Institute of Bioresources and Sustainable Development

Background As of 3 March 2023, Madagascar had reported 1,422 deaths from COVID-19. Up to now, there hasn't been a study to estimate the Total Present Value of Human Life lost $\left({TPVHL}_{MADAGASCAR}\right)$, productivity losses, and potential productivity losses averted through COVID-19 vaccination for use in advocacy. The study reported in this paper aimed to fill these information gaps. Methods The Human Capital Model (HCM) was used to estimate the ${TPVHL}_{MADAGASCAR}$, which is the sum of the discounted value of human life losses among individuals in seven different age groups. The Present Value of Human Life for each age group $\left({PVHL}_{i}\right)$ was calculated by multiplying the discount factor, the undiscounted years of life, the non-health gross domestic product (GDP) per capita, and the number of COVID-19 deaths in that age group. To test the robustness of the results, the HCM was rerun five times, assuming (i) a 5% discount rate, (ii) a 10% discount rate, (iii) Africa’s highest average life expectancy at birth of 78.76 years, (iv) the world's highest life expectancy of 88.17 years, (v) projected excess COVID-19 mortality of 11,418.66 deaths as of 3 March 2023 in Madagascar, and assuming different levels of vaccine coverage: 100%, 70%, 60.93%, and 8.266%. Results The 1,422 human lives lost due to COVID-19 had a ${TPVHL}_{MADAGASCAR}$ of Int$46,331,412; and an average of Int$ 32,582 per human life. Re-estimation of the HCM, using (i) discount rates of 5% and 10% reduced ${TPVHL}_{MADAGASCAR}$ by 23% and 53%, respectively; (ii) average life expectancies of 78.76 years and 88.17 years increased ${TPVHL}_{MADAGASCAR}$ by 23.7% and 39.5%, respectively; (iii) projected excess COVID-19 mortality of 11,418.66 augmented ${TPVHL}_{MADAGASCAR}$ by 703%. Furthermore, it is estimated that vaccinating 70% of the target population could potentially save the country Int$ 1.1 billion, equivalent to 1.94% of the GDP. Conclusions The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in significant health and productivity losses for Madagascar. Optimizing COVID-19 vaccination coverage for the target population could substantially reduce these losses.

Spring water is a vital drinking resource for residents in the Eastern Himalayas’ Sikkim, India. While our initial investigations into spring water quality highlighted concerning levels of fecal coliform bacteria, the bacterial community composition (BCC) of these springs remains largely unexplored. This study sought to elucidate the BCC of Himalayan spring water, exploring its effects on water quality and delving into the unique bacterial ecology of these high-altitude springs. Bacterial diversity was assessed using 16S rRNA gene amplicon (V3-V4) library sequencing. The Greengenes reference database facilitated the classification of de-novo assembled operational taxonomic units (OTUs). The findings of this study revealed Proteobacteria (39.78%), Planctomycetes (35.76%), Verrucomicrobia (32.65%), and Bacteroidetes (37.04%) as predominant phyla across the four major districts: East, West, South, and North. Additionally, distinct genera emerged as dominant in each district: Emticicia in the East, Prosthecobacter in the South, and Planctomyces in the North and West. Of potential health concern, pathogenic bacteria like Corynebacterium, Acinetobacter, Legionella, Mycobacterium, and Clostridium were detected, albeit in low abundance. Their presence, even in minor quantities, might indicate potential future health risks for the communities relying on these springs. However, a substantial portion of the bacterial sequence remained unidentified (> = 40.0%), showcasing no sequence similarity with the reference database. This intriguing “dark matter” in bacterial DNA hints at a potential treasure trove of yet-to-be-identified species. Future taxonomic profiling of these novel sequences may offer a deeper understanding of Himalayan springs’ microbial makeup. Furthermore, these novel bacterial sequences will be instrumental in enhancing our global understanding of bacterial community structures and their ecological adaptations in high-altitude, low-temperature environments.

