) and by MODIS/MAIAC (a passive sensor) were examined against aerosol types derived from a combination of satellite data products retrieved by MODIS/DB (Angstrom Exponent, AE) and OMI (Aerosols Index, AI, the aerosol absorption at the UV band). Together, the OMI-DB (AI-AE) classification, which has wide spatiotemporal cover, unlike aerosol types reported by CALIOP or derived from AERONET measurements, was examined as auxiliary data for a better interpretation of the MAIAC aerosol type classification. Our results suggest that the systematic differences we found between CALIOP and MODIS/MAIAC AOD were closely related to the reported aerosol types. Hence, accounting for the aerosol type may be useful when predicting surface PM and may allow for the improved quantification of the broader environmental impacts of aerosols, including on air pollution and haze, visibility, climate change and radiative forcing, and human health.

A reduced herbicide rate with hand-weeding (HW) can act as a safer and sustainable approach for weed control. A field study was conducted at CSIR-IHBT, Palampur, India during 2018 and 2019 to analyze the efficacy of herbicides in combination with manual weeding on weed control and the yield of wild marigold (Tagetes minuta L). The experiment was laid with 12 treatments, consisting of two herbicide dosages with prescribed and reduced rates (R) of pendimethalin, imazethapyr, and carfentrazone-ethyl, along with integration of reduced-rate herbicide treatments with HW. The weed population, dry matter, and the crop biomass yield had a significant effect on different weed-control treatments. Imazethapyr (R) with HW recorded a reduced weed number (9.64 m−2) and weed dry matter (13.64 g m−2) and a greater biomass yield (235.03 q ha−1). All the herbicides with integration with HW decreased the weed infestation and enhanced the biomass yield. The weed control efficacy of imazethapyr was higher than pendimethalin and carfentrazone-ethyl. Weed infestation in reduced doses of herbicides with HW was lower than in recommended doses. Herbicide residues in the soil of all herbicides at both the dosages were below the detectable limit (<0.001 μg g−1). Therefore, a reduced dose of imazethapyr integrated with HW can be prescribed to T. minuta growers as a more sustainable approach.

Crude oil contamination of soil and water resources is a widespread issue. The present study evaluated the degradation of aliphatic hydrocarbons (C 11 –C 36 ) in crude oil by 17 bacteria isolated from a crude oil–contaminated soil. The results suggested that Pseudomonas sp. and Bacillus amyloliquefaciens were the best hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria in the presence of surfactant Tween-80 (0.1% w/v). Based on the present investigation and a previous study, Pseudomonas sp. + B. amyloliquefaciens and fungus Aspergillus sydowii were identified as best oil degraders and were immobilized in alginate–bentonite beads, guargum–nanobenonite water dispersible granules (WDGs), and carboxy methyl cellulose (CMC)–bentonite composite. Sandy loam soil was fortified with 1, 2, and 5% crude oil, and total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) degradation efficiency of free cultures and bio-formulations was evaluated in sandy loam soils. Compared to a half-life (t 1/2 ) of 69.7 days in the control soil (1% oil), free cultures of Pseudomonas sp. + B. amyloliquefaciens and A. sydowii degraded TPH with t 1/2 of 10.8 and 19.4 days, respectively. Increasing the oil content slowed down degradation, and the t 1/2 in the control and soils inoculated with Pseudomonas sp. + B. amyloliquefaciens and A. sydowii was 72.9, 14.7, and 22.2 days (2%) and 87.0, 23.4, and 30.8 days (5%), respectively. Supplementing soil with ammonium sulfate (1%) enhanced TPH degradation by Pseudomonas sp. + B. amyloliquefaciens (t 1/2 –10 days) and A. sydowii (t 1/2 –12.7 days). All three bio-formulations were effective in degrading TPH (1%), and the t 1/2 was 10.7–11.9 days ( Pseudomonas sp. + B. amyloliquefaciens and 14–20.2 days ( A. sydowii ) and were at par with free cultures. Microbial diversity analysis based on taxonomic markers and functional markers suggested that the bioaugmentation process helped keep soil in the active stage and restored the original microbial population to some extent. The present study concluded that bio-formulations of crude oil–degrading microbes can be exploited for its degradation in the contaminated environment.

Microplastics (MPs) are ubiquitous in our environment. Its presence in air, water, and soil makes it a serious threat to living organisms and has become a critical challenge across ecosystems. Present study aimed to assess the abundance of MPs in aerosols and street dust in Varanasi, a typical urban city in Northern India. Airborne particulates and street dust samples were collected from various sampling sites around Varanasi City. The physical identification of MPs was conducted by binocular microscopy, fluorescence microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), while elemental analysis was made by energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX). Finally, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was used for chemical characterization of MPs. Presence of MPs in both aerosols and street dust from all selected sampling sites was confirmed, however with varying magnitude. MPs of different colors having the shape of fragments, films, spherules, and fibers were recorded in the study while fragments (42%) in street dust and fibers (44%) dominated in aerosols. Majority of the MPs were < 1 mm in size and were primarily polypropylene, polystyrene, polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polyester, and polyvinyl chloride types. The EDX spectra showed the presence of toxic inorganic contaminants like metallic elements on MPs, especially elements like aluminum, cadmium, magnesium, sodium, and silicon found to adsorb on the MPs. Presence of MPs in the airborne particulates and street dust in Varanasi is reported for the first time, thus initiating further research and call for a source-specific management plan to reduce its impact on human health and environment.