In many transdisciplinary research settings, a lack of attention to the values underpinning project aims can inhibit stakeholder engagement and ultimately slow or undermine project outcomes. As a research collective (The Careoperative), we have developed a set of four shared values through a facilitated visioning process, as central to the way we work together: care, reflexivity, inclusivity, and collectivity. In this paper, we explore the implications of a values-centered approach to collaboration in food system transformation research. The paper presents two cases that illustrate how researchers might approach centering values in practice. Where much research on food system transformation focuses on values of food system stakeholders, we contribute insights into the values of researchers in such transdisciplinary endeavors. Specifically, we argue that researchers working on sustainability transformations need to be better prepared to engage in such reflections and aspire to embody values aligned with the transformations they seek to research.

Tropical forest and savanna frequently coexist under the same climatic conditions, which has led to the hypothesis that they could represent alternative ecosystem states, stabilized by internal feedbacks. An implication of this hypothesis is that forest and savanna may be bistable and exhibit tipping behavior in response to changing conditions. However, we pose that the local presence of forest and savanna within coexistence landscapes is not sufficient evidence that these are alternative stable states at larger ecosystem scales. Therefore, we explore forest-savanna coexistence and bistability at landscape scale in Central Africa. Using remote sensing data on tree cover, we classify 0.1° × 0.1° (approx. 10 × 10 km) landscapes as homogeneous forest, homogeneous savanna, or coexistence, and analyze the roles of climate, topography and soil sand content in driving their distributions. We find that local coexistence of forest and savanna within landscapes is common and occurs for the whole range of mean annual precipitation in our study area. At low precipitation, however, coexistence increases with topographic roughness and is therefore likely driven by local redistribution of resources rather than internal feedbacks. Coexistence within intermediate and high precipitation landscapes remains unexplained by the studied variables, and may be caused either by heterogeneity in unmeasured drivers or by feedback-driven bistability. At landscape scale, the precipitation ranges for which homogeneous forest and savanna occur have only limited overlap, and this overlap can be largely explained by other external drivers, such as seasonality, soil sand content, and topography. This lack of evidence that homogeneous forest and savanna in Central Africa are alternative ecosystem states at this landscape scale means that transitions between them may be mostly local, resulting in coexistence states. Therefore, we conclude that the likelihood of large-scale tipping between homogeneous forest and savanna ecosystems may be lower than previously thought.

Introduction Benincasa hispida (Thunb.) Cogn. (Cucurbitaceae) is an essential food plant in India possessing antihyperglycemic and antihyperlipidemic activities. Objective The objective included comparative estimation of α-glucosidase and α-amylase enzyme inhibition potential of B. hispida fractions prepared by microwave-assisted extraction and prediction of metabolite interaction against non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus by metabolite profiling based network pharmacology analysis. Methods A validated microwave-assisted extraction method was employed to obtain different fractions of B. hispida fruits. The in vitro enzyme assay was done with p-nitrophenyl-α-D-glucopyranoside and acarbose as standard to evaluate antidiabetic potential. The phytomolecules present in the active fraction were identified by UHPLC-QToF-MS/MS analysis. Network pharmacology analysis gave possible gene and disease association, combination synergy network, and predicted probable mechanism of action. Results The highest enzyme inhibition potential (IC50) was shown by the ethyl acetate fraction (0.546 ± 0.17 mg/mL and 1.134 ± 0.42 mg/mL) compared to acarbose (0.298 ± 0.08 mg/mL and 0.532 ± 0.38 mg/mL), respectively, for α-glucosidase and α-amylase addressing the potential role in ameliorating non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. Metabolite profiling resulted in the identification of 17 metabolites, and a synergy between the identified molecules suggested multimolecule action in the amelioration of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus through insulin resistance pathway, AMPK signaling pathway, PPAR signaling pathway, and PI3K–Akt signaling pathway. Combination synergy of identified molecules was observed through a multitarget approach to manage non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. Conclusion Polyphenol-enriched fraction of B. hispida fruits and identified phytocompounds ameliorate non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. Thus, enriched extract of B. hispida can be further investigated in order to develop high-quality, safe, and effective products for the management of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.

The research covers the emergence and formation of the circular economy as an independent concept and its relationship with the phenomenon of new industrialization. The paper analyses the variety of interpretations of the “circular economy” concept; The main approaches to its formation are defined. The evolutionary development of the main principles of concept formation is studied; Characteristics, current situation, and general perspectives of development are described. In addition, the article reveals the mechanisms by which a circular economy can be successfully introduced in the modern world. The difference between a linear economy and a circular economy is presented, as well as the benefits of moving to a circular economy. The conclusion provides an updated concept of circular economy and it is justified that the concept of circular economy is a universal way to form green economic growth in developing countries, which allows to overcome global economic challenges. Also, by moving from a linear economy to a circular economy, social enterprises will be able to create social good, stimulate the local economy, and create jobs by creating innovative, circular products, and maximizing the use of renewable resources and energy sources.

Structural Path Analysis (SPA) and the Hypothetical Extraction Method (HEM) are both established methods for studying CO2 emissions. However, their combined application to investigate emission linkages in specific sectors, such as construction, is relatively novel. This research integrates SPA and HEM to explore the CO2 emissions linkages within the construction sectors of China and the United States, providing a comprehensive understanding of how these emissions are interlinked. The findings show that construction sector of Untied States and China is the largest production-based CO2 emissions of construction sector in the world, but the consumption-based emissions of construction sector in China contributes 29.81% of total CO2 emissions, compared to 5.63% in the U.S. This suggests that the carbon footprint of the construction sector is a significant consideration, irrespective of whether it is assessed from the standpoint of production or consumption dynamics. Meanwhile, the development of construction sector has driven the electricity, gas, steam, and air conditioning supply sectors to emit a large amount of CO2 emission in both countries. By analyzing the differences in the main emission linkages and pathways of the construction sectors between China and the U.S., this study provides insights for reducing CO2 emissions in the construction sector and assists policymakers in developing future strategies. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1038/s41598-024-77679-x.

Increasing climatic and human pressures are changing the world's water resources and hydrological processes at unprecedented rates. Understanding these changes requires comprehensive monitoring of water resources. Hydrogeodesy, the science that measures the Earth's solid and aquatic surfaces, gravity field, and their changes over time, delivers a range of novel monitoring tools that are complementary to traditional hydrological methods. It encompasses geodetic technologies such as Altimetry, Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR), Gravimetry, and Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS). Beyond quantifying these changes, there is a need to understand how hydrogeodesy can contribute to more ambitious goals dealing with water‐related and sustainability sciences. Addressing this need, we combine a meta‐analysis of over 3,000 articles to chart the range, trends, and applications of satellite‐based hydrogeodesy with an expert elicitation that systematically assesses the potential of hydrogeodesy. We find a growing body of literature relating to the advancements in hydrogeodetic methods, their accuracy and precision, and their inclusion in hydrological modeling, with a considerably smaller portion related to understanding hydrological processes, water management, and sustainability sciences. The meta‐analysis also shows that while lakes, groundwater and glaciers are commonly monitored by these technologies, wetlands or permafrost could benefit from a wider range of applications. In turn, the expert elicitation envisages the potential of hydrogeodesy to help solve the 23 Unsolved Questions of the International Association of Hydrological Sciences and advance knowledge as guidance toward a safe operating space for humanity. It also highlights how this potential can be maximized by combining hydrogeodetic technologies simultaneously, exploiting artificial intelligence, and accurately integrating other Earth science disciplines. Finally, we call for a coordinated way forward to include hydrogeodesy in tertiary education and broaden its application to water‐related and sustainability sciences in order to exploit its full potential.

Sepiolite-modified nano-zero-valent iron (S-nZVI) is used as an amendment and incubated to remediate As-Cd-contaminated soil under three different soil‒water management conditions [moderately wet (MW), continuously flooded (CF) and alternately wet and dry (AWD)]. The results showed that soil pH is in the order of CF > AWD > MW. The soil pH increased approximately 0.5 to 1 unit by 3% and 5% doses after 36 d of incubation. Soil pH was negatively correlated with available As-Cd content under the three water regimes (p < 0.01). All doses of S-nZVI significantly reduced soil available As-Cd under the three soil moistures by 45-80% for As and 5-45% for Cd. Moreover, S-nZVI addition also promoted the transformation of As-Cd in the acid-extracted fraction, oxidation fraction, and reduced fraction to a more stable residue fraction. High-throughput sequencing results showed that high doses of S-nZVI had a significant adverse effect on soil bacterial diversity and richness. After 36 d of incubation, the Chao1 index and the Shannon index were significantly decreased in MW, CF, and AWD, respectively. Decreasing the S-nZVI dose and increasing the incubation time simultaneously reduced As-Cd availability and S-nZVI ecotoxicity in the soil, thereby effectively maintaining the survivability of the original dominant bacteria, increasing the soil pH, and promoting the interaction between dominant bacteria and soil factors in As-Cd cocontaminated soil.

Indigenous scholars argue that the reciprocal relationality of life should be taken more seriously in scholarship responding to environmental crisis; however, much of orthodox academia analyses the environment as a separate category through the physical and social science disciplines. This article shows how human exceptionalism, human centrism, racial discrimination, and Euro-American centric privilege interweave in academic institutions and practices, often invisibly and thus insidiously, to dismiss Indigenous scholarship and lived experiences. We explore how to meaningfully address these problematics, presenting examples from our academic practices to overturn colonial and imperial privilege. We present a more-than-disciplinary approach to undiscipline nature, knowledge, and peoples. We argue that this paradigm shift is best led by Indigenous leaders in relationality, whose expert knowledge inheritance already holds nature with society. We present an Indigenous, pedological approach, to help destabilise orthodox academic disciplinary approaches and organisational structures through foregrounding Indigenous learning and knowledge systems.

Nature-based solutions for mitigating climate change focus largely on land management to reduce carbon emissions and enhance carbon sequestration. Tree planting, commonly advocated for carbon offset, threatens grassland biodiversity and may induce positive radiative forcing (warming) by lowering albedo. Before making decisions about land-use changes in grasslands, an understanding of the fine-scale albedo of grassy versus woody vegetation is needed. Existing satellite-based albedo products offer global coverage with temporally fine, but spatially coarse, resolution, whereas fine-scale in situ grassland albedo data are sparse. We examined the hypotheses that albedo varies seasonally between grass type patches, between shrub and grass patches, and with grazing at the patch scale. Using a tripod-mounted albedometer, we quantified albedo of seven distinct grassland patches in South Africa’s eastern Karoo during early and late dormancy and growing seasons. Patches included intensely-grazed grazing lawn (Cynodon dactylon), grazed and less-grazed red tussock grass (Themeda triandra), grazed and less-grazed white tussock grass (Eragrostis lehmanniana), shrub (Pentzia incana) encroached grass, and bare ground. Season influenced albedo in all patches and, additionally, we found strong differences for the same period between years due to varying rainfall and temperature patterns. For grass-dominated patches, albedo differences were most pronounced during early dormancy, likely due to an effect of grass inflorescences. Albedo of intensely-grazed grazing lawns was consistently higher than other patches, except during early dormancy when white tussock grass albedo was equally high. We found no albedo difference between grazed and less-grazed tussock patches of either red or white grass. Shrub-encroached patches exhibited consistently lower albedo than other patches. Our findings underscore the nuanced relationship between grassland patches and albedo, with shrub encroachment, proposed afforestation, and certain grasses possibly increasing warming potential through reduced albedo. As climate initiatives extend into grasslands, understanding these patterns is essential for climate change mitigation and grassland conservation.

Gynura cusimbua (D. Don) S. Moore is a medicinal plant traditionally used to accelerate wound healing. Scientifically, it has been reported to exhibit anti-inflammatory, anti-ulcer, hypoglycemic and anti-angiogenic activities. However, no report on wound healing activity of this plant has been studied scientifically so far. Thus, our study presents a scientific evaluation of wound healing potential of hydroalcoholic extract of Gynura cusimbua leaves. To identify the major phytoconstituents of hydroalcoholic extract, LCMS analysis was carried out. Protein denaturation inhibition method and membrane stabilization test was utilized to check anti- inflammatory activity of the extract. Caudal fin regeneration experiment on adult zebrafish was conducted to study wound healing potential of the extract. Developmental toxicity was studied in zebrafish embryos to rule out toxicity in the model species after systemic administration of the extract. LCMS analysis detected a total of 774 metabolites consisting of flavonoids, terpenoids, polyphenols, lipids, organic acids, phenolic acids as well as cinnamic and coumaric acid derivatives. In vitro anti-inflammatory tests revealed the extract exhibited anti-inflammatory activity in a dose dependent manner. No developmental toxicity was observed after exposure to the extract. Regeneration of caudal fin was observed in fishes exposed to the extract with significant increase in the 800 µg/mL treatment group at 5dpa and 7dpa. Neutrophil accumulation along the wounded area was observed to be highest at 24hpa. To the best of our knowledge, our study is the first report showing the wound healing potential of Gynura cusimbua with no developmental toxicity after exposure in the zebrafish model.

In the past two decades, zooarchaeology combined with improved dating techniques has provided significant insights into the initial appearance of domestic animals in Southeast Asia. The suite of domestic animals commonly associated with Neolithic introduction—pigs ( Sus scrofa ), dogs ( Canis lupus familiaris ), chicken ( Gallus gallus ), and cattle ( Bos sp. )—arrived early in some areas but not others. In Southern Vietnam, analysis of animal bone assemblages and radiocarbon dating of Neolithic sites (c. 4200–3500 cal. BP) indicate that early managed animal populations were linked to sedentary lifestyles. Research has shown that pigs and dogs are present in the Neolithic, but cattle and chicken are absent. But the timing of integration of these domesticates into economic strategies remains unclear due to the lack of zooarchaeological studies on early metallurgical sites. Lò Gạch, the focus of this project, an early copper-base metallurgy settlement on the Vàm Cỏ Tây River, shows that animal management was supplemented by hunting around 3000–2200 cal. BP, with limited evidence of cattle and no domestic chicken. This highlights the complexity and regional variability in the spread and integration of domestic animals in the region.

Background Food safety is a global concern, which is often underestimated owing to challenges in investigating foodborne diseases. These challenges arise from the increased globalization of the food trade, advancements in agricultural practices, and shifts in environmental factors. In North-East India, common diarrheal outbreaks from fermented foods pose significant health risks. Despite these challenges, systematic data on foodborne pathogens is lacking in India, highlighting a crucial gap in understanding food safety issues. Objective The aim of this research protocol is to establish an integrated surveillance system to identify enteric pathogens circulating within humans, food animals, and the environment through a health approach in North-East India, and to conduct outbreak investigations. Methods The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) initiated a surveillance study across all 8 North-East states in India, employing a centralized digital database for data collation. The project aims to enhance the infrastructure for microbial culture, antibiotic sensitivity testing, and molecular epidemiological studies. The study involves laboratory-based surveillance of foodborne pathogens in market foods, hospitalized diarrheal patients, poultry and animal farms, slaughterhouses, butcher shops, and diarrheal outbreaks. A standardized case report form ensures consistent data collection of age, sex, signs, symptoms, and admission dates for diarrheal cases. Stool and rectal swabs will undergo testing for pathogen identification and antimicrobial resistance. Similarly, samples of market foods, food animals, and the environment will be collected. Outbreaks confirmed by the Integrated Disease Surveillance Project (IDSP) will be thoroughly investigated following standardized guidelines. Results In phase I, 5 surveillance centers were established across 4 states (ie, Assam [Dibrugarh and Guwahati], Tripura, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh) in 2020. Following an interim phase I data assessment and the successful establishment of a streamlined system for data procurement, investigation, recording, and analysis, along with the implementation of regular training and monitoring programs, phase II expansion was initiated in 2023-24. This includes the addition of 7 more centers (including 3 veterinary centers) in the remaining 4 states (ie, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, and Nagaland), eventually covering the entire North-Eastern Region of India. Conclusions Food and waterborne diseases are a constant public health problem in many countries. Key challenges to the enhancement of food safety policy include the paucity of systematic data and awareness. With this background, ICMR’s initiative is the first systematic surveillance study in the country to adopt a single health approach. Data obtained from this project will help to understand the risk of acquiring food and waterborne pathogens, their transmission pathways, and antimicrobial resistance patterns. The scientific evidence generated through this project will be helpful in formulating and strengthening food safety policy and in initiating government programs to protect the health of the nation. International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID) DERR1-10.2196/56469

To assess the potential risks of contemporary levels of plastic pollution in freshwater ecosystems, a large-scale experiment was conducted over 10 weeks in a boreal lake at the IISD-Experimental Lakes Area (Ontario, Canada). Fragments of common polymers (polyethylene, polystyrene, and polyethylene terephthalate), each with distinct colors and buoyancies, were added as a single pulse to seven in-lake mesocosms in equal contributions in a range of environmentally relevant nominal concentrations (6–29,240 particles/L). Two additional mesocosms with no added microplastics were used as controls. Zooplankton ingested low levels of microplastics (mean of 0.06 particles/individual ± SD 0.07) and generally their total abundance and community composition were not negatively impacted. Temporary changes were however observed; total zooplankton abundance and abundance of calanoid copepods were temporarily stimulated by increasing nominal microplastic concentrations, and modest, short-term reductions in egg production of the cyclopoid copepod Tropocyclops extensus and abundance of copepod nauplii occurred. Collectively, these results suggest that microplastics could have complex impacts on zooplankton communities, stimulating some species while negatively impacting others.

The genus Kaempferia consists of perennial herb species with a wide range of medicinal uses. The therapeutic qualities of these species led to relying on these species to treat a variety of illnesses before the modern healthcare system is available. Being a herbal genus with medicinal properties, there is a constant focus on these groups of plants as a source of contemporary medication development. This raises the importance of enhancing our comprehension of the species and its health-promoting properties, which will enable straightforward verification, and bestow the herbal plant with specific functional bioactive compounds. The growing health problems necessitate systemic exploitation of the species of these genera that comprises 70 species having its distribution in parts of Southeast Asia, India, and tropical Africa. However, the peculiar biology of Kaempferia’s high-value herbal plants presents intrinsic taxonomic challenges, underscoring the significance of genetic techniques for intervention. Molecular-based characterisation needs to be imparted so as to achieve genuine usage of herbal plants in addition to the evaluation for diversity, identification, and elucidation of taxonomic positions. Despite its great economic importance as a medicinal species, its sluggish growth raises the importance of the tissue culture method to meet the growing need for propagules while avoiding reliance on wild natural populations. The present review provides comprehensive information on Indian members of the genus Kaempferia, including their current status, economic significance, ethnobotany, phytochemistry, biological activity, and conservation tactics.

Plain Language Summary Understanding and predicting rainfall is a complex task, especially in areas where the availability of data from surface stations is limited, a common feature in many developing regions with insufficient rain gauge coverage. Recently, new opportunistic methods of rainfall measurement have emerged. Among them, is the use of the relationship between rainfall intensity and the sound produced by droplets hitting a surface. Sound recorders offer a low‐cost solution and could provide an interesting means to increase spatial coverage of rainfall measurements, but also to fill information gaps under dense forests where conventional devices do not work. Our study developed a new technique and applied it to the Central Amazon region, by training a supervised machine learning model applied to sound recordings obtained in a tropical rainforest. To our knowledge, for the first time, such techniques are validated in locations far from the calibration site. We showed that reasonable results can be obtained for sites with distinct vegetation types and up to 30 km of distance from where the training data was acquired. Our findings demonstrate a strong capability for estimating hourly rainfall rates.

Despite showing the greatest primate diversity on the planet, genomic studies on Amazonian primates show very little representation in the literature. With 48 geolocalized high coverage whole genomes from wild uakari monkeys, we present the first population-level study on platyrrhines using whole genome data. In a very restricted range of the Amazon rainforest, eight uakari species (Cacajao genus) have been described and categorized into the bald and black uakari groups, based on phenotypic and ecological differences. Despite a slight habitat overlap, we show that posterior to their split 0.92 Mya, bald and black uakaris have remained independent, without gene flow. Nowadays, these two groups present distinct genetic diversity and group-specific variation linked to pathogens. We propose differing hydrology patterns and effectiveness of geographic barriers have modulated the intra-group connectivity and structure of bald and black uakari populations. With this work we have explored the effects of the Amazon rainforest’s dynamism on wild primates’ genetics and increased the representation of platyrrhine genomes, thus opening the door to future research on the complexity and diversity of primate genomics.